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  • Cool Asian Salad for Spring and Summer

    This cool Asian style salad is perfect for the warmer days of spring and summer. It started out with Penny searching the refrigerator to figure out what to serve with some chicken breasts that had been sous vided with garlic, ginger, scallion, and a touch of toasted sesame oil. 

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    She found napa cabbage, carrot, cucumber, scallions, radishes and pickled ginger. The herb vase on the kitchen counter had Thai basil, mint, parsley, and flowering chives. Since we both love Bun Thit Nuong, that was her inspiration.

    She decided to julienne the vegetables to take the place of the noodles and make a dressing with the same flavor profile as the chicken. That had seasoned rice vinegar, avocado oil, finely sliced pickled ginger, and a touch of toasted sesame oil. The chive flowers were sprinkled on top for color and fun.

            

    Since this was just a salad for two, Penny used her Kuhn Rikon Julienne Peeler to shred a carrot and cucumber. If she were making it for a crowd, she might have taken out a mandoline or used our food processor. The cabbage, radishes, and scallions were sliced thin with a new Wusthof Nakiri knife that we bought on vacation this year.

     

    We both love it and are slowly learning the chopping technique that works best with this style of knife.

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    This made a great lunch! 

    Related Post:

    Bun Thit Nuong: A Fresh, Cool Summer Dish from Vietnam

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny Cherubino 

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  • Sous Vide Chicken Gremolata

    We finally broke down and added a Joule Sous Vide immersion circulator to our kitchen equipment. Penny did the reading and checked in with some of her more modernist cooking connections to be sure this one was the right one for a beginner at the method. 

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    You can see the juice seeping from this boneless chicken breast that was vacuum sealed and cooked for 55 minutes in a 149-degree water bath. 

    Gremolata Flavor Component

    Penny made a batch of gremolata by chopping together lemon zest, garlic, and parsley until finely minced. (If you would like a real recipe, try this one from Epicurious.)  

    The chicken breasts were patted dry, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then sprinkled with the gremolata and vacuum sealed. After their bags had spent the prescribed time in the sous vide bath, the breasts were patted dry again and quickly seared in a blazing hot cast iron skillet to add some color and caramelized flavor. 

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    Since the garlic was still in an almost raw state after the low-temperature cooking, it didn't burn during the very quick searing process. 

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    Simple chicken breasts were the first thing we tried after our new Joule arrived. They just had olive oil, salt and pepper. We seared one to have for supper and used the unseared, white meat for a great, moist chicken salad the next day.

    With simple cooking methods, you want to showcase the product, so for the first batch Penny bought Bell & Evens chicken. We both agreed it was one of the best "poached style" chicken breasts we had ever made. The batch shown above was made with Halal chicken. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

      

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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  • Sous Vide Chicken Gremolata

    We finally broke down and added a Joule Sous Vide immersion circulator to our kitchen equipment. Penny did the reading and checked in with some of her more modernist cooking connections to be sure this one was the right one for a beginner at the method. 

    IMG_1454

    You can see the juice seeping from this boneless chicken breast that was vacuum sealed and cooked for 55 minutes in a 149-degree water bath. 

    Gremolata Flavor Component

    Penny made a batch of gremolata by chopping together lemon zest, garlic, and parsley until finely minced. (If you would like a real recipe, try this one from Epicurious.)  

    The chicken breasts were patted dry, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then sprinkled with the gremolata and vacuum sealed. After their bags had spent the prescribed time in the sous vide bath, the breasts were patted dry again and quickly seared in a blazing hot cast iron skillet to add some color and caramelized flavor. 

    IMG_1447

    Since the garlic was still in an almost raw state after the low-temperature cooking, it didn't burn during the very quick searing process. 

    IMG_1449

    Simple chicken breasts were the first thing we tried after our new Joule arrived. They just had olive oil, salt and pepper. We seared one to have for supper and used the unseared, white meat for a great, moist chicken salad the next day.

    With simple cooking methods, you want to showcase the product, so for the first batch Penny bought Bell & Evens chicken. We both agreed it was one of the best "poached style" chicken breasts we had ever made. The batch shown above was made with Halal chicken. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

      

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Healthy Alternatives for July 4th Cookouts, Pot Lucks, or Picnics
    Simple Spring Supper: Asparagus & Eggs
    Mastering Hamersley's Roast Chicken Recipe

  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

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  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew
    Chunky Vegetable Stew
    Chicken-Chickpea-Potato Soup
    Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend
    Lamb Burgers from Our New Meat Grinder
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Comfort Food, Ground Turkey Stew

    DSC_1164 - Version 22012-12-19-turkey-hash-bostonzest-© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Once one of us is on the mend from a cold and ready to move on from chicken soup, I like to make a big pot of my Ground Turkey Stew. It's hot, filling, comforting, and gets better after a day in the refrigerator.

    As with most stews, the exact quantities are not set in stone, you can double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. You can add other vegetables if you like. You can leave out anything you don't like.

    It starts with one package of ground turkey – whatever type you like. For my version, you'll also need Bell's Poultry Seasoning, salt, pepper, olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 stalks of celery, 4 medium potatoes, 4 medium carrots, 14 ozs. of low sodium chicken stock, frozen peas, parsley, and 2 scallions.

    • Saute the chopped celery and onion in olive oil in a big pan.
    • Remove the onion and celery and brown the turkey in the same pan adding more olive oil if your turkey is very lean. Season the meat with 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Break up the turkey into bite size pieces. (I often use a potato masher to break up ground meat like this.)
    • Peel and slice the carrots and potatoes into bite-size pieces. If I use red potatoes, I scrub them and leave the peels in place.
    • Return the celery and onion mix to the pan, add the chicken stock, carrots, and potatoes.
    • Cook until the potatoes are done. Adjust the seasoning with another 1.5 teaspoons of poultry seasoning (or more if you like) plus salt and pepper. 
    • Add frozen peas and stir in until thawed and warm.
    • At this point, I usually pick out and mash a few pieces of potato and stir them into the pan to thicken the broth. 
    • Add sliced scallion and chopped parsley as a final fresh layer of flavor.

    Let us know if you try this dish, and tell us how you adapted it to make it your own. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny Cherubino 

    Related articles
    Lamb and Winter Vegetable Stew
    Chunky Vegetable Stew
    Chicken-Chickpea-Potato Soup
    Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend
    Lamb Burgers from Our New Meat Grinder
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Poached Chicken is a Cook’s Treasure

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    Poached chicken is something you will often find in our refrigerator, especially when we're busy. It doesn't take long to poach a whole bird, chicken parts on the bone, or boneless chicken. You can poach it in water and aromatic vegetables. But for the bonus of a super rich chicken stock, start with a low-sodium chicken broth.

    Here are a link for learning how to poach a chicken. I use the Chinese White Chicken method.

    Perfect Steeped White Chicken

    Once cooked, you can turn the chicken and broth into chicken soup. Here's how we deal with that option. Variations on a Soup theme

    Of course, you or your household guests could turn sliced chicken into a wonderful array of chicken sandwiches. We recommend you grab a loaf of When Pigs Fly Bakery's "Savory Cranberry" bread, or as we call it, "Stuffing Bread." It tastes just like a favorite holiday bread stuffing and makes a great sandwich with some swiss cheese, chicken, and a dab of spicy cranberry chutney.

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    Then, there are salads. We're not mayo fans, so we turn our poached chicken into a Curried Chicken Salad with an oil and vinegar dressing. But, traditional chicken salad may be exactly what your family will welcome.

    And, from there, you can let your imagination fly. Stir fry some veggies and toss in the chicken to warm it. Heat up some pasta sauce and make a quick chicken sauce. 

    We even make poached chicken for our favorite pup when she's not feeling peckish and we need to tempt her with something special. She loves it.

    A heavy pot like a Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron French Oven is perfect for poaching chicken. 

     

    Details:
    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino