Saturday, February 27, 2010

Under Pressure Part II



Happy Purim! Jews rejoice as we tell re-tell the story of how Queen Esther saved the Jews from a hanging death by an evil man named Haman! It's like Jewish Mardi Gras! Even the torah tells us to "drink royally" (as if anyone ever needed an excuse, especially when the celebrating falls on a Saturday!). So where is all of this going? I'll tell you. The Rabbi asked my cooking-partner -in-crime and I, along with his wife to come up with a Purim evening that included foods that would be eaten in the middle east. It seems that Esther's diet was comprised of a lot of beans, seeds, fruits, nuts, some poultry and a lot of spices. Since we were expecting about 75 people and needed a main dish, I had to find something to feed a crowd. Moroccan Chicken seemed to be just the thing but it was a slow cooker recipe. I had 18 pounds of chicken to cook in 2 hours!! I knew we could put it in the sauce for an hour and it would taste good but I didn't want to have to worry about the chicken being cooked all the way through. As I passed through the garage with the chicken, my answer was clear; the pressure cooker!!

Yes, that lovely, old-fashioned, get-it-done and get-it-on-the-table pressure cooker came to my rescue! I browned the chicken in a sautee pan and pressure cooked each batch for 5 minutes. In under 2 hours my chicken was cooked, the sauce was nearing completion and I was able to get on with the rest of the event! I don't know how they say it in Morocco but the chicken was delicious!!! Enjoy!




Here's the recipe scaled down for a family of 6. If you want to feed a huge crowd, e-mail me and I will send you the quantities.

Crock Pot or Pressure Cooker Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea and Apricot Tagine

Served with flat breads or pita breads & assorted salads in spring & summer or served with hot fluffy & fruity couscous, assorted chutneys or pickles in the depths of winter. 3½ hours SERVES 6

• 6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into large chunks or 3 lbs. boneless skinless thighs

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped finely

• 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 t. ground ginger or 1 inch fresh gingerroot, finely chopped

• 6 ounces dried apricots

• 2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes or 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, broken up by hand

• 2 (14 ounce) cans chickpeas

• 3 tablespoons honey

• chicken stock (approximately 1/2c)

• 1 pinch saffron or 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

• salt and black pepper

• Chopped Cilantro

Accompaniment

1. Heat up olive oil in a frying pan/skillet & saute chopped onions & garlic for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add chicken stock & gradually mix in flour until well mixed & not lumpy. Add honey & tomato paste & mix well.

3. Add herbs, spices & finely chopped ginger with salt & pepper to taste.

4. Add canned tomatoes & mix well.

5. Pour the above tomato, onion & spice mix into slow cooker.

6. Add chicken & chickpeas & mix well.

7. Add dried apricots making sure they are covered by juice. (Add the carrots if using)*.

8. Give it a gentle but good stir to mix everything together well.

9. Crock Pot or Slow Cooker - Cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours OR automatic with keep warm facility for up to 8 hours.

10. Serve with freshly chopped Cilantro sprinkled on top & either with couscous, rice, fresh flat bread, pita bread or salads.

When using a pressure cooker: Brown the chicken in either the bottom of the pressure cooker with a little oil or in a sautee pan. Place the chicken and any juices in the pressure cooker and add either water or chicken stock to make about 1/2c. liquid. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes once the rocker on the pot gets going. (Remember to reduce the heat a little so the chicken doesn't burn). While the chicken is cooking, sautee the onion and garlic in the same pan you browned the chicken in. When the onions are golden brown and the garlic soft, add the spices here to release their oils and fragrance and then added the tomato paste. Omit the flour, you won't need it but you may have to pour off some liquid from the chicken (save it, it is delicious, rich stock). Once I had that all incorporated, I added the tomatoes and then the whole thing to the cooked chicken in the pressure cooker. Add the chickpeas and apricots. Bring the whole thing to a simmer but do not pressure cook or you will burn the tomato sauce. Serve it hot over couscous with all the trimmings. It will be sweet, spicy, savory and yummy!

*NOTE: If you don't like dried Apricots, you can substitute cooked carrots.



Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Beef Stew, Who Knew?


Do you have one of those kitchen items that when you use it you think to yourself, "Wow! This thing is great! I should use it more often!" Then you put it away and forget about it all over again only to say the same thing months later? That's me with the pressure cooker! I just don't have enough viable cabinet space in this kitchen to store all of my gizmos and gadgets so some get relegated to the garage. I have had this thing for years, but truthfully, I pretty much only used it to cook veggies and mostly root veggies, like Rutabagas at that! Well my lovely cooking partner-in-crime, who helped raise five boys on a farm, clued me in! There isn't anything that woman can't cook in a pressure cooker. Now that she has me straightened out, my only regret is that the one I have isn't bigger!

A cold, rainy night just begs for some hot soup or stew for dinner but if you don't slow cook the heck out of stew meat, you are in for a tough meal. While I lamented forgetting to set-up my crockpot earlier in the day, said cooking partner told me I could get that delicious stew on the table in 30 minutes or so AND that the meat would melt like butter!

