Orecchiette with Chicken and Mushroom Cream Sauce

While most people are used to heavy cream sauces, along the lines of an Alfredo, this dish is much different.  The mushrooms are cooked down with some sauteed onion and sherry, and then cream is added at the end to thicken it up just a bit along with some Parmesan cheese.  The result is a beautifully light and creamy coating over the pasta, with flavorful tender mushrooms.  The chicken adds some extra savory flavor and some protein.  I chose orecchiette as the perfect pasta with little pockets to hold the sauce.  

Overall, I loved everything about this dish- and I'm not usually a mushroom lover.  The different types of mushroom used in this dish make a big impact on the flavor, and I was lucky enough to find that my local Hispanic/Asian store sells them for insanely cheap prices.  (Unlike, ahem ahem, the farmer's market or Whole Foods)  This would also make a great vegetarian meal by simply omitting the chicken. 

Shitakes

Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (breasts work too but thighs have more flavor)
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper OR grains of paradise (we used the latter)
• 8 oz shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 8 oz oyster mushrooms, tough stems removed and sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, or 1/2 of a large onion, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb orecchiette

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bacon grease or vegetable oil.  Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes, removing it with a slotted spoon when it just starts to brown.  This flavors the oil for the chicken, and the garlic is added back in later.  However, if you are in a rush you could skip this step and just add the garlic later on. Trim the fat off of the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  If you're using breasts, cut them into smaller pieces to reduce cooking time.  Place the chicken in the pan and season the other side.  Flip once the first side down has started to brown- about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water with a couple tablespoons of salt.  When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and add the onion and sliced mushrooms.  Saute for about 2-4 minutes.  

At this point your pasta water should be boiling, so add the pasta and cook until just al dente.  Pour the sherry into the onion mushroom mixture and scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan to deglaze and allow the mushrooms to absorb all of that flavor.  When the sherry has been mostly reduced, add the thyme and garlic.  

Cook for about 3 minutes before adding the cream. Stir to combine and when heated through, add the chicken.  

Simmer for another 3 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add 3/4 c Parmesan and mix in. 

When the pasta is done, drain it and put it back in the pot.  Mix in the sauce, and serve hot with the remaining Parmesan on top. 

Beef Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuits

Sean always finds great recipes from Food & Wine- such as this pot pie which was delicious and comforting.  We made a few minor changes, and halved the recipe to make just one large pot pie.  This isn't your typical pot pie with actual pie crust, rather it is topped with cheddar biscuit batter that bakes along with the pie filling.  It is much easier than going through the process of making a pie crust from scratch, in my opinion.  And the result is delicious fluffy biscuits on top of the savory chunky filling. Yum!

Ingredients:

Pot Pie Filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 lb carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 lb celery root or parsnips, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 2 Italian sausage links, removed from casing
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 5 oz frozen peas (about a cup)
• salt and pepper

Biscuit Topping: Follow our cheddar garlic biscuit recipe, eliminating the garlic and reducing the salt to 1/2 teaspoon. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the oil.  Saute the carrots and celery root or parsnips with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for about 10 minutes, turning the heat to medium-high.  As you can see in the picture, we used celery root which had an amazing flavor, so I would definitely recommend it if you can find it at the store. 

When the vegetables have softened and are slightly browned, add the ground beef and sausage with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt, breaking up the meat as it browns.  Sprinkle in the thyme and rosemary.  We used a handy fresh herb grater that we got as a Christmas gift to mince and add the herbs.  Cook for about 10 minutes, until all the pink is gone and most of the liquid has evaporated. 

Stir in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.  Next add the milk and chicken stock, and simmer until thickened.  (5-7 minutes)  

Stir in the peas and cook a couple minutes longer, tasting for more salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture in a 9x13 deep baking dish. 

While the vegetable beef mixture is cooking, prepare your biscuit batter, following our recipe for cheddar biscuits as I mentioned above.  

Place 12 even scoops of batter on top of your pie filling in the casserole dish.  We used an ice cream scoop, and then added a little more to each one with the rest of the batter that was left.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the biscuits are turning golden brown on top.  Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.  

City Herb Garden

Spring came early this year... it hit 80 degrees for a couple days in March and recently it's been reaching the 70's on a pretty regular basis.  We realized suddenly it was past time to plant the herb garden!  We're lucky that we have a small outdoor space ("the cage") where we can keep some plants.  It doesn't get much sun, except for around the edges, so we have a couple long planters that line the border.  

