Arroz con Pollo

 

So good that words cannot describe. But sadly, made when company was coming over, so there was not much time for creative picture taking. A lovely dish to prepare on a cold winter night. And a great way to make the house smell delicious. 

Tip: I do not have a Dutch oven big enough for 8 chicken thighs to cook safely, so instead, I seared the chicken in two batches on the stove, and then removed them to an 8x12 Pyrex casserole dish. The rest of the recipe was prepared as described below.

Arroz con Pollo

Cooks Illustrated 

6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 T)
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1 T + 2 tsp white vinegar
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3.5 - 4 lbs), trimmed of excess fat and skin
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (1 c)
1 green bell peppers chopped fine (3/4 c)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c cilantro, minced
8 oz tomato sauce
1 3/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c water
3 c medium-grain rice (if using long-grain, increase water to 3/4 c in step 2)
1/2 c green olives (manzanilla), pitted and halved
1 T capers
1/2 c pimientos, jarred, cut into 1/4 x 2" strips
lemon wedges, for serving


To keep the dish from becoming greasy, it is important to remove excess fat from the chicken thighs and trim the skin.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl using rubber spatula, mix to make smooth paste. Add oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to garlic-salt mixture stir to combine. Place chicken in bowl with marinade. Coat chicken pieces evenly with marinade set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper, and pepper flakes cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro stir to combine. Push vegetables to sides of pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to clearing in center of pot, skin side down, in even layer. Cook, without moving chicken, until outer layer of meat becomes opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. (If chicken begins to brown, reduce heat to medium.) Using tongs, flip chicken and cook on second side until opaque, 2 to 4 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and water stir to combine. Bring to simmer cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add rice, olives, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon salt stir well. Bring to simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. After 10 minutes, remove pot from oven and stir chicken and rice once from bottom up. Return pot to oven. After another 10 minutes, stir once more, adding 1/4 cup water if rice appears dry and bottom of pot is beginning to burn. Cover and return pot to oven cook until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender but still holds its shape and temperature of chicken registers 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes longer.

Using tongs, remove chicken from pot replace lid and set pot aside. Remove and discard chicken skin using 2 spoons, pull meat off bones into large chunks. Using fingers, remove remaining fat or dark veins from chicken pieces. Place chicken in large bowl and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and pimentos season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on top of rice, cover, and let stand until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Caribbean Black Beans

A reader recently contacted Stump the Donut and asked for recommendations on low-sugar, family-friendly ways to serve up more black beans. Here is entry #1 for this completely anonymous reader.

Caribbean Black Beans

Moosewood Cookbook

1 1/2 c onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 T ginger root, grated

1 tsp thyme, fresh (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp allspice, ground

4 1/2 c drained, cooked, black beans

3/4 c orange juice

salt and pepper

Saute the onions and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add ginger, thyme, and allspice and cook until very soft, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in beans and orange juice and cook on low for 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Use a heat diffuser if necessary to prevent scorching.

Mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon for a thicker consistency.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies
Cooking Light, April 2010


Cookies:
1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/8 tsp ancho chile powder
1/2 c unsalted butter , softened
1/2 c canola oil
3/4 c powdered sugar

Icing:
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c milk
1 1/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Nuts:
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp unsalted butter , softened
36 smalls pecans halves


Preheat oven to 325.

To prepare cookies, combine flour, cocoa and next 4 ingredients (through ancho chile powder) in a bowl. Stir with a shiwk.

Place 1/2 c butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add oil. Beat 3 minutes or until well blended. Gradually add 3/4 c powdered sugar beat well. Add flour mixture beat at low speed until well blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Shape dough into 36 balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten cookies to 1/4" thick. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet. Remove from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.






































To prepare icing, melt 2 T butter in a large suacepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 c brown sugar and milk cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Rmove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

To prepare nuts, combine 1 tsp brown sugar, sea slat and 1 tsp butter in a medium bowl. Arrange pecans on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes, or until toasted. Add hot pecans to butter mixture, tossing well to coat. Cool.

Spread 1 tsp icing over each cookie. Top each with 1 pecan half.

Texas Cranberry and Jalapeno Bread

I had the great fortune of sitting with the Texas Food & Wine Gourmet, Terry Thompson-Anderson, at the 2011 Edible Texas Food Wine Match. Not only was she interesting and welcome to others at her table, but she was filled with wonderful observations about the food and wine pairings we sampled that night. It was a treat to spend the evening with her!

This recipe comes from her wonderful online collection of Texas-themed recipes. We're all familiar with cranberry bread, but this version uses 3 ingredients that really spice it up -- jalapeno jelly, salsa, and cracked pepper. Not enough to change the flavor palate dramatically. But, just enough that you will take each sweet bite and wonder "What is that piquant flavor back there?"

Highly recommended!

Texas Cranberry and Jalapeno Bread

Texas Food & Wine Gourmet

4 c flour

2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1 c pecan, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 c orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 T salsa

2 T jalapeno pepper jelly, slightly warmed

1/2 c unsalted butter, melted

12 oz cranberries, fresh, stems removed, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Generously grease 2 large bread loaf pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pepper, cumin, and pecans. Toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredeitns and whisk to combine.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir together, just until combined. The batter will be very stiff. Do not overbeat.

Divide the batter into the two loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Arugula Pesto

It is such a treat to have two complete growing seasons in Texas. While half the nation is frozen under, we get to enjoy a winter garden complete with lots of leafy greens like arugula. Here is one way to get a taste of summer in the middle of winter, while still eating local.


Arugula Pesto
Earthbound Organics

4 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups packed arugula (about 4 ounces)
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan Asiago, or Pecorino Romano
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil



Place the garlic, pine nuts, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to chop roughly. Add the arugula, lemon juice, and cheese, and purée until smooth. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Transfer the pesto to a clean container, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Collards and Rice

This recipe is for those family members of mine who are just now experimenting with collard greens. I love this dish - simple to assemble and versatile in its presentation. Plus, something about this particular combination makes the final rice dish so smoky and rich! Highly recommended!

Collards and Rice

Johnson's Backyard Garden

2 c stock
1 c rice
1 T butter
1/2 tsp salt
3 c collard greens, chopped
pepper


Boil broth add the rice butter and salt.  Stir once, and add collards, handful by handful, stirring constantly.

Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until the rice is done, approximately 20 minutes.  Season to taste.