Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

To me, chicken is the “basic black dress” of food. Because, like a basic black dress, you can do all sorts of things with it.

You can dress chicken up or play it down. Make it humble or fancy. Cook it plain or add all sorts of stuff, like stuffing, fruits or vegetables. Make it mild or with lots of seasonings.

Chicken is so basic it goes with lots and lots of herbs, spices, condiments and other flavorings. It’s good with gravy or without. It looks different and tastes different depending on all these variables.

So, the other day I made a very simple recipe using chicken breasts and figs.

Fresh figs are in the stores for a really short time, every summer and into the fall. And if you’re like me, and like figs, now is the time to buy and use them. I knew they’d be perfect with chicken.

After I bought the figs I poached some, used some for salad and then roasted chicken breasts and added some figs to the pan for the last several minutes. I had some fresh thyme too, so I included that, sweetened the dish up with a little orange juice and gave it a little tang with some Balsamic vinegar.

Look how dark and rich this dish looks! Lots of rich, tangy-sweet sauce, perfect for steamed rice, cooked noodles or polenta.

I still have a few fresh figs left. Think I might grill them. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Baked Chicken with Fig-Orange-Balsamic Sauce

• 4 large chicken breast halves (bone-in) or whole legs

• Vegetable oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 1/3 cup orange juice

• 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

• 8 large fresh figs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken. Rub the skin with the vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Place the chicken in a roasting or baking pan. Immediately reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees and roast for 15 minutes (you preheat to 400 degrees to give the chicken an immediate blast of high heat, but it needs to cook at 350 degrees after that). While the chicken is cooking, mix the chicken stock, orange juice, Balsamic vinegar, orange peel and thyme leaves in a small bowl. After the 15 minutes are up, pour the sauce over the chicken. Continue to roast the chicken for another 10 minutes. Baste and roast for another 10 minutes. Place the figs in the pan. Baste with the pan fluids. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and figs from the pan and keep them warm. Place the pan over high heat to boil the pan juices for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Serve the chicken with pan fluids and roasted figs.

Makes 4 servings

Grilled Corn and Green Bean Salad

I’ve been reading so much about the drought in the west and the deteriorating corn crop and surging prices that I bought an armload of corn recently. I figured I’d get me some great sweet summer corn before there was none left. Unfortunately you can’t keep corn long. It turns from sweet to starchy over time. So I grilled whatever remained of my stash and made salad out of it.

Grilled Corn Salad is thrillingly bright and colorful. It is also very good to eat and goes with almost any entree or other side dish.

Grilled Corn and Green Bean Salad

3 cups corn kernels (from 2 large grilled ears of corn)

1 cup cut up cooked green beans

1 cup cut up tomatoes

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1/4 chopped red onion


1 small chili pepper, deseeded and chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


2 tablespoons lime juice


1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt
 and freshly ground black pepper 
to taste

Place the corn kernels, green beans, tomatoes, avocado, onion and chili pepper in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil, lime juice and basil and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings

Fall Classes!

amotherisborn:

I know it’s still 90+ degrees out, but thinking ahead … 

Registration is up for my fall 2012 classes.  Click through for:

Childbirth, breastfeeding and infant care classes

New Moms’ Groups

Working Moms’ Group

A couple new classes for Jewish parents and parents-to-be at Tamid.

Meanwhile, stay cool and hydrated, and I’ll see you in September!

Blueberry Corn Muffins

What to do when you can’t decide between a corn muffin and a blueberry muffin?

Have both, all-in-one.

That’s what I did the other day.

Of course I could have had two muffins, one of each, corn and blueberry. But then I would have felt full and guilty and full of self recriminations about eating too much. So I baked Blueberry Corn Muffins instead. That did the trick!

Blueberry Corn Muffins

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 10 muffin tins. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the honey, egg, milk and cooled butter, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture and stir to blend the ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10

Fresh Fig Salad with Cheese and Nuts

Confession: I am really jealous of the people I know who have fresh figs growing in their garden. Figs are difficult to grow in the rocky soil of Connecticut. In fact, a lot of things are hard to grow here, not just because of all the rocks, but also because of all the animals that come along and eat up every tomato, bean and even gladiola flower that you plant.

I guess they have to survive too. Still, it would be nice to at least have one tomato for myself.

But I digress. I haven’t even tried to grow figs, which I love and look forward to every summer around this time, when they are in season. But when I go to the store and see how expensive they are I go back to my wish-I-grew-some envy.

I actually bought some figs recently because they were irresistible. I poached some to serve with the Ginger Ice Cream in Almond Cookie Cups I served to guests. I added some to a pan of baking chicken, which I’ll post about here soon enough.