After a little trepidation I got to it. Afterall, we could always order pizza, right? The results were amazing I must admit. The veggies were perfect, the sauce was so good, my kids wanted to eat the leftovers with a spoon and yes, that was some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten. Enjoy!

Beef Stew

vegetable oil
2-3 lbs. Stew meat
5-6 potatoes (feel free to add other veggies if you wish!)
6 carrots
1 cube Beef bouillon+water (depends on what size cube you use)
1 batch Delicious Sauce (Recipe to follow in a moment)
Cornstarch

Delicious Sauce
1/2c. red wine (always, only use wine you'd be willing to drink!)
1/2c. Chili sauce or 1/2c. ketchup +1/2t. hotsauce
3T. Brown sugar
3T. vinegar (white, cider or red wine)
1T. Worcestershire sauce
1/2t. dry mustard
1/2t. chili powder

Remove the rack from the bottom of the pressure cooker if you have one. Heat the cooker on medium high until hot and add a little oil. Brown the meat in small batches and go ahead and season it a little too. Set each batch aside until it is all done. This should take about 10-15 minutes at most. Put all the meat back in the pot and add bouillon cube and water. Cover with the lid and rocker. Heat on High until boiling and let it rock for 20 minutes, reduce heat a little to prevent scorching. Meanwhile, peel and cut up your potatoes and carrots. Put them in a pot of boiling water and cook until just tender. The meat and veggies should all finish at about the same time.

While the veggies are boiling, mix up the sauce. When the meat finishes cooking, release the pressure from the pot as per the mfg.'s instructions ( I run mine under cold water until it releases). Remove the lid, be careful of the steam! Drain the veggies and add them to the hot meat, be careful of the hot liquid from the meat and bouillon! Pour the sauce on top and mix it all together. Turn the burner back on and it will begin to simmer. Mix up a little cornstarch and water and add it to the pot to thicken the gravy. Adjust seasoning (I like it a little on the peppery side). Serve it over rice or noodles if you wish.

This served my family of 5 with NO leftovers. Obviously the amounts are a guide because you may want to make more or less and the size of veggies and the stew cubes can vary greatly. The only real constant here is the sauce ingredients. Enjoy!




Friday, February 19, 2010

Snow Balls in Paradise


I'm really a tropical girl at heart so as I stood staring at MORE snow outside my kitchen window and the tropical screensaver warming my heart inside, I was conflicted! I live no where near the beach and who couldn't do with a great tropical rum concotion in the middle of winter? Necessity is the mother of invention as they say so, inspired by my friend at Cupcake Project, I raided the pantry and came up with Coconut Cupcakes with Rum Icing and Coconut. Eh, big deal, you might say. Big deal, I say! They were large, moist cupcakes with just the right amount of take-me-to-the-tropics to satisfy this beach girl and a dear friend who spends a lot of time in the South Pacific (talk about the tropics!) Enjoy!

Coconut Cupcake
1 1/4c. flour
1/2t. Baking Powder
1/4t. Baking Soda
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted Butter
3/4c. sugar
1/2 of a can of Cream of Coconut*
1t. vanilla

Heat the Oven to 350 degrees. Spray the top of your cupcake pan with a little non-stick spray so your lovely cupcakes don't lose their heads! Sift all the dry ingredients together and put aside. Cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time beating for about 30 seconds between each one. Add the vanilla and the Cream of Coconut. Mix for a few more seconds until really incorporated and then gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix well but don't over do it or your cupcakes will be heavy and dense. Fill the cupcake wells (I always use cupcake papers) about 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes. They really rise up and make a nice flat, crunchy top. In this case, it is definitely a good thing! Almost like a table for your icing and coconut!

Rum Icing
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese*
2-3T. Malibu Rum or any other coconut flavored rum
2-3c. Confectioner's sugar
Shredded sweetened coconut

Beat together the butter and the cream cheese. Gradually add 1-2 c. of sugar until you begin to have a soft icing. Add the rum and a little more sugar to stiffen it up. Taste the icing. Add more rum if you like. Add enough sugar to firm up your icing. Now put your shredded coconut in a bowl and fluff it up with a fork. Ice the cooled cupcakes and immediately dunk in the coconut, using the fork to coat the whole top so it looks like a snow ball. Enjoy 'em while you've got'em, they won't last long!


* I never know if I should put these notes at the top or the bottom because really, shouldn't everybody know that you should read all the way through first before you make something? But I never assume! OK, here's the note...When using Cream of Coconut, I mean the kind you use to make Pina Coladas. Read the can carefully as there is coconut water and coconut milk and they aren't the same thing! Also, if your can is cold or had previously been opened (hey I'm a tropical girl, remember?) the fat will separate from the liquid. Just place the whole can in a container of really hot water for a few minutes and it will go back together.

