Post Detox Green Chicken Soup

Why yes, it does say "post detox" in the title. Which means yes, I actually did a cleanse. I know... I am as surprised as anyone!!! I had very little faith in myself going into this whole thing, but I actually made it through and I feel absolutely amazing! I started out doing a three day cleanse though Pressed Juices and loved it so much that I actually added two days and did a five day cleanse! I was definitely hungry at first, especially being around food non stop. Cooking and cleansing is tough to say the least, but it was totally worth it. 

This soup is perfect for coming off of a cleanse! Orrrr just because soup is delicious. It's super healthy, packed with immunity boosting greens and lean chicken breast. I made a huge batch of it so that it would be ready when I was done my cleanse and so that I would have extras to freeze for the next time I wake up with a sniffle in my nose.

POST-DETOX CHICKEN SOUP
Recipe from Chalkboardmag.com

Ingredients:

For the soup:

½ bunch kale (washed, stem removed and leaves shredded)
½ bunch swiss chard (washed and shred leaves only. Keep stems)
1/2 leek (mostly white part, washed very well and sliced into strips)
2 cups green cabbage (shredded)
2 stalks of celery (washed and slivered)
6 cups fortified chicken stock (regular chicken stock, reduced to ½ its volume)
couple minced cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

To simmer the chicken:
2 chicken breast (bone-in for more flavor)
2 carrots (peeled and cut into thick slices)
2 stalk celery (washed and cut into big slices)
Swiss Chard (sliced stems)
½ cup leek (washed and sliced)
½ cup Spanish onion (cut into chunks)
cold water- to cover chicken and veg


Method:

For the Chicken:

Add all the ingredients in stockpot and cover with cold water. Start on high until it comes to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and let the chicken cook for 25 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot and chill until cool enough to handle with hands. Pull chicken into shreds. I saved the stock for the soup... I just reduced it by half so that it was much more flavorful.

For the Soup:

Place all the shredded greens and garlic into a separate pot. Cover with fortified chicken stock and cook at medium high heat, until it begins to boil (you won’t see it very well, as the greens will cover the broth). The greens will soon cook down and diminish in size. Let soup simmer slowly for 10 more minutes. Stir in shredded chicken breast and cook for 1 or 2 more minutes. Adjust seasoning. I like to keep it low in salt after co ming out of detox.

White Wine Braised Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014....

Another lovely winter day with a brisk high of 84!!! Are you kidding me, Los Angeles?!?! It's like Jimmy Fallon said, the only two seasons we have in Los Angeles are Pilot and Awards.

Some of my favorite things about "Awards Season (aka Winter)" are comforting soups, slow cooked braises, and cozy comfort food. Nothing warms you up on an 80 degree day like beef stew. Ha. Right about now I am getting in bikini shape, thinking maybe we should fire up the grill for some burgers!

This weather is stupid. I love living in southern CA, and I LOVE that we never have to shovel snow (well, that Rich never has to) or bundle up in 14 layers (3-4 is nice though, JCrew agrees with me)...  But, we are getting close to mid July temperatures while the rest of the country is dealing with the "arctic vortex/frozen tundra/other thing Al Roker made up" nonsense.

So... what to do, what to do...

Make a braise... I just don't want to feel left out, ya know? The sun may be shining outside, but my house can be filled with the delicious aromas of roasting chicken and winter scented Yankee Candles. With just a few tweaks, you can make a perfect, lightened up version of this quintessential Awards Season dinner.

Here's the plan: Ditch the rich, heavy tasting red wine for white wine. Bonus: now you can drink that bottle of Brunello you were going to cook with. And since awards season will soon give way to "Bikini Season" (which is the season Rich gives me "awards" for...) leave out the bacon and veggies and add olives and preserved lemons and voila... you've got a lighter, bikini friendly, take on a classic coq au vin.

White Wine Braised Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

Ingredients:
2 sprigs thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)

1 bay leaf

Small handful of parsley leaves, chopped, plus a few stems

6 skin-on chicken legs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

10 cloves of garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups white wine

2 cups chicken stock or broth

16 green, briny olives

2 small preserved lemons, cut into ⅛-inch thick rounds (**recipe below)

**Whole Foods usually has preserved lemons in the olive bar section, but if they let you down (like they did me yesterday...) you can use this recipe in a pinch.  Slice two lemons into 1/8 inch rounds. Place in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, cover with water, and bake at 250 degrees for three hours. 

