Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

Adapted from The New York Times

Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for serving

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced 3/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and picked through

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

2 thyme sprigs

1 large rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

2. Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot. Cook, stirring, until dark golden, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, 8 cups water, salt, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to make sure the beans remain submerged.

3. When the beans are tender, return the sausage to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into warm bowls and serve drizzled with additional vinegar and olive oil.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler (re-invented Chicken Pot Pie)

Adapted from "The Minimalist"

Double the topping recipe to get enough crust across the whole pie. We used turkey tonight from Thanksgiving leftovers and boy, just as delicious!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 leek, well washed and chopped

Salt and black pepper

2 cups quartered button mushrooms

1 1/2cups chicken stock

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 medium carrots, cut into coins

2 boneless chicken thighs, diced

1 cup peas, frozen or fresh

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping Ingredients (Make sure to double!):

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

1/2 cup buttermilk (see note)

1 egg

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the leek, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until liquid has released and evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add stock and rosemary; bring to a boil, and let bubble for a minute or two, then add carrots and chicken and reduce heat so the liquid simmers. Cook until carrots are almost tender and chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are brightly colored and just tender, another minute or so; fish out rosemary stem and discard.

3. Whisk cornstarch with a few tablespoons of broth to make a slurry. Add slurry to pot and stir until liquid thickens slightly. Transfer everything to an ovenproof dish and set aside.

4. Put flour in a food processor with baking powder, soda and salt. Add butter and process until mixture resembles small peas, no more than 30 seconds. (You can also do this by hand, using two knives, a fork, your fingers, or a pastry cutter). Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in buttermilk and egg until it just comes together; it should be sticky.

5. Drop spoonfuls of batter on top of vegetables and chicken and smooth with a knife, covering as much surface area as possible but leaving a few gaps for steam to escape. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until golden on top and bubbly underneath. Scoop into bowls and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, gently warm milk until it’s about 100 degrees; stir in a couple of teaspoons of vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.

Perfect Salad Dressing

Don't need anything else.

1 TB balsamic vinegar
3 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon mustard
salt and pepper to tatste

N-Y-C

I will be back in NYC no later than the end of June. I'm hoping to get there sooner though, as soon as winter weather breaks. There are so many restaurants I want to get to whenever I head to NYC, I end up eating 4+ meals a day just to spread it around.

Paris

I'm going to Paris in May. For work, No, seriously. It should be awesome though. Anyway, I'll be looking for some culinary inspiration while there. They have some of the finest restaurants in the world, but in my only previous trip to the City of Lights, I recall some amazing street food as well.

Mistral Chicken

You'll notice on the blog that we like chicken thighs. Why? They taste better than breasts, and are easier than whole chickens. They're cheaper too. Here's another tasty, simple way to make them.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. chicken thighs (boneless)
30-40 garlic cloves (try to buy the ones that are already peeled to save some serious prep work)
5-10 shallots (balance # of shallots and garlic cloves with how much chicken you get)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock (I do more of each with more chicken)

Directions:
1. Season chicken w/ salt and pepper. Place deep, non-stick skillet over high heat, and add oil/butter. When fats are hot, but not smoking, add chicken pieces, and cook until even gold brown (a few minutes per side).
2. Reduce heat to medium, bury garlic cloves and shallots under chicken, to make sure they're on the bottom of the pan. Saute, shaking/stirring pan frequently, until garlic/shallots are lightly browned and softened, 10-15 minutes.
3. Add wine/stock, scraping bottom of pan. Cover, cook low and slow for 20-30 minutes.

Good served over rice.

15-minute Fried Herb Chicken

mmmmm...Bittman. If I ever meet the guy, I'll probably be speechless. Here's another one of his simple, yet tasty recipes.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1-2 Tablespoons, mixed fresh herbs, like tarragon and sage
2 tablesppons peanut butter
1/4 cup olive oil (more for frying)
Flour for dredging
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Parsley
Lemon

Directions
1. In a food processor, combine onion, herbs and peanut butter. as your puree the mixture, slowly add just enough olive oil through the feed tube to make a thick, smooth paste; do not let it get too thin.
2. Put flour in a shallow bowl. Place chicken in another bowl. Rub pureed mixture over chicken, then dredge pieces in flour. Gently sahke off any excess flour, coat again wih paste and dregdge once more with flour.
3. Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in skillet; when it is hot, fry chicken for about 4 minutes each side, until well browned and cooked through; it will take longer if you use chicken with the bone in. Garnish with parsley and serve hot or warm, with lemon
wedges.
You may want to turn the heat down towards the end of the second side, to avoid burning.