As for cream cheese, well not everyone is a fan. You could also use Neufchatel cheese or Marscapone cheese. Dare I say it, but in a pinch, a can of vanilla frosting will also do the trick. Just mix in a little rum and you'll be good to go!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

A Pox! A blessing or a curse?!


Well I know that ChickenPox is a childhood disease but even though my darling daughter is 14, she has come down with a mild case of it! What to do when you don't feel good? Why, you make chicken soup of course! And since you're already feeling so crappy and low, how about a compost cookie for dessert? Compost Cookie?! Yep, apparently Anderson Cooper thinks that the Compost Cookie at Momofuku's Milk Bar in NYC is all the rage so I had to investigate it. Afterall, I am a faithful composter of all organic matter that can help fertilize my yard and veggies in the summer.

My search revealed a mixed review of this concoction but it basically comes down to this, a really good cookie dough with all the junk you crave crammed into a single cookie. No, it is not pretty but it is mighty tasty! My other kids decided it was a garbage cookie because compost is a good thing and there was no way this cookie could be good for you. It was way too delicious! here's my version of the Compost Cookie but remember, so long as you have a good dough, you can add whatever saltysweetcrunchygooeychocolatey things that you like! Enjoy!

Compost/Garbage Cookie

For the dough:
3 sticks butter@ room temp 2t. vanilla
2c. brown sugar 2 whole eggs plus 2 yolks
1c. white sugar 1T. corn syrup

4c. all purpose flour
4t. Baking Powder
2t. Baking Soda

2c. of your favorite baking mix-ins such as Raisinettes, mini chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, toffee chips, Rollos, Reese's pieces (you get the idea)

2c. of your favorite snack food such as potato chips, pretzels, mini cookies, gold fish, Fritos, nuts (stay with me, you still have to bake the cookies!!)

Cream together the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla and then continue to mix on medium to med-high for approximately 7-10 minutes (yes I said minutes! It will be really fluffy!)

While that's mixing, sift together the dry ingredients. Set the mixer on low and add the dry ingredients a little at a time until all of it is just mixed in. Do not over mix!

Take the bowl off the mixer and get a sturdy spoon or spatula. Add your yummy goodies all at once and blend in by hand making sure to get it all incorporated into the dough. (If you're thinking that this does not look so good then you're almost there!)

I used a 3/4oz. cookie scoop and non-stick pans. Generously scoop 6 mounds onto your pan and leave plenty of room because they will spread. You will need to refrigerate this for about an hour OR you can refrigerate the whole bowl of dough for about 1 1/2 hrs. until well chilled (the dough will be more difficult to scoop but the results will be the same).

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 9-11 minutes. The edges should be browned and the center just a bit lighter. DO NOT OVER BAKE! Cookies will continue to bake for a a few moments after they come out of the oven. Let them set on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before you try and remove them. Let them completely cool on a wire rack.


This recipe makes about 3 dozen or so. I can't be exact because it all depends on the size of the scoop you use and how generously you scoop. They do spread though, so leave plenty of room on the pan!

Oh, right, what about the chicken soup? Chicken soup has got to be the easiest thing in the world to make. I'm not talking about taking a whole chicken and cooking and straining and cooling and Yeesh! I'm not Julia Child! I make a really good quickie chicken soup that you can have on the table in 45 minutes or so.

Chicken soup:

2-3 boxes/cartons of your favorite chicken broth(32 oz size)
2c. water+1 dissolved cube of Telma Vegetable Boullion(found in the Kosher section of your supermarket)OR 1-14 oz can vegetable broth
1 whole onion, peeled
Carrots, peeled and sliced or use those little baby guys and add as many as you like
Celery-not everyone likes celerey! But the soup will not taste the same without it! If you don't like to eat it, then add 2 stalks cut in big hunks so you can fish it out before serving. If you like celery, I encourage you to use the best part which is the young , leafy center with all of the best flavor!
Chicken-I usually use about 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs because I hate looking for the bones etc. Chicken Breasts tend to be dry. Chicken legs are good too but then you have to skim off the fat and you wanted quick and easy. I leave it up to you!


Pour all the liquid in the pot. Add the veggies and the chicken. Put the lid on it and heat it on medium high until it begins to boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes more until chicken is cooked and veggies are soft. You can turn it off at that point or keep it on low for a few hours. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes!

With your basic chicken soup, you can change it up a little. Add some fresh spinach, a handful of rice, some chopped mushrooms and dried tortellini. Top with Parmesan cheese. For Italian Wedding soup, add some chopped fresh escarole, and some little pre-made meatballs. Scramble a fresh egg or 2 with 1/2c. Parmesan cheese. Slowly pour into the simmering soup while stirring the soup with your other hand to make lots of little, beautiful egg threads. Cook a little Acini de Pepe or Ditalini (tiny little Italian pastas) in a separate pot to add to each bowl. Or if you feel a little spicy, add some salsa, a can of Fiesta corn and a handful of rice. Top with shredded cheese (Fontina is lovely), crushed tortilla chips and a wedge of lime. OLE!