Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sauteed Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary






This is a recipe taken from another cookbook of mine: Bon Appetit: Fast, Easy, Fresh.

It's takes very little time to prepare and is perfect for dinner on a weekday.




1 1/2 - 2 lb. chicken thighs

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled

1 c. chicken broth

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Fresh rosemary sprigs; optional

Season breasts with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet on high. Add chicken. Saute until brown, about 5 minutes a side. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and fry until chicken is cooked through, 15 minutes. Put chicken in a bowl. Keep 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add garlic and rosemary to skillet. Cook and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add broth and vinegar. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, scraping up brown bits, 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put chicken juices in skillet. Cover. Cook over low heat until chicken is heated, 3-4 minutes. Spoon sauce over the chicken on a platter. Garnish with rosemary. 4 servings.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Roasted Beets and Oranges





I just love Ina Garten's recipe for Roasted Beets with Orange Vinaigrette.

Her recipe calls for canned beets, but, instead, I prefer to roast fresh beets with herbs, so they are more aromatic. The cooked beets are tossed with sectioned oranges and a flavorful orange vinaigrette.  This makes a wonderful side dish., that can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients


3-4 medium beets

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons herbs de provence

2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large seedless oranges, zested

Segments of 2 large seedless oranges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees farenheit.

Wash and dry the beets, then toss them with the oil and herbs de provence.  Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, and place the beets in the pan. Cover  the beets with another sheet of aluminum foil, and bake until the beets are tender, about one hour, depending on the size of the beets. Poke a  knife in them, and once the knife goes through them easily, they are tender and cooked.  Remove them from the roasting pan and let them sit until they are cool, in the foil.

Remove the skin from the beets and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Place the beets in a mixing bowl and add the raspberry vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, salt, pepper. Zest the oranges and then segment over a bowl to catch the juices. Add the orange zest, orange segments, and any juices and mix well. Taste for seasoning and serve cold or at room temperature

You may add a bit of diced red onion if you wish.