Method:

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat a dutch oven (or large braising dish) and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, brown the chicken, skin-side down for about 4 minutes until brown and crispy. Turn and brown the other side. Set the chicken aside and add the garlic cloves to the pan and sauté until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a bowl and set aside.

Make a roux. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the flour to the pan and whisk over low heat until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring it to a boil, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to pull up the brown bits. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by 1/3. Add the stock, browned garlic cloves, bay leaf, olives and thyme sprigs to the pan. Tuck the chicken, skin-side up, into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or so. You cannot rally over cook this dish... which is the best part of a braise!

Preheat the oven t o 425 degrees. Place the chicken legs on a large baking sheet along with the preserved lemon slices. Remove the garlic, olives, and herbs from the sauce and set them aside. Then, bring the sauce to a boil and reduce it until it is a nice consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

While the sauce is reducing (it took about 25 minutes for me), put the chicken and lemons in the oven to brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the garlic, olives, and browned chicken back into the reduced sauce. Place the preserved lemon slices on the chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

I served this over oven roasted potatoes and it was perfect.

If you don't receive Tasting Table emails, you should. 

This, and many other delicious recipes, can be found on TastingTable.com!

Carolina Style BBQ Pulled Chicken

Oh, hi.
Remember me?
Ya... I have a blog.

You may remember me from the past few posts about my daily juicing "habit," buttttt, well.... I caught a cold and now the last thing that I want to drink is juice, so we are going to take a short break from that whole idea. I'm certainly not the best at committing to these grande plans that I come up with, but I am really good at my marriage and that is a huge commitment, so that's gotta give me some points, right? It kind of evens out? Look, I juiced some really good juices... and now I am ready to move on. Maybe I will come back to it, maybe I won't. I am on the no plan juice plan and were gonna play that plan by ear.

On a more positive, solid food note.... I catered a party a couple of weekends ago and pretended that I was a southern belle again. You know, the whole she-bang. Biscuits, pimento cheese, slaw, mac n cheese.... I did it up real southern and real delicious.

I really just love southern food. SO much. It's comforting, it's satisfying, and it's gosh darn delicious. (Ya, I said "gosh darn." It was cute, right?) You should give it a try... Southern food that is. It will make you happy and it will make you full which are the very best things to be.

a little southern birthday catering by yours truly. 

Ingredients:
5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (they don't have to be boneless and skinless, but it makes everything easier because you don't have to pick out the skin and bones. That all sounds very barbaric, but it is true.)
2 onions, quartered
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Special equipment:
Slow cooker

carolina style BBQ pulled chicken

Method:
Place onions in slow cooker.
Blend brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper; rub over chicken things.
Place chicken in a slow cooker and drizzle the liquid smoke over it. If you haven't used liquid smoke before, you are in for a treat. It is awesome.
Combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic, stir to mix well and then pour into slow cooker.
Cook the chicken on low for about 8 hours until it is falling apart and your house smells like heaven.
Remove meat and onions, discard onions and shred meat. Add juices from slow cooker to the shredded chicken so that it is super moist. I know that word is gross to many of you, but it is the only appropriate word. I am sorry.
Now, here's the really great thing... this chicken is freaking delicious by itself, or you can pile it on a bun, top it with some slaw, and eat it as the most delicious pulled chicken sandwich ever.

Enjoy!

Post Labor Day Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

I am blogging today from a very different place than usual. You see... we went to Palm Springs for  a pretty epic Labor Day weekend, and my brain has decided that it still needs a day or two of vacation before getting it together. Four days in a gorgeous house with a huge pool and 7 of your absolute favorite friends really takes it's toll on a girl. I am tired, extra freckly, and feel a little bit like a fish must feel when you deprive it of water... dead. So, we're just gonna roll with this and see how it goes....

Upon our return last night, the Mr. and I walked through our front door, explained to our dogs that the only kind of attention we were capable of was the cuddling kind (mostly of each other, while they watched, confused and sad), then planted our lazy (but nice) asses immediately on the couch with absolutely no intention of moving for at least 12 hours. We succeeded with flying colors because, well, let's be honest, we are very dedicated when we put our minds to something. We ordered not only one meal, but two. Yup, we had two meals delivered to our couch yesterday. It was more of a pre-dinner  and late dinner.

