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Any equipment fits chicken cacciatore

Once I started enjoying cooking, chicken cacciatore was one of the first things I asked my mom to teach me how to make, even though the recipe came from my paternal grandmother. Mom’s way has always been the way I knew it.

Chicken cacciatore ingredients*. (*Wine and oregano not pictured because I forgot.)

I’ve also found ways to incorporate it into pretty much every dish that I’ve used since starting to make it into a weekly blog. It’s been in a casserole. It’s been in a Dutch oven. OK, it never made it into a bread or a pie. But this year, thanks to Rachael Ray, I had a way to make it into a small skillet.

Her recipe wasn’t too different from how it’s traditionally made, in that it had mushrooms that I’ll never use. However, because it’s meant to be a sandwich, it skipped the less common sandwich topping of artichoke hearts. I refused to use mushrooms or skip out on one of my favorite vegetables.

So, mine was a little different, and used slightly smaller amounts so that I could have it all fit in my little Le Creuset. It was, like some of my previous attempts, a bit close to full, but workable. My little skillet is 9 inches; this is perfect for 10, but 9 inches will work with some more careful stirring.

Since I made it my way, and my sweetie tested it first, it was no surprise that this worked and tasted delightful. However, it was no less delicious for being one of my favorite meals and working according to plan.

Steam for effect. Or, really because I needed the pic so I could eat it sooner.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken, sliced or chopped
  • ~2 T. olive oil
  • 6 to 7 oz. marinated quartered artichoke hearts
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
  • 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
  • ½ c. red wine (or broth)
  • 1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 t. dried oregano
  • 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 to 3 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 sub rolls, for serving, or some cooked pasta, for serving
  • Provolone cheese, for topping the rolls (or frankly the pasta, if preferred, provolone is never bad)

Directions

Heat oven to broil if making sandwiches. Alternatively, prepare pasta if using.

Heat half the oil in a 9- to 10-inch skillet on a stove over medium heat. Add the chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until mostly cooked through. Add the remaining oil, and then the onions, peppers, and artichokes, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about another 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, crushed red peppers, and cook for another minute.

Add the wine to deglaze the pan, and then add the crushed tomatoes and parsley. Cook for another few minutes until the tomatoes are simmering and the flavors have melded. Once ready, remove from heat.

Pile about a quarter of the chicken mixture into a sliced sub roll, and cover with one to two slices of provolone (as preferred). Repeat with as many sandwiches as you’re planning to serve immediately. Place the sandwiches on a sheet pan or aluminum foil or both, and place in the oven on the top rack, and broil for 1 to 2 minutes (keep watch!) until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread have turned golden, and enjoy!

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Quiche me like you mean it

After two weeks of traveling, I’m finding it nice to be home. And one of the surest signs that we’ve been on the road too much (and that I’m officially grown up) is that I got burnt out on fast food. Yes, I was craving salad and vegetables.

Of course, I do not need to be nudged too hard but the need for healthier fare hit like a craving. So, I was glad I had saved this quiche recipe for a post-travels dinner.

Sheet pan quiche ingredients.

It isn’t all healthy, what with an all-butter crust, cream cheese, and more cheese. But it was topped with my comfort food veggies, marinated artichokes and asparagus. And eggs, well, I think the jury is still out on whether they’re healthy or not. For the sake of this post, let’s say they’re a good source of protein.

Plus, I was happy to have another reason to make a pie crust in this year of sheet pan recipes.

The recipe was adapted from food blogging fave Smitten Kitchen. But I chose my favorite vegetables over spinach (which is a fine green!) and had to tweak to fit my size sheet pan (roughly 11×15 inch). All worked out perfectly and I found a relatively simple recipe I am sure I’ll be returning to again and again.

Look at those beautiful vegetables and that perfect crust.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

For crust:

  • 2 sticks butter
  • Scant 2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
  • 3 oz. ice water (I used a handy shot glass and shaker, don’t judge)
  • Salt, if desired

Or, feel free to roughly double your favorite pie crust.

For quiche filling:

  • 1 brick (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. half and half
  • 7 large eggs
  • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced white and light green parts
  • About ¾ bunch asparagus, ends removed and cut into about 1 ½ inch pieces
  • 1 (about 6 oz.) jar of marinated artichokes, drained
  • 1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • ½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Oil, for coating

Directions

Prepare crust. Use a food processor, pastry blender, or hands to mix together the butter and flour until well blended. Add water slowly until dough forms. Pat into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about an hour. When ready, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼ inch thick and slightly larger than the size of your sheet pan. Carefully place the dough in the sheet pan and trim the edges as necessary. Freeze for about 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Then, when ready, pierce the cold dough throughout with a fork. Cover dough with a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil. Add weights. (I forgot this step and all turned out fine.) Bake for about 20 minutes until partially done, and then remove foil (and any pie weights) and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes to lightly golden the crust.

Meanwhile, make the filling. I was lazy here and used my stand mixer, but do what works for you. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl. Carefully add the half and half. Whisk in eggs one at a time, until combined. Stir in the scallions, cheeses, and salt and pepper.

Once crust is ready, pour on the egg mixture. Do not overtop the crust (this amount of egg mixture worked perfect for my sheet pan, but amounts and sheet pans vary). If you have extra, consider you’ve got breakfast in the morning.

Top egg mixture with asparagus pieces and quartered artichoke hearts.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake the quiche until the crust is fully golden and the eggy filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes or until warmed to desired temperature, and enjoy!

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Thank god for a family of foodies

This year for Christmas we got a cooking utensil and a cookbook from my brother and his wife. They know us so well.

At first I wasn’t sure why a Jamie Oliver cookbook was the one my brother chose. But, of course, he is the type to read through a cookbook like a book, and therefore, understand cooking better. And this book is perfect for that.

It’s the British chef’s “5 Ingredients,” and as its name implies is cooking with just 5 ingredients (and OK, also 5 pantry items that you likely have lying around if you have this book, and full disclosure, we do). And because of that, it’s perfect for both its simplicity but also understanding how flavors interact and how to build from just 5 ingredients.

So far, we have only made a handful of things out of it, but every single one of them has been my new favorite dish.

This week’s recipe here is no exception.

It’s got 5 ingredients, plus two I added (one that’s optional and one that amends a hard-to-find item), and one pantry item (pepper, which I hope most people have in their pantry), and a bit of water. It took time only because it roasted potatoes, fennel and artichokes for a long time, and then had a cheesy cream sauce.

Vegetables covered in cream and oil, so you know it’s delicious

It’s pretty healthy, though I did add more of the unhealthy bits than Oliver’s original calls for. And other than the time, it takes just cutting potatoes and fennel for prep.

So, yeah, this is a good one. Here’s what I did to amend the original:

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. yellow potatoes, quartered or eighthed depending on size (His recipe was in grams)
  • 2 bulbs fennel, sliced thinly, and including the clean stalks
  • 1 jar (14 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, quartered (including the oil!)
  • 1 sprig rosemary (optional)
  • 1 c. heavy cream (the recipe called for double cream, which I think is thicker so I mixed in sour cream too)
  • ½ c. sour cream
  • ⅔ c. grated Parmesan, divided
  • Pepper
  • 1 c. water

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the potatoes and fennel on a large, sided sheet pan (about 15 ½ x 12 inches). Add the quartered artichoke hearts and their oil. Season with rosemary and pepper. Pour over the water.

Cover the vegetable mix with olive oil and bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the heavy cream, sour cream and ½ the Parmesan cheese. When the vegetables have baked for an hour, remove the foil and dot the vegetables with the cream mixture, and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes until the cheese has browned. Let cool slightly and enjoy!