Chicken Madeira

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Breasts (2 large)
• 1 lb asparagus blanched*
• 3/4 tsp sea salt, divided and black pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter divided
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil divided
• 16 oz button mushrooms thickly sliced
• 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced
• 2 large garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped, plus to garnish
• 1 1/2 cups Madeira Wine sweet white wine*
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium beef stock or broth
• 1/2 cup Whipping Cream heavy or regular
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

To blanch asparagus: Remove fibrous stems from asparagus by snapping them off. Fill a medium pot with 6 cups water, bring to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Add asparagus and boil uncovered until crisp tender and bright green (2-3 minutes then remove from hot water and set aside)

Place a large heavy (oven-safe) pan over medium/high heat and melt in 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5 min until soft. Stir in diced onion and cook 3 min. Add minced garlic cloves then season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and 2 Tbsp parsley. Cook another 2 min then remove mixture to a plate and wipe skillet clean with wet paper towelSlice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pound each cutlet between plastic wrap until no more than 1/4" thick. Season chicken all over with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place same pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. When butter is finished foaming, add chicken breasts and sauté 3 to 4 min per side or until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan to the same plate with mushrooms.

In the same pan, add 1 1/2 cups Madeira and boil until reduced by half (5 minutes vigorous boiling), scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add 1 1/2 cups beef broth and boil until 2/3 cup liquid remains or about 1/4 of it's original volume (10 min). Reduce heat to medium, add 1/2 cup cream and simmer until sauce thickens (2 min). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return chicken to the pan, turning it to coat in the sauce. Top with mushrooms, asparagus and sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley.

1. Recipe Notes

   *Found at the liquor and wine store - not carried in most grocery stores. $6 bottle.
   
   

Instant Pot Indian Butter Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into quarters

Spices

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

Add later:

• 2 green bell peppers, chopped into medium sized chunks/squares
• ½ cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
• Pinch of dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
• Cilantro, garnish

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Press the sauté button and add the ghee and onions to the pot. Stir-fry the onions for 6-7 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chicken. Stir-fry the chicken for 6-7 minutes or until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink.
3. Add the spices and give everything a good mix.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce.
5. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 8 minutes at high pressure.
6. Open the valve to quick release any remaining pressure.
7. Press the sauté button, add the bell peppers and cook until they soften to your liking.
8. Stir in the cream and fenugreek leaves.
9. Garnish with cilantro if desired, then serve.

Green Rice and Carnitas Bowl

My favorite new bowl! Smoked carnitas on top of green rice.

Carnitas:

Ingredients

• 1(3-1/2- 4 LB.) PORK SHOULDER, BONELESS AND WELL-MARBLED

• 1(12 OZ.) BOTTLE OR CAN BEER

• AS NEEDED WATER

• 2 TSP. SALT

• 1 TSP. GROUND CUMIN

2 TBS Vegetable Shortning 

• 
  

PREP

Slice the pork into 2-inch chunks and arrange in a Dutch oven or roasting pan.

Add the beer and enough water to barely cover the meat. Stir in the salt and the cumin On the stovetop over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. 

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Set the temperature to 300F and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Carefully transfer the pan with the meat to the grill grate. Roast the pork, uncovered, until the meat is very tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a bit more water to the pan if most of the liquid has evaporated. 

When the pork is tender, drain off any remaining cooking liquid and discard. Break the meat into bite-size chunks with a fork. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to three days ahead.Let cool, then cover and refrigerate.) 

Add the lard to the pan and return the pan to the grill grate. Increase the temperature of the Traeger to 400. 

Let the meat "fry" in the lard until it is browned and some bits are slightly crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Green Rice

Ingrediants: 

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

2 1/4 cups chicken stock (or more depending on your rice*)

1 cup roughly chopped parsley, lightly packed

1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, lightly packed

2 large poblano chiles, seeded and roughly chopped

2 Tbsp chopped onion

1 garlic clove, peeled, roughly chopped

Salt to taste

Prep

1 Purée parsley, cilantro, chiles, onion, garlic, 1/2 cup of stock: Place the parsley, cilantro, poblanos, onion, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

2 Brown the rice: Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pot on high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat all of the grains with oil. Spread out in an even layer.

Let the rice lightly brown. When it starts to brown, stir it and spread it out in an even layer again so that more of the rice browns.

3 Stir parsley cilantro mixture into rice: When much of the rice has lightly browned, scrape out the parsley purée from the food processor into the rice. Stir to evenly mix the purée with the rice. Let cook for a minute or two.

4 Add remaining stock, simmer, cover, cook: Add the rest of the chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Let cook on a very low simmer for 15 minutes, or as long as your package of rice indicates is the right cooking time for your rice.

5 Remove from heat, cover with towel and lid, let sit: After the cooking time indicated on your rice package, remove the pot from heat. Uncover the pot and place a clean terry towel or dish towel over the pot, then re-cover.

The towel will help absorb excess liquid as the rice continues to cook in its own steam. (If you don't have a clean towel, you can skip this step, just cover normally.) Let sit for 20 minutes.

Bowl toppings:

Pico De Gallo

Creamy Jalopeno sauce (Salsa Queen)

Shredded Cabbage

Black Beans heated and seasoned with salt and cumin

Arrange The bowl by scooping rice in the bowl then adding carnitas and black beans on the side, top with bowl toppings. Stir all up before eating. ENJOY!

Vietnamese Noodles

Ingredients

Meat and Marinade

• 1.6lb chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless or breast (or pork, beef or any seafood)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped or minced
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 stalk lemongrass , white part only, bruised them sliced into pieces easy to pick out later (Note 1)

Nuoc Cham

• 1/4 cup fish sauce (Note 3)
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• 1/2 tbs thai garlic chili sauce (Note 5)
• 3 tbsp lime juice

Noodle Bowl

• 7 oz vermicelli noodles , dried
• 2 carrots , julienned
• 2 cucumbers julienned (optional: remove seeds)
• 5 cups iceberg lettuce , finely sliced
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of cilantro/coriander
• Sliced chili (for garnish - optional)
• Lime wedges (to serve - optional)

Instructions

1. Combine Meat and Marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. (Note 4)
2. Combine the Nuoc Cham ingredients and mix well to dissolve the sugar. Adjust to your taste (spiciness, lime, sweetness) and set aside.
3. Soak the vermicelli noodles in hot water for 3 minutes (or according to packet instructions), then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the noodles from sticking together.
4. BBQ Chicken for 5 minutes on each side,  rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into thin pieces.
5. To serve individually: Place noodles in bowl. Then either top or lightly toss through the vegetables and herbs, and top with chicken pieces. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Nuoc Cham Sauce (be generous, ~ 4 tbsp per serving) and serve with lime wedges.
6. To serve to share (my preferred way): Place meat and vegetables on a large platter with the sauce, and the noodles in a bowl, and let your guests help themselves.

Recipe Notes

1. To prepare the lemongrass, peel the tough outer layers off to reveal the softer white part on the bottom ~1/3 of the lemongrass. Bruise using the back of the knife (see video). Don't slice too finely or finely chop, you want the pieces large enough so you can just brush them off (lemongrass is kind of tough, it has to be very finely chopped / cooked for a long time to eat).

You could sub with 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.

2. Make this kid friendly by just serving the chilli on the side. To make it GLUTEN FREE, ensure you use GF tamari. 

3. Fish sauce is a key ingredient in a lot of Asian cooking. Don't worry, it doesn't taste fishy when combined with other ingredients! It's an incredible flavour enhancer that has more depth than salt or soy sauce and is very cheap to buy at supermarkets or Asian grocery stores (even better value!).

4. Freezing: Pop the chicken in the fridge as soon as it's in the marinade. Then let it defrost in the fridge - it will marinate during this time.

5. This can be substituted with any spicy chilli. Adjust to your taste.

6. DIY Noodle Bowl Spread: Pile all the components on a large platter or separate bowls and let guests serve themselves. That's how I typically serve this.