Archive for May, 2022

This recipe from NYT Cooking coats chicken pieces in a tasty orange and onion sauce. Juice an orange and add Worcestershire sauce to the juice. Chop the juiced orange and an onion in a food processor or by hand and spread half the mixture in a baking dish. Season chicken, dredge in flour, brown it and transfer to the baking dish. Pour the orange juice mixture and wine into the skillet, cook for a few minutes and add the other half of the orange-onion mixture. Pour the contents of the skillet over the chicken and bake for about 45 minutes. Cook’s note: I used chicken thighs and drums instead of a cut-up chicken.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is additive-free. Make sure the ginger does not contain colour or anti-caking agents and that the butter does not contain colour. I used a white wine from Frogpond Farm Winery with a sulfite level below 10 parts per million.

Placed browned chicken on top of half of orange-onion mixture

Stir orange juice, wine and Worcestershire sauce into the other half of the orange-onion mixture

Pour the pan sauce over the chicken and bake until the chicken is cooked through

Ingredients:

1 orange

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Worcestershire sauce

1 medium-large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground ginger

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (3 ½-to 4-pound/1.6-to-1.8 kg) frying chicken, cut in 10 pieces

2 tablespoons (30 ml) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon (15 ml) unsalted butter

½ cup (125 ml) dry white wine

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Cut orange in half and juice it. You should have at least 2/3 cup (165 ml) of juice. Add Worcestershire sauce. Set aside. Cut orange peel, with pith, into 1-inch (2.54-cm) pieces. Place orange peel and onion in food processor and pulse to chop fairly fine, or chop both together by hand. Spread half this mixture in a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken snugly in a single layer.

Using a whisk or fork, mix ginger, ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt and pepper (to taste) in a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with it, then dredge chicken pieces in flour to coat only the skin side. Heat butter in a large, heavy skillet on medium high. Brown chicken on skin side and transfer, skin side up, to the baking dish on the bed of orange and onion.

Pour orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and wine into skillet. Cook on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up any residue in the skillet. Stir in reserved minced chopped orange peel and onion. Pour over and around chicken. Bake for about 45 minutes, basting a few times, until dark meat juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Serve directly from the baking dish or transfer to a platter and serve. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking

This salad from Ricardo Cuisine is a great accompaniment to grilled meat, chicken or fish. Cook onion, remove from heat and add vinegar and maple syrup. Combine cooked green beans, cucumber, apple and feta in a bowl and toss with the onion dressing. Cook’s note: I omitted the apple.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Eden Organic red wine vinegar, pure maple syrup and Krinos feta cheese, which does not contain additives.

Make the onion dressing

Toss the dressing with beans, cucumber, apple and feta

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar

1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup

½ lb (225 g) green beans, trimmed and blanched

3 Lebanese or Persian cucumbers, cut into thin wedges

1 green apple, cored and julienned

3 ½ oz (100 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

In a small pot over high heat, cook the onion in the oil until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the vinegar and maple syrup. Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, add the onion dressing to the salad bowl and toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning. Serves 4.

From Ricardo Cuisine

This dish from NYT Cooking is tasty, healthy and ready in 15 minutes. Add chickpeas, onion, chile and parsley to the lemon-lime-mustard dressing and toss to coat. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes for a minute or two, add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is done. Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over the shrimp. Serve shrimp on top of the chickpeas, garnished with parsley. Cook’s note: If you have time, make the salad in advance to allow the chickpeas to absorb the dressing.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon and either Unico or Blue Menu chickpeas. Look for frozen shrimp with only salt added as a preservative.

Toss chickpeas, onion, chile and parsley in dressing

Cook the shrimp and then squeeze lime juice over them

Spicy shrimp and chickpea salad

Ingredients:

1 medium lemon, zested and juiced

1 lime, zested and halved

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

5 tablespoons (75 ml) olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 (15-ounce/443 ml) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ small red onion, diced (about ¼ cup/60 ml)

1 jalapeño chile, cut into thin coins or seeded and diced

1 packed cup (250 ml) parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped

2 large garlic cloves, grated or minced

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) red-pepper flakes

1 pound (454 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry

Preparation:

In a large serving bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, lime zest and mustard. Whisk in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, onion, chile and most of the parsley (reserving some for garnish) and toss to coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, pulling the pan from the heat briefly if it seems like the garlic is burning.

Add the shrimp to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat with the garlic and oil. Cook until the shrimp are pink all over with a golden crust in parts, stirring and flipping the shrimp halfway through, about 4 to 6 minutes total. Turn off the heat, then squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp in the pan, stirring to combine and scraping up anything on the bottom of the pan to coat the shrimp.

Serve the shrimp on top of the salad. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking

This recipe from Food and Wine is a one-pan meal of chicken, potatoes and leeks, topped with a gremolata of parsley, pine nuts, lemon zest, garlic and salt. Make the gremolata and set aside. Place potatoes, leeks and garlic in roasting pan and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Add broth and place chicken on top. Roast about 40 minutes, basting halfway through.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the pine nuts do not contain preservatives. I used Imagine Organic chicken stock.

Place chicken on top of vegetables

Roast until chicken is done and vegetables are tender

Serve topped with the gremolata

Ingredients:

Gremolata

1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, tough stem ends removed

⅓ cup (85 ml) pine nuts, toasted

1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon/5 ml)

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) kosher salt

Chicken

1 ½ pounds (680 g) Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes), peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut into ½ -inch-thick (1.25-cm) wedges

3 medium leeks, cut crosswise into ¾ -inch-thick (2-cm) pieces (about 4 cups/1 L)

1 garlic head, cloves separated and peeled (10 to 12 cloves)

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) kosher salt, divided

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper, divided

½ cup (125 ml) chicken broth

4 pounds (1.8 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs (about 12 pieces), trimmed

Preparation:

Gremolata

Combine parsley, pine nuts, lemon zest, and garlic on a cutting board. Sprinkle with salt, and finely chop mixture together. Transfer gremolata to a bowl and set aside.

Chicken

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) with rack 8 inches (20 cm) from heat. Arrange potatoes, leeks, and garlic cloves in bottom of a large broiler-safe roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt and ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper. Toss to coat. Pour broth into roasting pan.

Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of vegetable mixture in roasting pan. Brush chicken evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil; sprinkle evenly with remaining ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper.

Roast in preheated oven on rack 8 inches (20 cm) from heat until vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F (74°C), 40 to 45 minutes, spooning pan juices over chicken after about 20 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to broil. (Do not remove roasting pan from oven.) Broil until chicken skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces and vegetables to a platter. Spoon sauce from roasting pan over chicken; scatter generously with gremolata (about ¾ cup/187 ml). Serve hot alongside any remaining gremolata for sprinkling. Serves 6.

From Food and Wine

This quick and easy recipe from Food and Wine combines sausages with bell peppers and onions, simmered in a tomato-garlic-vinegar sauce. Brown the sausage and set aside. Cook the peppers and onions, add tomato paste, garlic and spices and then stir in broth and vinegar. Reduce the liquid and then transfer the skillet to a pre-heated oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the sausages are done.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Free From hot Italian sausages, No Name tomato paste, Imagine Organic stock and Eden Organic red wine vinegar. Check the crushed red pepper to make sure it does not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Brown the sausages

Cook the onions and peppers

Return the sausages to the pan and roast until done

Ingredients:

4 (6- to 7-ounce/170- to 198-g) sweet or hot Italian pork sausages

3 medium bell peppers (mix of yellow, red, and green), sliced

1 large red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ tablespoons/22.5 ml)

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) kosher salt

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) crushed red pepper

1 cup (250 ml) lower-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Prick Italian sausages all over using a knife. Place sausages in a cold large ovenproof skillet. Cook over medium-high, flipping occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 14 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Do not wipe skillet clean.

Add bell peppers and onion to skillet; cook over medium-high, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are well coated in tomato paste and garlic is tender and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Boil, stirring often, until liquid has almost completely reduced, about 6 minutes. Return sausages to skillet.

Transfer skillet to preheated oven, and roast until vegetables are tender and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of sausages registers 160°F (71°C), about 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand until cool enough to handle, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 4.

From Food and Wine