The Apartment Kitchen » garlic

Chicken with Sausages, Artichokes, and White Wine

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:17:17 +0000

One more great Food52 inspired recipe to share before moving on to new things – this chicken dish is simple to prepare, but fancy and flavorful enough to make for a special occasion. For me, the special occasion was a weekend supper (my favorite because I’m not limited by the time constraints I often face mid-week when it comes to grocery shopping and cooking) for Matt and I. Simmering the dish gives it a nice slow-cooked flavor, but it doesn’t take long to make. I also love the flavors together – they are a natural combination that will always work!

Chicken with Artichokes, Sausage, and White Wine

Adapted from Merrill on Food52.com

Served 4.

Leftover Potential: We didn’t have any, but the chicken should re-heat well in the oven.

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper, as needed

3 pounds chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 spicy sausages, cooked and sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

1 sprig rosemary

1 cup chicken broth

1 twelve oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge it in the flour.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausages and saute until they are very crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken and saute until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.

3. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan, and saute until the shallots are translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes. Deglaze the pan with the wine, and add the rosemary. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook until the wine has reduced by half.

4. Stir in the chicken broth, and artichoke hearts, and add the chicken back to the pan. Continue to simmer, turning the chicken pieces once, until cooked through – about 15-20 minutes.

5. Finish the chicken with the lemon juice and zest, and serve.

Make-Ahead Meal: Ginger Chicken

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 15:23:11 +0000

I discovered this make-ahead meal on Food52, and I’m so glad I did. It’s super fast, but has incredible flavor and tastes like it took hours. Make the marinade the night before and get the chicken a-marinatin’. Then bake it and voila! Dinner in a flash.

Ginger Chicken

Adapted from Waverly on Food52

Serves 4-6.

Leftover Potential: The chicken reheats well, and is especially good cold and shredded on a salad.

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/2 cup grated ginger

pinch red pepper flakes

4 chicken quarters

1. Combine the honey and soy sauce in a small pot, and stir over medium low heat until well combined. Remove from heat and stir in the garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes.

2. Place the chicken in a shallow dish, and poor the marinade over it. Cover, refrigerate, and marinade overnight (turn once or twice if you get the chance).

3. When ready to serve, bake the chicken at 350 degrees skin side up for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. During the last 5 minutes of cooking raise the temperature to 375 and bake until the skin is crisp. Serve with rice!

Make Ahead Meal: Grilled Lemon Chicken with Garlic Edamame Puree

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:04:37 +0000

After getting back from a trip to Kansas, I was met with a smattering of appointments and after work activities that kept me super busy all week. On weeks when I know I’ll be busy, or not getting home until later in the evening, I always try to plan out my meals in advance. This makes everything easier – I know what I’m going to cook, and I can usually have it all prepped and ready to go.

This was one of the best make ahead meals I’ve made in a long time. It was easy, and was made totally in advance – the chicken marinated overnight and the puree was finished and ready to go the day ahead. All I had to do when I got home was grill the chicken. Best of all, I made extra chicken and puree and layered on a toasted baguette, it made an awesome sandwich!

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Garlic Edamame Puree

Served 4.

Leftover Potential: The edamame puree is great with crackers, or on sandwiches, and it keeps for up to a week.

4 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

black pepper, as needed

4 chicken breasts

2 cups edamame, cooked

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1/3 cup olive oil, or more as needed

salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, zest, mustard, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. Place the chicken into a large plastic bag, and pour the marinade inside. Toss the chicken into the marinade to coat, and place the bag in the refrigerator (flat) overnight (or at least an hour).

2. In a food processor or blender, puree the edamame, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil together. Add more olive oil (or water) as needed to make a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper. It can be used immediately or stored until ready to use.

3. Grill (or saute) the chicken on a hot grill until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. (You can also bring the marinade to a simmer and use it as a sauce). Serve the warm chicken with the puree.

Buttery Leeks and Spinach

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:30:24 +0000

I made a big batch of a simple side dish the other day, and it ended up being the perfect addition to a variety of other dishes throughout the week. I sauteed leeks (a fav of mine), garlic, and spinach. I also added a couple pats of butter (something I don’t normally do – Matt and I both had a rough week). We ate it alongside some grilled meat, then later piled it onto a sandwich. I also ate it cold with some cheese spread onto a cracker. It was sort of a relief to have something to go to in the fridge, and best of all, it was basic enough that we didn’t get sick of it before it was gone – it lent itself nicely to a wide array of remixing options.

Buttery Leeks and Spinach

Served 4 as a side.

Leftover Potential: Remixes very well – makes a great addition to sausages, grilled chicken, sandwiches and more. Also is great at room temperature with goat cheese on crackers or bread.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bag spinach (4-5 cups)

1-2 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and saute until very tender, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the spinach in batches cooking until it is wilted. Stir in the butter and season well with salt and pepper.

