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Tag: olive oil

Greek Style Crispy Chicken Thighs

  • 4 to 6 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Marinade/Sauce

  • Juice of 4 lemons
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and keep aside.

Marinate the chicken thighs in ¼ cup of the marinade and another teaspoon of salt for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. Take out of fridge half an hour before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a heavy frying pan or a cast iron pan with the 2 tablespoons olive oil till very hot. Place the chicken thighs skin side down and cook on medium high heat for about 12 minutes while moving around the chicken thighs a bit. Transfer to the oven and bake for another 12 minutes with the skin side down. Take out of oven and flip over the thighs and bake for another 5 minutes until the skin is super crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve right away with a teaspoon of sauce over the thighs.

Turkey Chili with Beans

Yummy and healthy and perfect for a cold day….

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound dark meat ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ancho chili
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 14 oz can of beans (use your favorite, I used pinto), rinsed and drained
  • Salt

Heat a saucepan with olive oil and add the ground meat. Saute and brown on high heat while separating the meat and stirring at the same time for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin and ancho chili. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro and tomato paste. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth and beans. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes. Take the lid off and check for seasonings, add salt and serve warm with shredded cheese and other desired toppings.

The Best Roast Chicken with Milk and Sage Gravy!

So, I love, love Jamie Oliver and everything he does. I make a lot of his recipes. I was looking for a roast chicken recipe as I was getting tired of making it the same way… and I came across this recipe. The chicken is browned in fat and cooked in milk- what, I thought??? After reading the reviews, I was convinced- everyone said, it was the best chicken ever… but the it didn’t look so pretty- well, the gravy didn’t. Since the the chicken is roasted in milk and lemon zest- the separates in the cooking process- so the sauce is broken….so, I came up with a way to fix it. After the chicken was done cooking, I blended the broken sauce to emulsify it and voila.. I had an amazingly yummy, creamy gravy!! Definitely try this recipe- so, so good!!! Oh, and save the fat after browning the chicken and cook your potatoes in it- so yummy!

  • One 3 lb whole roasting chicken, cleaned and dry
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Zest of one large lemon, cut the remaining lemon in quarters and set aside
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 to 6 garlic cloves, skin on
  • Fresh sage leaves, 6 to 7
  • 2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, including the cavity.

Melt the oil and butter in a medium Dutch oven pan (big enough for the chicken to fit snug) over medium high heat. Brown the chicken well on all sides, for about 10 minutes. Take the chicken out, drain the fat to a small bowl. In the meantime, add the milk, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, garlic and sage leaves to the same pan. Add the lemon quarters to the chicken cavity and transfer the chicken back into the pan with breast side down. Roast with lid in the oven for 1 hour. Take the lid off after an hour and baste the chicken with the milk gravy. Roast for another 15 minutes and take out. Take the chicken out and cover with aluminum foil. Take the sage leaves and cinnamon stick out of the gravy and transfer to a blender. Blend well and return to the pan, bring to a boil, taste for seasonings. In the meantime, pull the meat from the bones of the chicken and serve warm with the milk gravy.

Roast Chicken with Milk Gravy

Roast some potatoes using the spare fat from the chicken.

Serve green beans and roast potatoes with the delicious chicken.

Roast Chicken with Orange and Meyer Lemon

Chicken is one of the most popular proteins. There are tons of recipes in books, magazines and on the internet- but people are still always looking for new recipes to make their weeknight meals a bit more exciting.

One of the more classic ways of making chicken is roasting a whole bird. A lot of people are a bit intimidated to make this dish.

It is one of my favorite ways to eat chicken. I love how my house smells as the bird is roasting in the oven. I also love how I can create a one pot meal by adding tons of vegetables to the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this particular one, I used a lot of winter ingredients in season. I made a compound butter consisting of orange and meyer lemon zest. I filled the bottom of the pan with carrots and fennel.

The chicken was delicious….

  • One 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Zest of 2 Clementine or 1 Navel orange (save the oranges)
  • Zest of 1 Meyer lemon (save the lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Mix the butter, olive oil, zests, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In the meantime, place the chicken in a roasting pan on a roasting rack. Spread the butter mixture on top and under the skin. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper inside the cavity as well as outside.

  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • Juice of the spare oranges and Meyer lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour the chicken broth at the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the orange and lemon juice. Place the juiced oranges and lemon into the cavity. Tie the chicken legs together and tuck the wings in.

  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 pound fennel, trimmed and sliced

Place the vegetables at the bottom of the roasting pan. Roast the chicken until the dark meat registers 160 degrees F. Take the chicken out and cover with aluminum foil. Take the vegetables out keep warm. Reduce the liquid by half and pour into a gravy boat. Take out excess fat and serve with the chicken and vegetables.

Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Poblano Sauce

I am very proud of this recipe. I combined a bunch of peppers, garlic and onion and roasted them till they became soft and deliciously nutty. I then blended the veggies with cream and milk- I basically made a cream sauce to be used to make scalloped potatoes. I bought a reasonably priced mandolin. Usually they are quite expensive and not worth the money. They are handy to have around- as they make slicing the potatoes a cinch. I was done in no time. The whole dish took me hardly any time to make.

I would recommend making the cream sauce ahead of time if you are planning a big Thanksgiving dinner. You could even freeze the sauce and take it out a day ahead and assemble the potatoes the morning of and then bake them right before eating. They are simply delicious…

  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 anaheim pepper
  • 1 head of garlic with the top sliced off with a drizzle of olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil
  • ½ medium yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup cream
  • ¼ cup milk
  • Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the peppers, wrapped garlic and onion onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the peppers and onion with the oil and massage with fingers. Roast in oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until the peppers are charred on the outside. Let cool. Take the skin off the peppers and squeeze the garlic out of the skins.
Add the roasted vegetables into a blender with cream and milk. Blend till smooth and add salt. Keep aside. This can be made two days in advance.

  • 2 pounds red skinned potatoes, sliced thin about 1/8 inch
  • ½ cup queso fresco, shredded

Divide the potato slices into three batches. Add the first to the bottom of an ovenproof dish (9X9). Spread a quarter cup of green sauce. Repeat till you have the third and last bit of potatoes. Pour all of the sauce covering all the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Take the foil off and add the cheese. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or till the cheese is golden brown.

Mushroom and Spinach Meatless Balls

This is a great dish for Meatless Monday or really any other day you want to eat healthy… try it for a get together.. no one will guess this is meat free

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, chopped
  • Salt
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
  • 10 ounces spinach, chopped
  • ½ cup quick cooking oats
  • ½ cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten

 

  • 4 cups fresh or store bought pasta sauce

Heat a skillet with the olive oil and butter. Add the mushrooms and some salt and cook over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a minute or 2. Add the spinach and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or till all the spinach is wilted and cooked. Take the mixture out into a mixing bowl and let cool.

Add the oats, cheese, bread crumbs, basil and parsley. Mix well. Add the eggs and 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet.

Form mixture into balls using a small scoop. Roll the balls lightly and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and keep aside.

Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Gently add the balls and cook on a simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Greens with Avocado and Cumin Dressing

I have making this salad almost twice a week. We love avocados- well, my husband and I do. I usually make guacamole a lot and we enjoy it with fish, chicken or any other Mexican cuisine. Since we love avocados so much, I now incorporate them into a simple salad. Some mixed greens, halved cherry tomatoes and a delicious dressing.

The dressing in this salad is the star- I used fresh lemons, honey and extra virgin olive oil. The main ingredients that make this dressing amazing is roasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika. I think I need to make a big jar of it as I find myself licking the plate after the salad is done.

Definitely try this salad- it is delicious…

  • 4 cups mixed greens
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 2 ripe avocadoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

Place the greens, tomatoes and avocado pieces into a medium salad bowl.

Dressing

  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of two lemons
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt

Add the cumin seeds, lemon juice, honey, paprika and salt into a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Check for seasonings and drizzle over the salad. Toss and serve.