It really worked for us, but it got me thinking.... maybe since I am a chef (surprise!) and I put my body through a little more abuse than usual over the past four days, I could pull it together, lose the Chinese delivery guy's number, save a few bucks, and make my own crave-worthy Asian peanut noodles while keeping my waistline in mind (it is possible, both for me to think and for me to do). I finished that thought (and my second round of delivery food) and decided that, once again....this was a plan worth succeeding at. So, here we go....

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Ingredients:
Peanut Sauce-
1/2 cup chicken broth (or no-chicken, chicken broth for vegetarians)
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp organic honey
1 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
3/4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp siracha sauce (or more to taste if you like spicy)

Chicken-
10oz (2 small) chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 tbsp siracha sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh garlic, grated
1 tsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
1/2 tbsp sesame oil

8oz rice noodles (you can find them in the Asian section of your super market)
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
1 1/4 cups ribboned carrots (the original recipe called for shredded carrots, but I used a vegetable peeler and shaved mine into pasta like ribbons, which added a great texture when mixed with the noodles... and helps to cut carbs!)
1 cup grated broccoli stems (again, the original recipe called for shredded broccoli slaw, I used the stems of a head of broccoli and grated it. This worked great and I saved the crown for another use.)
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp chopped peanuts
Sliced lime and cilantro for garnish (optional)

I know, this seems like a TON of ingredients, but the dish comes together super quickly!
And obviously, if you want to make these vegetarian... leave out the chicken.

Method:
Marinate chicken with siracha, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and tamari sauce. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the dish.

To make the sauce, combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir every few minutes and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce is smooth and well blended. Set aside.

Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions. Most likely, you will place the noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water over them, and let them sit for 8-10 minutes until tender.

Heat sesame oil in a skillet and sauté chicken on high heat until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Add shredded broccoli and carrot ribbons to the skillet and sauté for just two minutes. You still want them to be crisp!

Toss rice noodles, broccoli, carrots, and chicken together with the peanut sauce. Place on a bed of bean sprouts and top with sliced green onions, chopped peanuts. Garnish with lime wedge and cilantro.

Makes about 2 servings.
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com


P.S. (as in Palm Springs....)
I though about it and due to my braggy first paragraph, I feel it is only right to share a few photos from our Palm Springs getaway. I love photos and I love sharing, so here you go!

 

 

My friends are better than your friends. Well okay, I don't know that

for a fact. I just know that mine are pretty fantastic.

Dry Rubbed, Slow Roasted, SERIOUS Chicken Legs

With two husbands in my life (one gay, one straight, both wonderful & Italian), I consider myself a very lucky lady. I mean some, less fortunate, girls can't even get themselves one boyfriend, let alone two husbands! That sounded a bit bratty. And a lot Mormon. It's not. But I definitely put in the legwork keep my men happy (I didn't mean it like that. Besides I don't have the legs required for the kind of legwork Marco would like, so get your mind out of that sexy, six legged gutter!) Where was I? Oh right, they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Hopefully for us girls, that stomach is burried underneath some nice abs, not just more stomach, but that's besides the point. (Although, I could definitely get lost in that day dream for a minute...ok...) Anyways. Stomach. Food. Date Night.

Yes, that's where I was. Date night. I have date night with my hubby's tonight. Both of them. It's always one of my favorite nights of the week. Sometimes we have a surprise guest (I do have to approve of all of Marco's conquests, er- dates, after all) but tonight it's just the three of us, which is my favorite way to do it (bad reader, no gutter). My very favorite threesome (okay, I guess I'm asking for it now. Even this parenthetical is dirty. You really can't say threesome without it sounding dirty.) Haha.... wow, this is gonna be one of THOSE blogs I think. You're welcome.

Subject change.

When I stopped eating meat (6 months ago!) I promised the boys that I would still cook it for them as if nothing had changed, so that's the plan for tonight. I was perusing Smitten Kitchen for a new idea on how to prepare the 35 pounds of green beans that we got in our CSA box this week, when I came across a chicken recipe that made me start to drool a little. I mean, a lot. So, I decided that while I might think green beans and wheat berries make a lovely date night dinner, maybe my husbands would prefer some melt in your mouth meat (Marco!). So I decided to make this dry rubbed, slow roasted chicken. I know- they are crazy lucky. I also dance (twirl) like a boss.

 this chicken is delicious.

Ingredients:

Brine
4 cups water
1/3 cup Kosher salt
1/3 cup white or brown sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar

Dry Rub
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
Up to 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Chicken
5 pounds chicken legs. That's a lot of freaking chicken. Clearly, if you are not feeding an army, cut this recipe in half!

Sauce
A generous squeeze of honey
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Method:
Brine the chicken: In a large plastic container, mix water, salt, sugar and vinegar. Add chicken parts and cover with a lid or plastic wrap in the fridge, for at least 1 hour and up to 6. I did it for 3 hours.

Make the rub: Mix the ingredients and mix them well. Like, so well. (I need to get a life.)


Prepare chicken: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Remove chicken parts from brine and pat dry. Place pieces of chicken on two very large pieces of foil, large enough to fold over chicken and form packets. Pat chicken pieces generously on all sides with rub; do not be shy about using more than seems… seemly. Turn the chicken pieces so their meatier sides are down, and tightly fold the foil around them to make two large packets.

 

these legs look like they are hugging.....

Place two cooling racks (which will act as baking racks) on two baking sheets (one on each). Place a chicken packet on each and place one sheet on an upper oven rack and one on a lower. I ruined my baking sheets in a small oven fire back on July 4th (ugh) so I just put the foil packet directly on the baking rack and put foil below it. My house didn't burn down, so I guess my way works, too. Bake chicken for 1 hour, then rotate baking sheets. Bake for another 30 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of each chicken reads 155 degrees. (Chicken is done at 160. This leaves you a little heat window for the next step, without leading to overcooking. If you’d like to skip this, just cook the chicken in foil until it reaches 160.)

 

this is the ugliest photo I have ever taken.

Finish the chicken: Heat broiler. Carefully open each packet of chicken and pour accumulated juices into a saucepan. Arrange chicken pieces on open foil packets and run each tray under the broiler until lightly crisped at edges and cooked through. Place on serving platter.

Make a sauce from the juices: Boil your accumulated juices in the saucepan over high heat for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, until it makes a syrupy sauce that coats a spoon. I like to add a squeeze of honey for flavor while it reduces. Once syrupy, add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. Serve with chicken.

I am serving this with gazpacho (because I am obsessed) and a green bean and wheat berry salad that you are gonna read all about tomorrow. Enjoy!

Sage & Cider Butter Roasted Turkey and a Happy Thanksgiving

I'm going to go ahead and admit this right off the bat.... the scene in our house is not a pretty one right now. On the dining room table are approximately 6 empty, post- turkey wine bottles, the kitchen counters are covered with half eaten pies and roasting dishes that, unfortunately, don't fit in the dishwasher, and on the couch sit 2 handsome, yet very hungover men (Richard and Marco, obvi) 7 puppies (we will get to that later) and 1 tired hostess with the sniffles (nope, still haven't kicked the post napa cold from hell, yet.) I guess that all means last night's Thanksgiving feast was a pretty huge success.

Thanksgiving is my absolute, number one, favorite day of the year. I get to show off and cook wayyyy too much food to enjoy with family and close friends while sitting at a beautifully decorated table that is nothing less than brag worthy (if I do say so myself.) It is just the perfect day. It kicks off the holiday season (for those procrastinators that decorate for Christmas after their turkey dinner) and it makes you feel downright mushy gushy and cheerful inside.

refurbished seating chart from our wedding....

This year's menu:
Deviled eggs with jalapeños and crispy pancetta
A fruit and cheese platter to make you weak in the knees
Caramelized beet salad with arugula and goat cheese

Sage and cider roasted turkey
Cranberry relish with a hint of ginger
Creamy mashed potatoes (my dad's specialty... I refuse to make them because he always will do it better)
Sausage and cornbread stuffing (compliments of my fabulous mother)
Sourdough and apple stuffing with leeks and bacon
Shallots roasted with white wine
Dill roasted carrots
Scalloped sweet potatoes with pancetta
Crispy roasted brussels sprouts
Balsamic glazed sweet potatoes with shallots

And for dessert......
Maple pecan pie
Spiced pumpkin pie

Needless to say, I made quite a substantial amount of food for 9 guests. Rich and I had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving with my parents, my sister, and a few wonderful, close friends. While we wish so much that we were able to be with a few other family members as well (Bruce, Cindy, Matthew, and Jonathan) it was a beautiful evening to say the least! 

We also had a few unexpected guests......

Rich and I are currently fostering the most darling puppy family through Tails of the City Animal Rescue. A sweet mama and her three 3 week old puppies. Yes.... that face..... ah. 

mmm.

And.... although it is coming to you a day late, I will leave you with my absolute favorite turkey recipe. I have made this recipe for the last 4 years and it never disappoints! You can keep it in mind for next year!

Sage Butter-Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

Ingredients:

Turkey
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage

1 16- to 18-pound turkey, rinsed, patted dry

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

3/4 cup fresh refrigerated apple cider or fresh refrigerated apple juice

Gravy
2 cups turkey stock or low-salt chicken broth

3/4 cup fresh refrigerated apple cider or fresh refrigerated apple juice

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 to 3 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy) or applejack brandy

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Method:
Turkey
Rub salt and dried sage together in small bowl. Place turkey in roasting pan; sprinkle all over with sage salt. Cover pan with plastic wrap; chill turkey overnight.
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F. Pat turkey dry. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely. Stir butter and chopped sage in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Brush all over turkey; sprinkle with pepper.
Roast turkey 1 hour; baste with any pan juices. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast turkey 45 minutes. Pour 3/4 cup apple cider over; turn pan around. Continue to roast turkey until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, basting and turning pan occasionally for even cooking, about 1 1/4 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

GravyPour all pan juices into large measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to surface. Transfer 2 tablespoons fat to heavy large saucepan; discard remaining fat. Place turkey roasting pan over 2 burners. Add 2 cups stock or broth and 3/4 cup cider. Bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Boil liquid until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 6 minutes. Add mixture from roasting pan to degreased pan juices. If necessary, add enough stock to measure 3 1/2 cups stock mixture.
Place saucepan with turkey fat over medium-high heat. Add flour; whisk 2 minutes. Whisk in stock mixture. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon thinly, about 6 minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons Calvados, or more to taste, and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve turkey with gravy.

It is moist, and tender, and delicious! And let's be honest, looks amazing as a centerpiece on the table! Always a crowd pleaser!

I hope everyone enjoys their leftovers today!

Friday Night Feasts: Braised Chicken with Saffron Onions and Italian Cous-Cous.

First off.... thank you Suzanne Goin.
I have been cooking my way through her cookbook "Sunday Suppers" and my god, is it amazing! If you live in Los Angeles and have not eaten at Luques or Tavern, then you are a crazy person- she is an absolutely inspirational chef!

Now back to me.....

This Friday I chose another recipe out of her book and it certainly did not disappoint! You do need to be committed to this dish, though, as it does take quite a bit of time. It is soooo worth it though!

Braised Chicken with Saffron Onions and Italian Cous-Cous.

Ingredients: 

For Chicken-

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

6 chicken legs with thighs attached

3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 chili de arbol, crumbled

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup sliced onion

1 cup sliced fennel

2 bay leaves

1/4 San Marzano canned tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup sherry

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper

For Saffron Onions-

1 teaspoon saffron threads

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cups sliced onions

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme, chopped

Salt and Pepper

For Italian Cous-Cous-

2 1/2 cups Italian cous-cous (fregola sarda)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Salt and Pepper

I know.... holy hell that's a long grocery list. It's worth it though.

Method:

For the chicken- 

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan for a few minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Using a mortar and pestle, pound them coarsely. Repeat with the coriander seeds.

Place the chicken in a large bowl with the smashed garlic, thyme, parsley, crumbled chile, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Using your hands, toss the chicken and spices together to coat the chicken well. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking, to allow it to come to room temperature. After 15 minutes, season the chicken on all sides with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon salt and lots of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute. Place the chicken legs, skin side down, in the pan, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. (If your pan is too small for all of the legs to fit, brown them in batches so you don’t crowd them.) Every so often, swirl the oil and rendered fat around the pan. Turn the legs over, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook 2 minutes on the second side. Arrange the chicken (in one layer) in a braising dish. The chicken legs should just fit in the pan.

Pour off some of the fat and return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and bay leaves. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon. Add the sherry vinegar, white wine, and sherry. Turn the heat up to high and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add the cilantro and pour the broth and vegetables over the chicken, scraping off any of the vegetables that have fallen on the chicken back into the liquid. The liquid should not quite cover the chicken. Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

To check the chicken for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the steam. Pierce a piece of the chicken with a paring knife. If the meat is done, it will yield easily and be tender but not quite falling off the bone.

Turn the oven up to 400°F.

Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, and return it to the oven to brown for about 10 minutes.

Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, to thicken it slightly.

For the Italian Couscous-

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the couscous and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but still al dente. Drain the couscous, return it to the pot, and toss with the butter, parsley, and a pinch of pepper. Taste for seasoning.

For the Saffron Onions-

Toast the saffron threads in a small pan over medium heat until they just dry and become brittle. Be careful not to burn the precious saffron. Pound the saffron in a mortar to a fine powder. Dab a tablespoon of the butter into the powder, using the butter to pick up the saffron.

Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, remaining butter, and saffron. When the butter foams, add the onions, bay leaf, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and some pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, as the onions wilt. Turn the heat down to low, and cook another 20 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the onions are soft and sweet. Taste for seasoning.

Place the hot couscous on a large warm platter. Spoon the saffron onions over it, and arrange the chicken on top. Ladle some of the juices over the chicken

Hot (green chili chicken) Tamales!

It's that time of the year where I decide to turn into a little Mexican woman and spend a wintery afternoon throwing a Tamalada fiesta for myself. I spend hours humming christmas tunes while making 100 tamales for absolutely no good reason other than my own sick need to gorge myself in Mexican food at even the slightest opportunity.

In case you are wondering.... a Tamalada Fiesta is a tamale party that Mexican families traditionally throw around Christmas time. The whole family comes together and spends hours.... sometimes even days in the kitchen preparing hundreds of tamales to feast on.

Well, once a year around Christmas time I party on down to tamale town, too.... alone.....in the cool "watch me make 100 tamales in 6 hours with only my own two hands, bitch!" kind of way.

Ah, tamales. Just leave me alone with some sour cream and I will seriously be happy until New Years.

Green Chili Chicken Tamales (ay ay!)

Ingredients:

Filling-
About 25 dried corn husks
1 pound tomatillios, husked & rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
4 serrano peppers, stemmed & chopped
5 large garlic cloves
olive oil
4-5 cups shredded chicken (I just buy 2 rotisserie chickens from the market to save time)
1 cup fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Masa (dough)-
1 1/3 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 cups freshly ground masa dough for tamales
2 cups chicken broth

You will need something to tie the tamales together.... I use kitchen twine because I think it looks cute.

This makes about 25 tamales..... I would AT LEAST double the recipe. This is a once a year kinda thing.

*** I have made the dough from scratch before and it was great.... but you know how I feel about making dough... I'd much rather take the shortcut. If you have a Vallarta (Mexican market) in town..... they have homemade, ready to go masa dough! It is fresh and delicious and will save you lots of time!


Method:
Soak corn husks in water for about 2 hours to make them soft.

For the filling: 

Place husks in large pot or large bowl; add water to cover. Place heavy plate on husks to keep submerged. Let stand until husks soften, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat broiler. Line heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer tomatillos and any juices on sheet to processor and cool. Add chiles and garlic to processor and blend until smooth puree forms. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo puree and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt. Mix in chicken and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For the dough-

Using electric mixer, beat lard (with salt and baking powder, if using) in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in fresh masa or masa harina mixture in 4 additions. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups broth, forming tender dough. If dough seems firm, beat in enough broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, to soften.

Fill bottom of pot with steamer insert with enough water (about 2 inches) to reach bottom of insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks.

Set up a work station:

Open 2 large husks on work surface. Spread 1/4 cup dough in 4-inch square in center of each, leaving 2- to 3-inch plain border at narrow end of husk. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling in strip down center of each dough square. Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. 

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Stand tamales in steamer basket. Repeat with more husks, dough, and filling until all filling has been used. If necessary to keep tamales upright in steamer, insert pieces of crumpled foil between them if needed to keep them upright. 

this is a very steamy picture....

Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam tamales until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill. Before serving, re-steam tamales until hot, about 35 minutes.)

*recipe adapted from Epicurious.com