We love having fresh herbs all summer long for so many reasons.  Just a small amount of freshly chopped herbs can enhance any dish- or any cocktail :)  It also saves a lot of money- you only take what you actually need for the dish instead of spending $2 on one herb at the grocery store and then only needing a few leaves or sprigs.  Granted, if you are making a huge batch of pesto you may not have enough basil from a small potted herb garden, but in general this will supply us for the entire summer.  Looking forward to using them in some new recipes!

Here are a few tips before you start your own potted herb garden: 

1. Try to find a place that gets some sun each day to place the plants, and rotate them every week to make sure they are getting even coverage.

2. Buy potting soil with nutrients.  Your plants need this since they aren't in the natural ground.

3. Instead of starting with seeds, buy starter plants.  Seeds take a really long time to get going so unless you have the patience, starter plants are the way to go.  We got ours on a 50% off sale at Home Depot!

4. WATER! You may not need to water them every day, but trust me... going a few days without water during the hot summer will make your plants look like the are about to wilt to death

5. Don't crowd the plants- they will get much bigger and need space.  Some need more than others so you may want to plant them in their own pot. 

6. Plant a variety- but only herbs you actually like and will use.  Some herbs go a long way (like rosemary) but others (basil, mint) can go pretty quickly.  So plant more than one of the herbs you think you will use the most.

7. Keep the labels in next to the plant if you are "herbally challenged"
8. Harvest often- this will promote more growth in your plants.  Plus, eating them is the best part! 
9. Speaking of eating... make sure you use them.  Fresh herbs are a great add-in at the end of your dish.
10.  Stay legal :)

What we planted this year:

- Thyme

- Spicy Oregano

- Rosemary

- Thai Basil

- Sweet Basil (2)

- Mint (2)

- Flat-leaf Parsley

It's not too late to start on your own herb garden to last your whole summer long!

Broiled Crispy Salmon with Beets and Kimchi Pancake

This recipe is a different take on salmon, and I found it in a Serious Eats column called "French in a Flash".  I was hunting for salmon recipes, and we had some golden beets that really needed to be used so it was the perfect opportunity to combine them in one dish.  I also had some leftover kimchi, after making a batch of kimchi-bacon pasta so we turned that into a side dish- a kimchi pancake.  It was a nice spicy complement to the rich savory salmon and sweet roasted beets.  The salmon is broiled on a bed of fresh thyme, which browns it nicely without over-cooking.  It is topped with toasted rosemary panko bread crumbs which brings some crunch and a great fresh herbal flavor.  This is a healthy and new way to try salmon without making it difficult.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 large beets (any color)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 

1 1/2 lb boneless skinless salmon filet (four 6 oz portions) 

Kosher salt 

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 bunch of fresh thyme

 

For the Kimchi Pancake:

1 cup chopped kimchi

1 T sriracha or hot sauce (more or less to your taste and depending on how spicy the kimchi is)

1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 t sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper 

Peanut or vegetable oil for frying (about 3 tablespoons) 

 

Directions:

Heat a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Peel and slice the beets into wedges and boil them for 15-20 minutes or until just tender.   Drain and set aside. 

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the panko and rosemary.  Toast over medium-low until the panko is starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from heat and place the bread crumbs to the side.  You can use the same pan for the kimchi pancake.

While the beets are boiling, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Make four bundles of thyme and place one salmon filet on top of each bundle.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the salt and pepper on top.  Once the beets are done boiling, drain and place them around the outside of the pan.  Drizzle them with olive oil as well.

 Turn the oven to broil.  Cook the salmon about 6 inches from the top of the heat source (second rack from the top) for 10-12 minutes or until done.  Top with the rosemary panko bread crumbs and serve. 

For the kimchi pancake:
Combine all ingredients except oil into a bowl and stir well.  Heat the oil in the non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Pour in the kimchi batter and spread it out into one large even pancake.  Let it cook for about 7 minutes OR until the bottom is golden brown and then carefully flip it to the other side.  We used tongs and a spatula to get it flipped without breaking.  Cook the other side until crispy and brown and then remove the pancake to a paper towel covered plate. Cut into slices and serve with along side the salmon.