Eye for a Recipe

This recipe from NYT Cooking flavours chicken thighs with smoky spices, lemon and garlic. Season thighs with spices and pour lemon juice over them. Arrange lemon slices under the chicken, scatter garlic cloves and leeks over the chicken, sprinkle with rosemary and drizzle with oil. Roast for about an hour. After the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, arrange squash rings on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for a half hour or until tender. Serve chicken with squash and garnish with a mixture of parsley and lemon zest. Cook’s note: Because the squash was cooked on a separate baking sheet, it is not shown in the photo. I omitted the parsley-lemon zest garnish.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Lemon garlic roast chicken with squash

Ingredients:

6 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 ½ to 4 pounds/1.6 to 1.8 kg)

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric

1 teaspoon (5 ml) smoked paprika

½ cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

3 lemons, 2 cut crosswise into 1/8-inch (0.3-cm) slices, 1 zested

2 heads garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves

3 small leeks, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths

½ cup (125 ml) rosemary leaves, stripped from about 6 sprigs

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling.

2 delicata squash, seeds removed, sliced crosswise into ½-inch (1.25-cm) rings and seeded

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped parsley

Preparation:

Set chicken thighs in a single layer in a roasting pan. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Put a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of smoked paprika on each thigh and rub into the surface. Pour lemon juice over chicken and let marinate for 30 minutes, if time allows.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Arrange lemon slices around and under chicken. Scatter garlic cloves and leeks over top. Sprinkle with rosemary and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, uncovered, for about an hour, until meat is tender and the juices run clear when probed, and the chicken is nicely browned and lemon slices slightly charred.

Meanwhile, arrange the squash rings on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the oven after the chicken has cooked for about 30 minutes. Roast uncovered on top rack of oven until lightly browned and fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

To serve, mix together parsley and lemon zest. Transfer chicken, garlic, leeks and lemon slices to a serving platter (or serve from an oven-to-table roasting pan). Top with squash rings and parsley-lemon mixture. Serves 6.

From NYT Cooking

This soup from America’s Test Kitchen is a great weeknight supper on a cold night. Cook the bacon and remove from pot. Add potatoes, cabbage and spices to the pot, cook for a few minutes, then add broth and bay leaves and cook until the potatoes are tender. Off heat, lightly mash a few of the potatoes to thicken the soup. Discard bay leaves, stir in bacon and chives and serve.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use bacon that is preserved with celery salt instead of nitrites. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Better Than Bouillon chicken paste to make the stock.

Cabbage and potato soup with bacon

Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch (2.54-cm) pieces

1 ½ pounds (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½-inch (1.25-cm) pieces

1 small head green cabbage (1¼ pounds/567 g), cored and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces

Salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) red pepper flakes

4 cups (1L) chicken broth

2 bay leaves

¼ cup (60 ml) minced fresh chives

Preparation:

Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.

Add potatoes, cabbage, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt, ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) pepper, and pepper flakes to fat left in pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth and bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Off heat, lightly mash few potatoes with potato masher or spoon until soup is slightly thickened (chunks of potato should remain visible). Discard bay leaves. Stir in chives and bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

From America’s Test Kitchen

This hearty vegetarian dish from NYT Cooking is nutritious and economical. Wash, blanch and chop kale. Cook onion, carrots and celery, then add garlic and tomato paste. Add dried beans, spices and kale, bring to a simmer and then bake in the oven for about three hours. Mix olive oil with breadcrumbs, sprinkle on top of the beans and bake for about 30 minutes to one hour.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Simple brand tomato paste is free of additives. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I whirled some Ace Bakery bread (which is usually free of additives and preservatives) in the food processor to make the breadcrumbs.

Slow-baked beans with kale

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, stemmed and washed in two changes of water

3 tablespoons (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 2/3 cups (415 ml) white beans (¾ pound/340 g) or dried lima beans, picked over and soaked for at least four hours and drained

1 6-ounce (170 g) can tomato paste, dissolved in 1 cup (250 ml) water

3 cups (750 ml) additional water

A bouquet garni consisting of 4 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs and a bay leaf

1 teaspoon (5 ml) herbes de Provence

Salt

A generous amount of freshly ground pepper

½ cup (125 ml) bread crumbs

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (107 C). Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the kale. Blanch for two minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, squeeze out water and cut into ribbons. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil over medium heat in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the dissolved tomato paste and bring to a simmer.

Add the drained beans, the remaining water, the bouquet garni, herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Stir in the kale, bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Bake three hours until the beans are tender and creamy. Taste and adjust salt. Make sure that the beans come to a simmer on top of the stove before placing them in the oven. Do not use old beans, which will not soften no matter how long you simmer them. If the beans do not soften in the oven after a couple of hours, raise the heat to 300 degrees F (149 C).

Mix together the remaining olive oil and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the beans and continue to bake another 30 minutes to an hour until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Remove from the heat and serve; or allow to cool slightly and serve. Serve 6. Make ahead: You can make this recipe through until the end of the three-hour baking time then cool and store in the refrigerator up to four days ahead of serving. Top with the breadcrumbs and reheat in a 350-degree F (177 C) oven for 15 minutes until the beans are bubbling and the breadcrumbs lightly browned.

From NYT Cooking

Everyone loves enchiladas and this recipe from NYT Cooking is tasty and satisfying. You can used canned enchilada sauce or make your own from the recipe below. Use leftover cooked chicken, meat from a rotisserie chicken or roast a large chicken breast.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the dried spices and tortillas to make sure they don’t contain colour or additives. I use Better Than Bouillon paste for the stock and Simple brand tomato paste. Check the cheddar to make sure it does not contain colour.

Chicken enchiladas

Ingredients:

Enchilada sauce

3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (60 ml) chili powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) onion powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground cumin

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) kosher salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste

3 cups (750 ml) low-sodium chicken, mushroom or vegetable stock

Enchiladas

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil

12 (6-inch/15-cm) corn tortillas

½ medium white onion, chopped

1 medium poblano or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, cored and finely chopped

Kosher salt

2 cups (500 ml) cooked shredded chicken (from a roast chicken or rotisserie chicken)

2 ½ cups (625 ml) enchilada sauce, canned or homemade

12 ounces (340 g/3 cups/750 ml) sharp Cheddar, shredded

Preparation:

Enchilada sauce

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently until clumps have disappeared and mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until a thick paste forms. Use the back of a spoon to smash and smear the paste onto the bottom of the pot, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, stirring until caramelized, about 1 minute.

Whisk in chicken broth until no lumps remain. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 2 ½ cups (625 ml).

Enchiladas

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Using 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the oil, lightly brush both sides of each tortilla. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high and, working in batches, cook tortillas until lightly browned and just starting to crisp but still pliable, 45 seconds to 1 minute per side. (This will prevent the tortillas from completely falling apart while cooking.) Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of oil in a large skillet over medium-high and cook onion, poblano, garlic, tomatoes and juices, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until most of the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to stick to the skillet, 9 to 11 minutes. Stir in chicken, ½ cup (125 ml) enchilada sauce and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt until combined and just warmed through; remove from heat. Taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.

Pour ½ cup (125 ml) enchilada sauce into a 9-by-13-inch (23-by33-cm) baking dish, spreading to cover the bottom. Working one at a time, arrange a scant ¼ cup (60 ml) of chicken down the centre of the tortilla, roll to secure the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken, making sure they’re nestled right up against each other.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, then scatter cheese on top. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is just beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. For leftovers, divide remaining enchiladas into portions of 2 or 3; wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Serves 6.

From NYT Cooking

This tasty recipe from Canadian Living combines noodles with ground pork flavoured with Korean hot sauce. Cook the noodles and set aside. Make the sauce. Cook the pork until no longer pink and add onion, garlic, ginger and chili peppers. Cook for a few more minutes before adding the sauce. Cook for two minutes and remove from heat. Sprinkle with scallions and more chili peppers and serve. Cook’s notes: I used Rooster brand egg instant noodles. I used half of what the recipe called for and had more than enough. I did not add hot peppers to the garnish.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used tamari instead of soy sauce, Shirakiku brand mirin and Lee Kum Kee sesame oil. All are free of additives. Gochujang often contains colour, so I made my own by combining equal parts of miso paste, maple syrup, hot red pepper flakes, tamari sauce and minced garlic to taste.

Korean-style ground pork stir-fry

Ingredients:

1 lb (454 g) instant noodles

3 tablespoons (45 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) mirin

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) brown sugar

2 teaspoons (10 ml) toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1 lb (454 g) ground pork

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated fresh ginger

2 small chili peppers, thinly sliced

3 green onions, chopped

Preparation:

In saucepan of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, gochujang, brown sugar and sesame oil. Set aside.

In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until almost no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chili peppers; cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Stir in reserved soy sauce mixture; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, gently toss with noodles and green onions. Sprinkle with thinly sliced chili peppers and chopped green onions, if desired. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living