Spinach, Parmesan, and Pepper Stuffed Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:27:40 +0000

This dish was born out of needing to use up a few fridge staples and a desire to make something a little unusual for dinner. Stuffing the chicken breasts we had seemed to be a delicious solution, and it was. I stuffed it with deliciously garlicky mixture of spinach, cheese, and peppadew peppers, and topped it with a hearty tomato sauce. I served it with a clever cauliflower dish I found on another blog – it took Matt quite awhile to guess what it was – and it was delicious!

Spinach, Parmesan, and Pepper Stuffed Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Served 4.

Leftover Potential: Leftover filling makes an excellent omelette for breakfast the following day.

Stuffed Chicken

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag spinach (about 4 cups)

5 peppadew peppers, minced (or 1/2 a red bell pepper)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

3 cups crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp fresh herbs, minced (such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.)

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the spinach and saute until it’s wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the peppers, cheese, salt, and pepper. Let cool completely.

3. Using a paring knife, cut a pocket into the side of the chicken breast. Go as deep into the chicken as you can without cutting it through to the other side. Stuff the pocket generously with filling. Secure with toothpicks or twine. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes.

5. Deglaze the pan with the tomato paste, then stir in the tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Season with herbs, salt, and pepper.

6. Pour the sauce into the base of a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the chicken. Place the chicken on top of the sauce, and roast in a 375 degree oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-13 minutes.

7. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken and serve.

Cauliflower Rice

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups cauliflower florets, minced

2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the cauliflower and saute until it begins to get crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.

Creamy Red Quinoa

theapartmentkitchen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:07:57 +0000

I’ve loved quinoa since the first time I tasted it. I knew it was this super healthy whole grain sold only in health food stores (i.e. not exactly a reason to get super excited). But from first bite I was hooked. The texture is amazing – like tiny pieces of popcorn, and the flavor is perfect – slightly nutty but still mild enough to take on any flavors you add to it. I kept this dish simple by adding lots of garlic and onions and cooking it in chicken broth. Using broth instead of water makes incredibly buttery tasting grains. To give it a bit of creaminess, I added a little bit of Greek yogurt, which made it almost decadent. And in the spirit of the New Year, it couldn’t be more good for you. Yum yum.

Creamy Red Quinoa

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: This is a dish that‘s easy to make with the exact amount you‘d like - double for four people, etc. Otherwise it will reheat ok, though some texture may suffer.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red quinoa (or regular quinoa)

3/4 - 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 Tbsp Greek yogurt

salt, as needed

1. In a small pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the quinoa, stirring to combine and coat lightly with the oil.

3. Add 3/4 cup of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. If the quinoa doesn’t taste tender, add more broth and keep cooking until it is completely tender.

4. Stir in the Greek yogurt and salt, and serve immediately.

Quick Wonton Soup

theapartmentkitchen — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:50:36 +0000

I don’t (generally speaking) order a lot of take out. Ordering take out is sort of a special occasion for me. When I am too busy to cook, which is almost never, I have to admit it is fun to not only let someone else do the cooking for you, but bring it to your door as well.

Recent cravings for Chinese take out soup led me to this incredibly easy recipe. It may not be quite the same as your local take out joint, and it is certainly not traditional, but it was inspired by having several assorted cans of broth and not being sure what to do. I sort of “fortified” the broths with scallions, garlic, and ginger – and the mixture of the three broths was quite delicious and tasted fabulous with my standard wonton/dumpling filling. So, I’m calling it “Quick Wonton Soup”. Sure, it takes a little while to form the wontons, but the opening the can part couldn’t be easier.

Quick Wonton Soup

Served 4.

Leftover Potential: Reheats well, though the wontons can fall apart with excessive stirring and heating.

Wontons

1 package wonton wrappers (mine had about 50 wrappers)

1 lb ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch scallions, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp oyster sauce

sriracha, as needed

1. Open the wonton wrappers and cover them with a damp paper towel. Prepare a small bowl of water.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pork, garlic, scallions, ginger, soy, vinegar, oyster sauce, and sriracha.

3. Use your finger to dampen two sides of a wonton wrapper. Fill it with about 1 Tbsp of filling (don’t overfill or your wontons will burst).

4. Fold the wonton in half, to that the side with water encases the filling. Press to seal. Repeat with remaining wontons and filling.

***This makes more wontons than my soup needed, I panfried the rest to eat as an appetizer. You can use your judgement about how wonton-y you want it.

Soup

1 Tbsp oil

2 bunches scallions, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, minced

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

2 (14 oz) cans vegetable broth

1 (14 oz) can beef broth

prepared wontons

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger, and saute until aromatic. Stir in the pepper.

2. Add the broths, and bring the mixture to a simmer. When it has reached a simmer, add the wontons, and simmer until they are cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Serve warm.

***You could add more flavoring ingredients to the broth, or use your own broth, and let it simmer for a while to let flavors develop before adding the wontons to cook.

Garlicky Stir Friend Brussels Sprouts with Soy and Szechuan Peppercorns

theapartmentkitchen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:39:21 +0000

Matt loves brussels sprouts. I mean loves them. There have been times when it seems he likes them even more than (gasp!) meat. Ok, ok not as much as meat…but it’s close. And as much as I love Matt, I couldn’t bear to keep making brussels sprouts the same old way. So this creation, while not typical, was a welcome one at our dinner table last week.

Garlicky Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts with Soy and Szechuan Peppercorns

Served 2 as a side.

Leftover Potential: Gobbled them up…but would probably be best re-stirfried.

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 pound brussels sprouts

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more as needed)

1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns, crushed (or more as needed)

In a wok or large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the brussels sprouts and stir fry until they begin to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the vinegar, soy, and peppercorns. Toss to coat, and continue to stir fry until the mixture is well combined, about 2 minutes more. Serve warm.

Crispy Pork Eggrolls

theapartmentkitchen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:42:11 +0000

Matt and I love dumplings, primarily because they are one food that are wonderful when cooked using one of our favorite methods: steaming. I also love to make my own dumplings with fresh dough, but we were feeling lazy one Sunday, and stood in the aisle looking down at pre-made thin wonton wrappers. But in one guilty moment, the idea of frying our normally healthy dumplings simultaneously popped into both of our minds. We looked up at eachother, and tossed some eggroll wrappers in our cart. What can I say? Sometimes fried is just better.

Crispy Pork Eggrolls

Makes about 20 eggrolls
Leftover Potential: We assembled all of the eggrolls one day but only cooked half. We kept the others tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge until the next day when we fried some more.

1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup water chestnuts, roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp ginger, finely minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 package (20 each) eggroll wrappers
oil, as needed for frying

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, water chestnuts, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy, Worcestershire, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and cayenne.
2. Place a few spoonfuls of the pork filling into the center of an eggroll wrapper. Use your hands to form the meat into a log. Fold the bottom of the eggroll wrapper over the filling, fold both sides in, then continue to roll away from you until the filling is completely encased and the wrapper is neatly folded under. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot until it shimmers and is hot enough for frying. Add the eggrolls a few at a time, and fry until they are golden brown (turn halfway through) on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on absorbant paper towels, let cool slightly, and serve with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, or sriracha!

***Alternatively, you can pan fry the eggrolls in a small amount of oil until they are crisp and brown on both sides, then finish them in a 375 degree oven until they are cooked through.

Ravioli with Roasted Chanterelles, Garlic, and Bacon with Pepadew Peppers

theapartmentkitchen — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:46:34 +0000

I scored some gorgeous chanterelle mushrooms from the storeroom this weekend. I felt like I’d been eating a lot of pasta recently, but I couldn’t help but think of making some fresh pasta that I could fill with the mushrooms. I roasted them with garlic, onions, and bacon and then sauteed the finished ravioli in butter with sweet peppadew peppers. The whole process would be easier with a pasta machine – but it is possible to do it with a rolling pin and some brute strength! I love making oversized raviolis that can hold a lot of filling – and they look so great on the plate.

Ravioli with Roasted Chanterelles, Garlic, and Bacon with Piquillo Peppers

Serves 2.

Leftover Potential: Make a big batch of the filling – it’s great in a number of dishes and keeps well.

Fresh Pasta Dough

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp olive oil

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt to combine. Make a well in the center.

2. Add the eggs, yolk, and olive oil. Gently fold the flour over, mixing to combine.

3. Knead the dough until it is smooth and even, about 7-9 minutes. Cover the dough and let rest for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.

Filling

2 cups chanterelle mushrooms

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed

4 strips bacon, diced, cooked

eggwash, as needed

1 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup peppadew peppers, diced

2 Tbsp chives

1. Toss the mushrooms, onion, and garlic with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Roast in a 375 degree oven until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

3. Dice the filling until relatively fine. Toss with the bacon.

4. On a floured suface, roll out the dough until very thin, about 1/8″ thick (it’s easier if you divide the dough into quarters).

5. Cut the dough into squares. Spoon filling into half of the squares, and eggwash the other half. Top the filled sqaures with the eggwashed pasta, and press to seal.

6. Cook the ravioli in salted boiling water until tender, 6-8 minutes (or more depending on size). Drain.

7. In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the ravioli and saute until lightly browned. Stir in the peppers and chives. Serve immediately.