The rest? I cut for salad. Figs are not overly sweet. Just sweet enough to balance tangy blue cheese and sharp greens such as arugula, frisee and radicchio (although this would be good with a mild lettuce such as Bibb too).

Fresh Fig Salad with Cheese and Nuts

• one head frisee (or use small soft lettuce such as Bibb)

• one small head radichhio

• 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar plus 2 teaspoons sherry wine or 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 4-6 large figs, quartered or 8-10 small figs, halved

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue type cheese

• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds (or use pepita seeds)

Wash and dry the frisee or lettuce and radicchio, break into smaller pieces and place in a bowl. Mix the oil and vinegar, pour over the salad; toss. Place equal amounts on 4 salad plates. Scatter the figs equally on top. Scatter with the blue cheese and nuts.

Makes 4 servings

Simple Fried Rice

I could make an entire meal out of plain, steamed white rice. In fact, I have, on days when Ed is out of town and I don’t feel like cooking and I’m bored with eggs and there aren’t any leftovers to make into a sandwich or a salad.

But mostly I cook rice (not just white, but also brown, red and black varieties) as a side dish and sometimes I use it as a base ingredient for something grand, like Paella. Or even as a starting point for a dessert, like rice pudding.

Then again, I think one of the best and easiest ways I use rice is as a vegetarian dish, mixed with cooked veggies, nuts and so on. I’ll serve that dish by itself or with other vegetarian dishes, when I want to go meatless.

One of my favorites is the extremely versatile Fried Rice. I made this dish last night using leftover cooked rice and stir-fried it with fried egg, scallions and peas — on other occasions I have added all sorts of other vegetables, like broccoli or cooked carrots and even canned items such as water chestnuts.

Of course you can add leftover meat too. Whatever’s in your fridge. So simple, so quick. Dinner is done in a flash.

Simple Fried Rice

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
3 scallions, chopped
3 cups cooked cold or room temperature rice
1 cup thawed frozen peas
salt to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a wok or stirfry pan (or a saute pan) over medium heat. Add the eggs and fry them for a minute or so or until the bottom looks set. Flip the eggs and fry briefly on the other side until cooked. Dish out to a cutting board and cut into pieces. Set aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the pan. Add the scallions and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the rice and peas and cook, stirring to distribute the ingredients, for about 2 minutes or until hot. Add the egg pieces and stir to distribute them. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot. Make 2 dinner servings, 4 side dish servings

Baked Ziti and Cheese

I’m always surprised when I hear people say that vegetarian food isn’t filling or satisfying. I guess if your image of a meatless meal is a plate of steamed zucchini, carrots and broccoli, well then, you would indeed probably be hungry after that in an hour or so.

But how about those sumptuous dishes, some of them even our favorite, so-called comfort foods? Like Macaroni and Cheese or Chili?

Baked Ziti (or Penne) with Cheese is among my favorite no-meat dinners. Add a salad and we’re done. Or, if I am feeling ambitious, we’ll start with Minestrone Soup.

Baked Ziti and Cheese

1 pound dried ziti or penne
15-16 ounces ricotta cheese
2 to 2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (or a mixture of the two)
2 large eggs
3 cups Marinara sauce
pinch or two of crushed red pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and the eggs. Mix thoroughly, add to the pasta and toss the ingredients. Add the Marinara sauce and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper, if desired, and toss again until the color is even. Place the mixture in the oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cup (or 1-1/2 cups) of mozzarella cheese on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until hot, bubbly and lightly browned. Makes 6-8 servings

Chocolate Yogurt Bread

I didn’t really need anyone to tell me yogurt is popular these days. All I had to do was walk past the yogurt aisle in any supermarket and see what’s doing there. Big cartons and tiny ones, some plain and some with interesting fruit (like pomegranate and passion fruit), some thick and some more drinkable.

There are brands geared to grownups and, much to my personal annoyance, some meant for kids, topped with M&Ms and stuff like that so that you might actually be fooled into thinking that you should push candy all in the name of a few spoonsful of yogurt. This is supposed to be healthy?

Anyway, it’s hard to miss that yogurt is a big part of the dairy landscape. But I sure was surprised by HOW MUCH. I read in this article that the yogurt market is the fastest growing in the United States — more than 15% up from prior sales in 2010.

That is quite a killing.

I have already mentioned, several times, that I am a big big yogurt fan and always have been, since back in the day before most people ever heard about yogurt, or, if they did, didn’t like the name (once spelled yoghurt) and wouldn’t touch the stuff.

Things have really turned around. I’m still eating yogurt, every day now.

But did you know how good it is to cook and bake with? Like to add to soup instead of cream? Or to mix into a dip or even use as a dip (like for instance for potato pancakes — especially thick, plain Greek style yogurt)?

And to bake with? So many good little quickbreads and cakes are even better with yogurt in the batter. And you can generally substitute yogurt in place of buttermilk in a baked goods recipe (stir it to thin it a little).

This chocolate bread is a rich-tasting snack, which you could make into dessert by serving it with fresh berries. Leave out the chips if you prefer something plainer. It’s the yogurt that makes this bread so silky and tender.

Chocolate Yogurt Bread

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and set it aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium, cream the sugar and shortening together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the yogurt. Stir in the chocolate and mix until ingredients are well blended. Stir in the chips, if used. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Makes one bread

Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce

Always start with the dessert.

That’s what someone once told me about dinner. Well, not exactly the eating part. She meant the planning part. A colleague told me that when she planned her dinner party menus she always works back from dessert.

I don’t do that myself, but last week I did write about the dessert I was going to serve this past weekend for a dinner party I was having, so it was sort of the same.

Now I can tell you about the main course, which was Poached Salmon. Nothing modern here: an old-fashioned but well-loved entree that never goes out of style. So many benefits on top of the fact that it is so delicious.

First, Poached Salmon looks elegant and needs little in the way of “professional” type garnishing. I’m no culinary artist, so I dressed the dish up with lettuce, cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, lemons and limes, plus a sprig of dill in the center. It’s supposed to look like a plant coming out of a flower pot (created with three small slivers of tomato) and a bit of sunshine (piece of lemon).

Second, you can make it all in advance — in fact you have to in order for the texture to be right and the fish to be chilled properly. That means all you have to do is get it out of the fridge when you sit down to dinner.

Third, it’s healthier than a whole lot of other things you can (and I have) served. I even modernized my recipe for dill sauce, using yogurt instead of dairy sour cream so as to cut down on the fat.

Next time you need a lovely, make-ahead, healthy entree for company dinner, think of this one:

Poached Salmon with Dill Sauce

The Salmon:

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
2 leeks, dark green parts discarded, washed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, sliced
4 quarts water
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 lemon, cut into quarters
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
salt to taste
2-1/2 pound chunk salmon

Place the carrots, leeks and onions in a large soup pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Pour in the wine and wine vinegar. Add the lemon quarters, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, peppercorns and some salt and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Strain this mixture (court bouillon) into a large bowl. Place the fish, skin down, on a rack in a deep pan (such as a roasting pan). Pour in the court bouillon. Be sure the entire fish is covered. Add the cooking vegetables if necessary to bring the liquid up to the proper depth. Place the pan on a cooktop. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fish. Cover the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 110-112 degrees. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the salmon cool in the liquid. Refrigerate the salmon (in the pan, still covered by the liquid) until cold. Carefully remove the salmon to a serving dish. Garnish with fresh produce such as lettuce, slices of tomato and/or cucumber, plus lemon and/or lime segments. Add a sprig of dill or parsley if desired, as garnish. Serve with Dill Sauce. Makes 6 servings

Dill Sauce

1 medium cucumber
1/2 cup Greek style plain yogurt or dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel the cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds. Grate the cucumber and place it in a strainer. Press down to extract as much liquid as possible. Place the cucumber in a bowl. Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, dill and mint. Mix ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1-1/4 cups

Bulgogi

Bulgogi

This is not your grandmother’s flanken. But it is flanken, aka shortribs. And this meat can be tough and chewy, which is why grandma poached it in soup or in a slow-cooker with some good brown gravy or sweet and sour sauce.

I loved grandma’s flanken.

But, maybe because I don’t eat meat that often and yet think of myself as a devoted carnivore, I decided to put flanken and summer together using a grill.

So I made Bulgogi, a Korean dish in which the shortribs marinate in a soy-sesame oil based sauce before being grilled.

Yes, the meat is not as tender as other cuts, like rib. But much cheaper and, for meat lovers, gives quite a satisfying resilience. I served the Bulgogi with sauteed bok choy and steamed rice.

YUM.

Bulgogi

1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sake (or rice wine or sherry)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 scallions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, finely crushed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 pounds flanken or boneless short rib
toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Place the soy sauce, sugar, sake, vegetable oil, sesame oil, scallion, garlic, sesame seeds and crushed red pepper in a bowl and stir, making sure to dissolve the sugar. Place the beef in a non-reactive dish and turn the pieces to coat all sides. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Preheat the oven broiler or outdoor grill (or use a grill pan), skewer the meat and grill for 3-4 minutes per side or until crispy and done to your liking. Garnish with a small amount of toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings