Jambalaya

For those that have the book, this recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen page 221-224. I love this book and recommend it again. It's for those that hate guess work, love to know the reasons why, and enjoy complicated, but delicious, food.

My caveat to everything is this: I've never had Louisiana Jambalaya. Therefore, my judgment on this is based on the fact that it tasted really good and was better than a box.

I will note that I couldn't find andouille sasuage, so I used chorizo. A friend told me that our equivalent to andouille is hot link sausage (John Morrell sells it). So, there's a hint. However, I did find that chorizo worked well. For this meal, I didn't add more cayenne because one of our dinner party didn't care for super spicy. In other situations, I would take the book's recommendation and increase the amount of cayenne.

Also, to all those seafood haters. First, I used 1/3 lb of shrimp for the one person in the group that like shrimp. That didn't add a seafood taste. Second, I was nervous to add the cup of clam juice. I despise seafood. However, friends counseled me that the clam juice doesn't make the food fishy. Based on their opinion, I added it. So you know, they are correct. This meal is not fishy. If you use shrimp for someone in your group that likes it - just pick 'em out and give 'em to that person. The meal is great, spicy, and seafood-less in taste. I highly recommend it.

Jambalaya (Serves four)

1 medium onion, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
1 medium celery rib, cut crosswise to quarters
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered lengthwise
5 medium garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 oz andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch pieces*
1.5 c. long grain, white rice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (increase amount for chorizo or linguica sausage)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1 c. bottled clam juice (really, it won't make it taste like the ocean)
1.5 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 large bay leaves
1 lb large, raw shrimp, peeled (and deveined if desired)
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic until chopped fine, about six, 1 second pulses. Do not overprocess; the vegetables should not be pureed.
2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (we used a big pot) over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the andouille; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chopped vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables have softened, about four minutes.
5. Add the rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook stirring frequently, until the rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute.
6. Add the tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to the pot; stir to combine.
7. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken; place the chicken, skinned-side down, on the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once keeping the chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace the cover and continue to simmer until the chicken is no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer the chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
8. Scatter the shrimp over the rice, cover, and continue to cook until the rice is fully tender and the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about five minutes more.
9. While the shrimp are cooking, shred the chicken with your fingers into thin strands. When the shrimp are cooked, discard the bay leaves. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and shredded chicken. Serve immediately.

Suggestion: Corn bread and pears.

Notes:

- Andouille substitutes: tasso, chorizo, or linguica. Avoid ground and go for encased.
- Use the thighs as suggested. They have more fat and more taste. Chicken breast won't accomplish the same thing.
- To make things go faster, while things are cooking, you can group the next ingredients. For example while the chicken and andouille were doing their thing, my friend minced the vegetables and I put the rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne in a bowl. This helped to keep things moving.

Chicken Cordon Bleu - Crock Pot

The amusing part of this meal is that I couldn't find my meat tenderizing, flattening, thingamajig. I swear I have one, but I have no idea where. So, I used a hammer. Hammers, in case you were wondering, are very effective at flattening muscle tissue. This was pretty good. Not the epitome of Chicken Cordon Bleu, but good nevertheless.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 to 6 slices ham (bologna thick or slightly thinner)
4 – 6 slices mozzarella cheese
4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to ½ inch thickness
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
½ c. milk
½ c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Grease your slow cooker.
2. Roll ham and cheese inside flattened chicken breast. Secure with a toothpick. Place chicken rolls in 2.5 – 3.5 quart slow cooker.
3. Mix soup with milk and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 8 hours. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Suggestion: Serve with steamed vegetables and wild rice pilaf.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole - Variation 3

So we have a base recipe with three variations. The first one was the one with Jalapeno cheese sauce. This is the third. I'll have to do the second one at some point to see if it's worth posting. :) We really enjoyed this!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole Variation 3

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite size pieces
2 cups cooked white rice
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can cheese soup
1 c. chopped onion
2 c. frozen broccoli
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (1/2 in mix, 1/2 in topping)
4 slices soft white bread, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To Cook Chicken: stir fry with garlic and pepper.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combine chicken, onion, broccoli, 1.5 c shredded cheese, rice and soup and mix well. Top with 1.5 c cheese, then with bread cubes and some melted butter.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly and bread is crunchy.

Falafel and Cucumber Sauce - Vegetarian

This is a very yummy meal. I didn't have any big sides (bread and cheese and pineapple). Fruit goes really well with this meal. We had four people and it wasn't enough. Each falafel has around a 3.5 - 4" diameter. I would say people need 3 - 4 each. The sauce is great, too!

Lactose Intolerant: No sauce and you can work it out. I have no idea if they have subs for yogurt and mayo but if so, give that a go!

Falafel and Cucumber Sauce (for two to three people)

Falafel

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying

Cucumber Sauce

1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions
1. In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender*, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth.** Stir into mashed chickpeas.
2. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.
4. In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

*I couldn't get the chickpeas to mash to save my life. So, I pulled out my little food processor and did a couple of pulses inside that. They chopped up nicely and in small bits - not a smooth paste. This worked quite well.

**I got this to work, eventually. The problem is that in a blender, the blades are so fast they throw everything around and then there's nothing to puree into smoothness. So I added the olive oil to it and continually fed it back down into the blades. Then I just left it to go for about 10 minutes and it eventually worked itself into a nice, smooth blend.

Butter Chickpea Curry - Vegetarian

Butter Chickpea Curry

4 medium potatoes, cubed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup cream or milk
1 (12 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat; simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain, and set aside.
2. Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in curry powder, garam masala, ginger, cumin, and salt. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring. Pour in soup, cream, and chickpeas. Stir in potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes.