Glazed Chicken Breasts

Cooks Illustrated Science of Good Cooking again...

Recipe

1 1/2 c apple cider
1/3 c light corn syrup
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp vinegar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c flour
2 bone-in chicken breasts
1 shallot, minced
oil, salt & pepper

Whisk together the cider, corn syrup, honey, mustard, vinegar, red pepper, and a little salt and pepper.  Preheat the oven to 375 and heat a couple tbsps of oil in an oven-safe skillet.  Pat the chicken dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat the chicken in the flour.  Brown skin-side down for 8-14 minutes, flip and cook another 5 minutes.  Set the chicken aside and cook the shallots for a couple minutes, then add the glaze and simmer until thickened and reduced, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and tilt the skillet, roll each piece of chicken to coat, and put skin-side down in the skillet.  Pop the skillet in the oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.  When it's done, remove the chicken, heat the glaze for a few minutes to thicken again, and spoon over the chicken to serve.

Notes

There are a couple substitutions the cookbook recommends.  The recipe above is more or less the ones I chose - didn't have corn syrup so I just used extra honey.  It maybe kept the glaze from thickening a bit, but the end result did not suffer.  You should end up with plenty of glaze.  I sopped up the last dregs with a slice of bread.  Maybe all the concentrated sugar undermines the healthiness of the dish (and the steamed green beans), but I'm not complaining.

Beef Stir Fry with Green Beans & Shiitake

Tons of recipes to work through in the Cooks Illustrated Science of Good Cooking cookbook (cook cook cook)...

Recipe

Sauce
1/2 c vegetable broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Stir Fry
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
12 oz flank steak, sliced (with grain then across)
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped (optional but why not)
12 oz green beans, trimmed and halved
1/4 c water
3 scallions, cut into 1 1/2" pieces, white(-ish) pieces quartered lengthwise

Rice - cooked separately

Combine the (stir fry portion) soy sauce and honey and marinate the meat for 10 minutes to an hour.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together.  Separately, combine 1 tsp oil, the garlic, and the ginger.

Drain the beef.  Heat a tsp of oil in a large skillet - get it real hot - then brown the meat, in two batches if needed.  That means let it sit for a minute NO TOUCHING, then stir occasionally for another couple minutes.  Rinse skillet when you're done.

Add a tbsp oil, then cook the mushrooms (a couple minutes, till starting to brown (and onion too if you want)).  Add the green beans and cook 3-4 minutes, then add the water and steam for 2-3 minutes (covered, if possible).  Uncover, clear some space in the center of the skillet, and add the garlic-ginger mixture, mash it into the skillet a little for about a minute, then stir it all up.  Stir in the beef (and any juices), scallions, and sauce.  After another minute or so you're ready to go.

Serve over rice.

Notes

Part of the appeal of the stir-fry concept is that you cook everything in one wok, which in theory reduces cleanup.  Well, somehow I ended up with a teetering stack of dishes to clean after this one.  The recipe calls for a lot of ingredients that you really have to prep in advance, then reserve to be added in phases.  So if you're looking for a quick, simple Asian-inspired meal, go with something simpler.  But this one is pretty good (even left over) for when you're ready to go the extra mile.

I guess the other appeal is that you get your veggies and protein all at once.  This one at least looks pretty healthy!

Lastly, the cookbook used a couple beef stir fries to illustrate the Maillard reaction - browning beef pretty good to maximize flavor.  I don't think I nailed it this time, but it didn't ruin dinner and I'll go hotter next time...

Spinach Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Bacon.  Spinach.  Cheddar cheese.  Bacon.  Onions.  Bacon.  All solid ingredients.  Oh, and bacon.  What happens when you bake them all into one biscuity mass?  I'm glad you asked!  Original recipe here.

Recipe

1/4 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 lb spinach, chopped
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 a small onion, minced
seasonings: pepper, mustard, jalapeno, hot sauce, etc.

Sizzle up your bacon.  Combine everything in a big bowl and mix up.  Cluster into patties and put on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Cook at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

I'll be honest.  I scaled the amounts mathematically when copying the recipe above, but when I actually cooked this, I eyeballed everything - about half a bag of spinach, the end of a block of cheese, generous sprinkles of bread crumbs, a tiny onion, squeeze of mustard, etc.  My patties came out a bit crumbly, but I definitely had no cause to complain.  Really really good.  I ate it as a meal; it might be a bit hearty for a side, and probably too much for a starter if you plan on eating much else on the night.  Anyway, good stuff, worth tinkering with (soberer) for structural integrity if not taste reasons.

December 2014 addendum: So, did some tinkering around Thanksgiving this year.  These notes encompass some experimentation with ingredients, balance, etc...

• I shied away from frozen spinach at first, but it seems to be the best for not having everything fall apart.  Just make sure you drain it well so the spinach-y taste isn't overpowering.
• Moar bacons and onions and cheeses!
• The consensus was that it's better to err on the side of cooking longer, leaning toward crispness.

Chunky Chicken Chili

Chili is a key part of any guy's cooking repertoire.  The usual beef chili is hard to argue with, but it does take some time to stew together into rich, meaty goodness.  Apparently, though, you can switch up the meats for a quicker process.  I've already tried pork, and now, chicken.

Recipe

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted tomato chunks
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb chicken, cut into 3/4 in pieces
1 can (15 oz) hominy, drained
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
shredded cheddar cheese

Heat some oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, broth, chicken, hominy, beans, and spices.  Stir and bring to a boil, then simmer 10-15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through and tender.  Serve with cheese and other fixings.

Notes

Not much to add.  Hominy is apparently tough to find, but just used some plain corn instead.  I've served it plain, over rice, and with mashed cauliflower (a topic for a future post), all nice - it can be a bit soupy by itself.

Sweet Potato & Apple

Sweet potatoes are great, lots of good ways to cook 'em.  I thought this recipe was worth trying:

Recipe

1 sweet potato
1 apple
1/4 c vegetable stock
butter

Slice the sweet potato and apple into thin semicircles.  Heat some butter and saute the sweet potato slices for a few minutes.  Then add the apple slices for another minute or two.  Pour in the stock, cover, and steam for a few minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated (and the sweet potatoes are soft).

Notes

I tried this one first as per the original recipe - with apple juice instead of vegetable stock - and it was way too sweet.  I wanted to try again with a more savory direction (including a chopped onion) and it was better.  But still not as good as hash or fries...

Pickled Snap Peas

It looks like most of my recent posts have been more side dishes, since by this point I've got a lot of my favorite entrees well established (and the Washington Ave. Key Foods doesn't have the most interesting meat cooler, bless its heart).  This one can be more of a snack - or even garnish - but it's definitely worth investing a little time in a batch you can keep around for a little while.  I've never been a big pickle fan, but more bite-size snap peas work for me!

Recipe

1 lb snap peas
1 1/4 c vinegar
1 1/4 c water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 small chile peppers

Boil the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar until it's dissolved, then let cool.  Clean the snap peas, put them in a jar with the garlic and peppers, and pour the liquid over.  Let sit for a couple weeks.

Notes

Based on what was around, I used apple cider vinegar, (a lot of) honey, and jalapenos.  Also, I used a Ziploc bag instead of a jar because I'm extra classy.  I'm honestly not sure how much control the add-ins give you over the flavor, ultimately, but I did feel like I got a hint of honey sweetness.  Good stuff, might have to get a jar if I want to have these on hand regularly.

Root Veggie Mashed Potatoes

Look, if you've got some potatoes you just want to use up, boil 'em up and smash 'em and serve with ur meats nom nom.  I thought this rigorously-tested Cooks Illustrated recipe was worth trying though - a little extra effort, but some new tastes and probably vitamins and stuff in there.

Recipe

1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut into small chunks
1/2 lb your combination of carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery root, etc., cut into small chunks
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1/3 c broth
3/4 c half and half
1 tsp thyme

Start by crisping up your bacon in a large saucepan, then remove but leave the grease.  Put in your root vegetables and brown, then stir in the potatoes, broth, and a sprinkle of salt.  Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and everything is nice and crushable.  Mash gently (you want chunks, not puree) and mix in the bacon (if you haven't eaten it all in the meantime), thyme, and half and half.

Notes

This one will come down to the balance of liquid.  You want your potatoes to cook through softly but not end up soggy.  I didn't quite nail it the first time, but the flavors were still very rich (OK, it was mostly bacon but I'm sure the carrot and turnip (my combo) helped).  Here it is with a bit of the night's protein, baked salmon: