Tag: Mama D’s Kitchen of love

Are Chicken Thighs the New Breasts?

For years, chicken breasts have been the darling of cooks both on and off diets. They are nutritious, low in fat, and can be cooked in almost limitless ways. Price wise they are generally a bargain even if they are not on sale because there is little or no waste.  Chicken breasts for all their sterling merits, do have a few drawbacks. They are easily overcooked and this can result in a dry, tough, and less than appetizing results. 

20130625_172131 (1)Brined and Grilled Chicken Breast

As I shared  in a previous entry, I had all but given up grilling B.S (this is just an innocent abbreviation not a comment or reference to my subject) chicken breasts because of that overcooking issue until I discovered brining, that is. I  have however, continued to happily cook them indoors.  Sauteing, baking, even in soups and chilis, they are my go to protein.

DIGITAL CAMERAChicken and Artichoke Soup

Lately, I’ve noticed there is a new B.S. Chicken part showing up in recipes . That would be chicken Thighs. I’ve even seen articles in cooking magazines about them.  How could this be? I ,who have always been a white meat kind of gal , have started to use B.S thighs in mycooking and more amazing still, I like it.  B.S  Chicken parts can co-exist in my kitchen . I usually use them in different preparations. The results are not always to my liking, but since this is all about the adventures of cooking I am bravely continuing to experiment. I like them best  in more highly seasoned dishes and I think they benefit from some serious browning with or without dredging.

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Tuscan Garlic Chicken Thighs

There is one place where I’ve found them to be exceptional and that is grilling. They stand up to the flame and that is something their breast brethren can’t always do (unless they’ve been brined).  Another grill plus for thighs is that they can hold their own with intense and spicy flavors. Thighs have a stronger chicken flavor that comes through even when the heat and spice is on.DIGITAL CAMERA            Grilled Chicken Thighs with an Orange Marmelade, Rice Wine Vinegar, and

Rosemary Glaze

Nutritionally,  calorie counts are almost identical for breasts and thighs (approximately 110 calories per 4 ounce serving). Thighs have slightly more fat , saturated fat, and cholesterol than breasts, but if you subscribe to the everything in moderation adage, eating them occasionally will not unbalance a healthy diet.

Where did that come from?

I do, however agree with Oscar Wilde,

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

 

 

The Labor Day Weekend (food) Show

Friday: The weekend started officially at 5:00PM with wine and a rain storm…Dinner was an indoor affair (by plan). I tried a new chicken dish with flavors of Tuscany and a nod to Chicken Vesuvio.DIGITAL CAMERA  Boneless skinless chicken thighs were browned in olive oil and set aside to keep warm.   Thickly sliced Klondike Rose potatoes were browned on both sides in a process that took an inordinate amount of time and required another glass of wine. Fresh rosemary, oregano and garlic were added along with some white wine and chicken broth . Everything was allowed to get happy over low heat and at the end some peas were added for color and the suggestion of a vegetable.  It was tasty and the wine pairing of an Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi worked well.

 Saturday:  In the spirit of the holiday, we had an All American Dinner of steak, baked potato, and salad. The steaks were Petite Sirloin from Meijer on sale for $4.99 a pound.011These have become the steak of choice lately. They are consistently tender and usually can be found in 6-8 ounce portions. We served it with carmelized r ed and white onions and baked potato topped with bacon and blue cheese. The salad featured butter lettuce, mini heirloom tomatoes and orange bell pepper. The dressing was Creamy  Lemon & Herb. 010 We had a bottle of 2010 Louis Martini Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. This big wine stood up to the steak but was pleasant on the palate.

 

 

Sunday: We did a fair amount of housework, including harvesting  our Cascade Hops (best crop yet thanks to the oddly  perfect weather conditions this summer.) We decided to reward ourselves by making a trip to the Village Vintner in Algonquin. This place has according to their tee-shirts “great beer, better wine, fantastic food”.  We tend to agree with that description (we are members of the Growler Club). 022 We had Spinach Artichoke Dip and Beef Brisket Quesadillas accompanied by a bottle of their awesome Zinfandel. We once again turned to the grill for dinner. Country Pork Ribs :love factor homemade Maple Barbecue Sauce,  Grill Roasted Baby Potatoes and Pearl Onions with a love factor of Rosemary Infused Olive Oil, and Grilled Brussels Sprouts with the Undisputed Queen of Love Factors, Pepper Bacon.048

Nothing very fancy, but very flavorful and satisfying oh and did I mention it was damn near overflowing with LOVE.

 

 

“Come Monday”: “ It’ll be all right” to use some of the leftovers from earlier in the weekend. We had steak and pork ribs left and feeling inspired by the Brisket Qesadillas from Village Vintner, we decide to make some quesadillas of our own.

I thinly sliced the meat and folded it with the rest of the carmelized onions into tortillas. I added some Habenero Jack and Cheddar Cheese. We grilled them and topped them with homemade guacamole and salsa. Quite tasty.DIGITAL CAMERA

So that was my Labor Day Weekend.  As the weekend winds down so do my creative writing juices.  It’s time to post this and get ready for a new week of food adventures. My weekend  was fun filled.I hope yours was, too.

What Is It About Basil? (part 2)

DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve talked about basil at length before, but I love this herb enough to do it one more time. As the summer moves on, the basil gets bigger and more fragrant. The flowers haven’t quite started yet, but the leaves are getting more fragrant and just stepping in the yard reveals a hint of the smell (if your mind is feeling right). We are still using it in a variety of recipes, but the time for Pesto making is drawing near.

I will be the first to admit that Pesto is an acquired taste. For me, I love the smell, texture, and taste of pesto. My digestive system, however, has issues….it gives me heartburn. I was faced with the quandary of how to enjoy Pesto, but not have to pay the price afterwards. I experimented with a few ideas and finally came up with what, for me, is the perfect solution: Roasted Garlic Pesto.

My interpretation of the classic Genovese recipe uses the usual gallery of ingredients, I just treat them a little differently.

First there’s the garlic. Most recipes call for several cloves of raw garlic which will send my digestive juices to a very ugly place. I opt to take a whole head (yes, a whole head) whack off the top, drizzle it  with olive oil, wrap it in foil, and stick it in the oven (350 degrees)until it gives off a sweet garlic aroma which can take 30 – 40 minutes.

While that’s happening, I like to toast the pine nuts. This is usually about 3 ounces of raw nuts. I toast them on top of the stove until they are lightly golden and smell, well, like pine trees( yes, they  are aptly named).

Basil and parsley in about a 4 to 1 ratio are combined in the processor with the garlic and pine nuts. They are processed until they are of a medium texture.  I drizzle in the olive oil until a  chunky paste forms.

No Pesto is complete without cheese. I use Pecorino Romano. This is a pungent sheep’s milk cheese, that has a slightly creamier texture than Parmesan. It is the cheese that I grew up with.  We would buy it by the half wheel and grind it in our Mouli Grater.te4867a If you haven’t tried this cheese, I would encourage you to give it a shot.  Another plus, it’s about half the price Parmagiano Reggiano.

So, I use about 3/4 of a cup of the grated cheese. This is added to the paste in the processor. Everything is blended until the paste is slightly chunky  (more olive oil can be added at this point if it seems like it’s dry) with a creamy look.

It is now ready to use in your favoite recipe or it can also be frozen in 1/4 to 1/3 cup portions for future uses that will keep for up to 6 months in freezer tolerant packaging.

Pasta and Pesto go together like Laurel and Hardy. It is wonderful on Fetuccinni or Liguine (mixed with a little heavy cream or even some red sauce). It can top fish or chicken, even a grilled steak would be happy to have it as its crowning glory.

One of my favorite ways to use it is in a Pesto Pasta Salad.Pesto Pasta Salad  I use Farfalle or Cavatapi pasta because it has lots of nooks and cranies to hold the Pesto. I toss the cooked pasta lightly with olive oil, then add the pesto a little at a time until the pasta is nicely coated. This can be served at room temperature or it can be chilled. The chilling lets the flavors get to know each other, but may require a little milk or olive oil to moisten it before serving.

So, Pesto –  the recipe isn’t an exact one, but that allows for indivdual interpretation. I hope you will find your own perfect Pesto recipe. Let me know what it is.