Bittman's Chicken and Rice

CHICKEN WITH RICE, THE EASY WAY

Time: 30 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, about 8 ounces, peeled and sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 chicken, cut up into serving pieces

1 1/2 cups white rice

Pinch saffron, optional

Freshly minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

Lemon or lime wedges.

1. Set 3 cups of water to boil. Place olive oil in a large skillet that can be covered, and turn heat to medium-high. Add onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and become translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove skin from chicken.

2. Add rice to onions; stir until each grain glistens; sprinkle with saffron, and stir. Nestle chicken in rice, add a little more salt and pepper and pour in the boiling water. Turn heat to medium-low, and cover.

3. Cook 20 minutes, until all water is absorbed and chicken is cooked through. (You can keep this warm over a very low flame for another 15 minutes; it will retain its heat for 15 minutes beyond that.) Garnish and serve with lemon or lime.

Chicken and Risotto

I like the food network, but lately I've just been sick of the late night shows that are all I end up watching because I get home from work at 6 or 7pm. I mean how many cake-making challenges can a person watch? But since we got DVR I've been recording some of the daytime shows when they actually cook food. Sandra Lee is one of them, and though I know a lot of people complain that she uses a lot of supermarket/prepared ingredients like spice mixes, etc., it's really the most realistic way to cook for some people who either need to save money or save time. I am often that person, and then other times I want to do everything from scratch. One episode of Sandra's Money Saving Meals involved a Chicken Scaloppine and Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Risotto. I was intrigued to make the risotto because I've never done it before and she made it look so easy. Simple it was not, but the meal is really something anybody could try and be relatively successful at. And it tasted yummy. All I need to figure out is how to prevent the risotto from sticking to the bottom of the skillet like that Iranian burnt rice :P

Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Risotto

from Sandra Lee

This recipe actually makes quite a bit of risotto, because it's designed to make a second recipe as leftovers. I just made the whole thing cause it's that good that I knew I would want more :)

Ingredients:
1 head garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cans water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups long-grain rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the top off the head of garlic. Put it on a large square of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 teaspoon of the extra-virgin olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap the foil around and over the garlic. Roast until it is soft, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Pour the 2 cans of broth into a saucepan, over low heat, and add 3 cans of water. Bring to a simmer.
In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until the mushrooms release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute to toast.
Add 2 ladles full of hot broth to the pan and gently stir the rice. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Adjust the heat so that the pan is just gently bubbling. Continue adding broth and stirring until all the broth is used and the rice is cooked but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Once the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is nice and creamy, stir in the butter, Parmesan and the garlic pulp. Cover and let rest for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

Chicken Scaloppine

adapted from Sandra Lee

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Slice the breasts in half, lengthwise. Pound the 4 pieces between sheets of plastic wrap to flatten them, about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Coat the chicken with the flour, shaking off any excess.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. Mix together and when the butter has melted add the chicken, working in batches, until they are golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes per side. Remove the chicken, to a serving platter, cover and keep warm. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook it over high heat until it reduces by half and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and basil. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken serve with the Roasted Garlic and Mushroom Risotto.

Chicken and Rice with Indian Spices

This is another favorite CI recipe that is super easy and akin to Chicken Biryani when you think about it. It's not spicy at all which is great for my hubby and for anyone who likes desi food but can't handle the usual spice overdose.

Chicken and Rice with Indian Spices (from Cook's Illustrated online)
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces (without wings) (3-4 lbs.), rinsed, patted dry
table salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium green bell peppers, cored and diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp table salt

Instructions

1. Sprinkle chicken pieces liberally on both sides with salt and ground black pepper. Heat oil until shimmering in large, heavy, non-reactive Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken pieces skin side down; cook, without moving them, until well browned, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over with tongs and cook, again without moving them, until well browned on second side, about 6 minutes longer. Remove from pot and set aside.
   
   

2. Pour all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot; return to burner. Reduce heat to medium; add cinnamon stick, sauté, stirring with wooden spoon until it unfurls, about 15 seconds. Add onion and green bell pepers and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, ground turmeric, coriander, and cumin and sauté until fragrant, approximately 1 minute longer. Stir in rice and cook, stirring frequently, until coated and glistening, about 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes with liquid from can, salt, and 2 cups water, scraping browned bits off pot bottom with wooden spoon.
   

3. Return chicken thighs and legs to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add chicken breast pieces and stir ingredients gently until rice is thoroughly mixed; replace cover and simmer until both rice and chicken are tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cover pot, and allow dish to rest for 5 minutes; serve immediately.

Chicken Biryani

My hyderabadi cookbook always comes to the rescue. I had some chicken pieces defrosting at home and I thought it was the perfect time to make biryani. I went online looking for some recipes, but they all seemed to require too many ingredients and too many steps. Even using pre-made biryani masala there was still too much to do and it was giving me a headache. So I went home and pulled out the trusty cookbook and found a recipe for biryani after 6 dozen recipes for pullao. What's up with hyderabadi's and pullao?!

This recipe wasn't simple, but it had minimum steps and didn't require a lot of standing over a pot or pan; which I like, because it gave me the opportunity to do other things, like make corn pudding. :) It also turned out well, and had the color I was looking for without adding artificial biryani color that some recipes suggest using. I used chicken in this recipe, but you could use any meat.

Chicken Biryani (Chicken and Rice)

8 servings.

For rice:

4 cups rice

2, 2" cinnamon sticks

4 cardamom pods

4 cloves

4 green chillies

10 mint leaves

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp saffron

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp lemon juice

For chicken:

1 1/2 cups shortening (or veg oil)

2 lbs chicken in pieces

2 medium onions, sliced

1 tbsp ground ginger and garlic

1 cup yogurt

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

8 ground almonds (I left this out, not a fan of too much sweet)

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp ground coconut

4 cloves

4 cardamom pods

2, 2" cinnamon sticks

1 tsp salt

Cook chicken:

Heat shortening and brown sliced onions. Add all ingredients and cook until liquid dries. Add 2 cups of water, and cook until chicken is tender and water has dried. Fry 3 minutes or until oil separates. 

Cook rice:

Soak saffron in milk. Wash rice and set aside. Boil 12 cups of water with remaining ingredients, except lemon juice. Add rice and cook until half done. Drain the rice.

To make biryani:

Remove half of rice to another container, and spread chicken and gravy over first half in pot. Reserve a little of gravy for top of rice. Cover with other half of rice, and remaining gravy. Sprinkle saffron milk over top, and add lemon juice. Cover and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Before serving, blend rice and chicken together.

More on Pulao

So my fantabulous, can't-go-wrong cookbook of Indo-Pak cuisine had two recipes for Yakhni Pulao that Sameera was looking for. The first was for Chicken Yakhni Pulao and the second was just Yakhni Pulao. Since Sameera already posted one with chicken I'm posting one that seems to be for any kind of meat.

Yakhni Pulao
Serves 8

Ingredients:
4 cups rice
3 lbs. meat cut in pieces
3 medium onions
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 cup yogurt
10 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch ginger
2, 2 inch cinnamon sticks
5 cardamom pods
5 cloves
1/4 tsp shah zeera
1/4 tsp whole black pepper
1 tbsp coriander seeds
8 mint leaves
6 dried red chillies
4 green chillies
1 tbsp salt


To make:

1. Heat 1/2 cup shortening and brown 1 sliced onion. Add meat, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, shah zeera, pepper, coriander, mint leaves, red chillies, and 4 cups of water. Cook until meat is tender. Strain and save stock.

2. In 1/2 cup shortening, brown second sliced onion. Add meat and lightly brown. Add stock, cook 3 minutes and set aside.

3. In remaining shortening, brown last sliced onion with yogurt. Add washed rice, green chillies, salt, meat, gravy and enough water to stand 1 inch above rice level. Cook until water is almost dry.

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Long Live the Stir-Fry

Stir-fries are my new favorite dish to make - once you have the basic steps down, they are so simple and quick. Cook's Illustrated sent a recipe from The Best International Cookbook the other day, and it was so timely because I was *craving* sticky rice. Don't ask me why, I usually don't like the rice from Chinese restaurants. But I love using chopsticks and basmati wasn't really designed for it, let's be honest. So I bought some carolina rice from the supermarket and used it in this sticky rice recipe. Dude! So easy and carolina rice is yummy! The sticky rice was 1000 times better than what you get in chinese take-out, no offense. I don't know why I never tried it before. Sameera used it in some paella she made the other day.. Sam will you post the recipe for your paella please? :)

They used chinese rice wine in their recipe, so I substituted vegetable broth with a dash of rice vinegar. I didn't make the ginger ice cream, cause I'm not into making that, but I thought I would include it anyway. Let me know if one of you tries to make it!

Stir-Fried Shrimp, Asparagus, and Carrots with Orange Sauce
Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zest, but take care to avoid the bitter pith beneath the skin. If the asparagus spears are very thick, slice each stalk in half lengthwise before cutting them into 2-inch lengths. Stir-fries cook quickly, so have everything prepped before you begin cooking.


Serves 4

Sauce
2	orange zest strips (2-inch-long) from 1 orange
1/2	cup fresh orange juice from 2 oranges
1/4	cup vegetable or any low sodium broth with a dash of rice vinegar
2	tablespoons soy sauce
1	tablespoon sugar
2	teaspoons cornstarch
1	teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2	teaspoon red pepper flakes
Stir-Fry
1	pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) peeled and deveined
2	teaspoons soy sauce
2	teaspoons vegetable or other broth
3	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1	tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2	scallions , minced
2	tablespoons vegetable oil plus one additional teaspoon
1	pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), tough ends trimmed and sliced on the bias into 2-inch lengths
2	carrots , peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

1. For the sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients together; set aside.

2. For the stir-fry: Toss the shrimp with the soy sauce and broth with vinegar in a small bowl and let marinate for 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour. In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, scallions, and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil; set aside.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the shrimp and cook, without stirring, until the shrimp are browned at the edges, about 1 minute. Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until they are nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl and repeat with 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil and the remaining shrimp; transfer to the bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add the asparagus and carrots, and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables.

5. Stir in the shrimp with any accumulated juices. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Ginger Ice Cream
Prepare the ice cream quickly to prevent it from melting too much, (Recipe from: Restaurant Favorites at Home)


1 pint

2 1/2	inch piece fresh ginger , scrubbed
1	pint vanilla ice cream (premium), softened (but not melting)

Using a Microplane grater or fine-holed grater, grate the ginger. Transfer the grated ginger to a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl and press firmly with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Place the softened ice cream in a medium bowl and, using a stiff rubber spatula, fold the ginger juice into the ice cream. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic flush against the ice cream. Return the ice cream to the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes.

Chinese-Style Sticky Rice
Do not stir the rice as it cooks. The finished rice can stand off heat, covered, for up to 15 minutes.


Serves 4 to 6

2	cups long grain white rice
3	cups water
1/2	teaspoon salt

1. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.

2. Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Snowed in

I *attempted* to go to work today, but the snow and mucky roads thwarted my efforts. My car which handled the last snow storm quite well was not a happy camper this morning so for her sake I turned back after a half hour. The fact that it was bagel friday at work (every friday we get fresh bagels and the most amazing cream cheese at work) forced me to weigh my decision carefully, but the flashing warning lights when my tires slipped beat out the yummy bagels... But a coworker tells me that the cream cheese was so frozen that the knives were breaking in it... lol. Sorry guys.

So since I'm cooped up at home (still working mind you) I thought I would share my latest find, the 30-minute cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. Ok, it's really Sameera's find because I borrowed it from her, but in my world I am discovering it :) I am a *very* slow cook, and I realized this when Sameera came over to cook with me and she'd made three dishes before I even managed to open a can of beans. So the quicker the recipe the better for me, since anything takes me forever. Even though the first recipe I tried took longer than 30 min, it was still relatively quick and very easy. I'm sharing it cause I thought it came out rather well (considering the suspect way the chicken was cooked) and my hubby really liked it too. I left out the apricots cause I try not to do cooked fruit for the hubby's sake.

30-minute Chicken Tagine (from The Best 30-Minute Recipe from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and ground pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 tsp garam masala
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

To make:
1. Microwave chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in single layer in microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 50% power for 15 minutes.

2. Saute aromatics: While chicken cooks, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, garam masala, and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Build sauce: Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, bring to simmer, and cook until apricots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

4. Simmer chicken: Reduce heat to low and add microwaved chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.

5. Finish: Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

This goes really well with either rice or couscous. I made basmati in the rice cooker and added salt, olive oil and panch phoran (5 spice) to give it a nutty flavor. If you want couscous (since this is a moroccan dish), here is a quick recipe.

Simple Couscous (also from The Best 30-Minute Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups water

To make:
1. Saute couscous: Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Finish: Stir in salt and water and bring to boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork before serving.

Curried Rice

My lovely friend Fatima made this yummy yummy rice yesterday..being a desi I never really believed in curry powder but now I'm gonna go out and get some...

2 tablespoons Reduced-calorie margarine
1/2 cup Finely chopped onion
2 cloves Garlic; minced
1 1/2 cup Uncooked white basmati rice
1 teaspoon Curry powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
21 ounces Low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon Grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add rice and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add salt, broth, and water, and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes; fluff with a fork