MITCH IN THE KITCHEN

chicken and pumpkin baked pasta

What do people do with leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving (yeah ok I’m lagging on some of my leftover ingredients)? I toyed with the ideas of pumpkin biscuits, pumpkin pajeon, and pumpkin dumplings of sorts, but settled on gooey baked penne pasta.

5-6 ounces whole wheat penne
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
a few sprigs of fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme)
a few sprigs of fresh oregano (or a pinch of the dried stuff)
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (or turkey, if that’s still an issue)
3-4 ounces fontina cheese (or more if you really wanna go nuts), sliced or shredded
toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped scallions, chopped parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 2/3 of the cooking time listed on the package.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 7 or 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, paprika, and herbs. Heat through for a few minutes, then add broth and milk, stirring to mix evenly.

Mix pumpkin sauce with drained pasta and shredded chicken. Pour in a baking dish and top with fontina cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned. Garnish with all the other stuff.

pan roasted chicken breasts and legs

There is roast chicken in my (more accurately, our) let’s-find-an-excuse-to-drink-a-bottle-of-wine repertoire, and now there are these. The method is pretty basic: sear bone-in chicken pieces skin-side down in a hot pan until brown and crisp. Then flip ‘em and stick the pan in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. Chow spells it out here. They recommend rubbing olive oil on the chicken, but I found that to be unnecessary since the bird’s own subcutaneous fat did enough noisy splattering all on its own.

Also, it would be a shame not to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the bits and juices into some kind of sauce. Another option I came up with: fry shallots and tiny boiled potatoes in the drippings, then toss them with arugula or other greens to beautifully wilt them.

broiled yogurt marinated chicken + herbed bulgur

I figured out a repeatable, easy, not-too-sweaty dinner the other night. Boneless skinless chicken breasts seem like the most boring cut of meat in the world, but I think I’ve found my favorite way to prepare them that keeps them from becoming tough and dry and let’s face it, awful. I wish I had a cute patio to grill and eat on, but a lightly air-conditioned apartment will do just fine. The other good news is that the seasonings in both the bulgur and the chicken are very changeable. You (or I) can use different herbs and vegetables next time and different seasonings in the marinade.

To make the bulgur:
Bring 2 parts salted water to a boil. Add 1 part coarse bulgur, turn heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the bulgur stand for 10 minutes before fluffing it up. Toss with minced shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped vegetables (responsible eater recommendation: whatever’s in season), and lots of fresh herbs. I used cucumbers, parsley, mint, dill, and chives.

To make the chicken:
Combine plain yogurt with chopped garlic and whatever other seasonings you’d like (or none at all). I did Sriracha chili sauce and turmeric, but almost any other powdered or pasty red stuff will do (ideas I had: harissa, or curry powder, or a chili powder blend). Cut chicken breast into pieces about 1/2-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, then coat with yogurt mixture in a dish. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Lightly coat a foil-lined baking sheet with oil, then broil for 15-20 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through. (I actually do this in my toaster oven because it’s the perfect size for 1-2 servings and it doesn’t make the apartment all hot on 90-degree days.) Garnish chicken with chopped herbs.

roast chicken for valentine’s day

Happy Valentine’s Day! And a special shout-out to my dad, who celebrates another year of growing older (and even wiser and funnier) today. I usually roll my eyes a little at all the pressure to be romantic and ridiculous money-spending that come with today but this year, the sunshine and cute stuff happening around me have warmed and melted my (cold, hard, blackened… ok fine, I am exaggerating) heart quite a bit. At the school where I volunteer, the chef I work with brought homemade heart-shaped brownies for the kitchen staff. One really sweet little kid dropped by with chocolate truffles for us. And during lunch, I heard a high school boy tell a gift-less friendgirl “Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s stupid that the popular girls get all the flower grams.” The head cook wished me a happy Valentine’s Day on my way out and instructed me to give my husband a huge wraparound hug and rock him back and forth. At my local CVS, I saw a couple deep-throat kissing while pushing a baby in a stroller, then I heard an elderly customer ask a pretty young cashier if she was doing anything tonight. All this happened before the clock struck noon.

Aside from thinking I’m too cool for cheeseball rituals and sentimental anything (and then giving into all the warm and fuzzy), Vday for me is about having a nice dinner at home with John, away from the crowds. This year (one day early) we roasted a chicken and popped open a yummy bottle of California chardonnay. On the side: herbed potato hash with carrots and Brussels sprouts. For dessert: treats from Bespoke Chocolates (my favorites: pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels and strawberry balsamic).

curry chicken salad sandwich

This is like something you might get at a gourmet-ish deli, but lightened up with a yogurt dressing instead of the usual heavy coating of mayonnaise. I’m trying to pack lunches (and dinners when I have class right around dinnertime) more often these days, so this might go into heavy rotation (at least until I get sick of it).

Makes enough for 2 modestly sized sandwiches.

To make dressing, combine:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
tiny dab of yellow mustard
2 teaspoons olive oil
a little bit of thinly sliced or finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine dressing with:
1 cooked chicken breast (or thighs, whatevs), diced
1/2 large apple, diced
handful of cashews, toasted in a dry pan and chopped
handful of raisins or dried cranberries

If it looks too dry, add more yogurt and oil. Add more seasonings if necessary.

Assemble sandwich with:
multi-grain bread
lettuce, arugula, or baby greens (optional)
sliced cheddar (optional)

chicken stock

I happen to like making my own chicken stock at home. My CSA sells chicken necks and backs for cheap, and I like putting the remains of Sunday supper roast chickens to use. I save scraps of things like onions, carrots, celery, fennel, and parsnips in a sealed plastic container with said chicken bones in the freezer. On broth day, I dump everything in my trusty stock pot and fill it up with water. Add salt, peppercorns, and some herbs, turn up the heat, and you’re ready to go. I let everything simmer for at least 3 hours, remove the bones and vegetables with some tongs, and strain the stock through cheesecloth.

For a more spelled-out, articulate guide to making your own chicken stock (I am not at my most coherent today), check out Simply Recipes.

As for the leftover mushy boiled vegetables and bits of meat, I like to chop them up and pan fry them with some boiled potatoes, whatever spices and fresh herbs are around, and other leftover stuff (in the photo below, what remained of an opened can of garbanzo beans) to make a delicious-smelling hash with a side of eggs. Waste not, eat well.

shortcut chicken tinga

This is without a doubt the tastiest thing I’ve ever made with leftover cooked chicken. Thank you Rick Bayless for the recipe, and John for having the presence of mind to look it up as I chopped some onions thinking I could wing it.

Tinga is a Pueblan stew made with meat (pork, chicken, or beef), chipotle chiles (smoked jalapeños), and tomatoes. The recipe calls for 6 hours of slow-cooking, but we used cooked shredded chicken, let it simmer for about 30 minutes, and it tasted juuuuuust fine. You can also go the traditional route by starting with raw meat and letting it soak up all the flavorings as it cooks. Added bonuses are minimal prep work and a short list of very accessible ingredients. And it’s great for feeding a crowd.

(adapted from Rick Bayless, Mexican Everyday)

2 medium (about 1/2 pound) red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I left this out)
half of a 3-pound whole roasted chicken, meat shredded
15-ounce can of whole or diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire roasted, but if not, it’s ok)
1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles, sliced 1/4-inch thick (seeded if you want it mild)
2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce from the canned chipotles
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (the Mexican kind if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
decent amount of salt

My stovetop version:
Put everything in a large pan (break up the tomatoes) and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and cover, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

If you have a slow-cooker:
Spread the potatoes over the bottom of the slow-cooker and top with a 1-pound piece of boneless pork shoulder, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or boneless beef chuck. Mix tomatoes and their juice with the chipotles, adobo, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion, and about 3/4 teaspoons salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes. Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours. Spoon off any accumulated fat before serving. You could also double the recipe; might as well if it’s going to take several hours.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker but have a Dutch oven or other heavy pot:
Lay the meat in the pot and top with the potatoes. Cover with sauce mixture, set the lid in place and braise in a 300-degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender. Might as well double the recipe for this method too.

When you’re ready to eat you can top the tinga with a few ounces of freshly fried Mexican chorizo (casing removed and totally optional). Serve with warm tortillas, crumbled cotija cheese, and sliced avocado. Or sandwich it all in some crusty bread.

laap gai

Three years ago, I joined my family (I’m talking extended family: a small busload of aunts, uncles, and cousins… and that was only half of my mom’s side) on an epic trip to Laos. We spent several nights in Luang Prabang, a city full of old Buddhist temples that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (yes, the entire city), then traveled down a narrow, winding, sometimes unpaved highway to the capital city of Vientiane, where both of my parents grew up.

At an unremarkable roadside stand down the street from the apartment where my dad lived as a child, I had what was probably the best and freshest bánh mì I’ve ever eaten. In the eco-touristy city of Vang Vieng, I gorged myself on a green papaya salad dotted plentifully with chopped green beans and chopped raw green chilies that were indistinguishable from each other until they entered my mouth. It was the kind of capsaicin overload that makes you dizzy and lightheaded. Throughout the trip, I had many iterations of sweet sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and sticky cakes made from rice flour, with things like egg custard, coconut, and mung beans. And of course, we had a lot of laap (also spelled larb, larp, or laab), a common meat dish in both Laos and northern Thailand.

I returned to New York SAD-free and with a reinvigorated appreciation for painfully hot chili peppers, best eaten raw. It’s not that the food was a revelation; I loved it because it was familiar. These were all things I had tasted at the homes of relatives and family friends. But food seems to taste better when you’re on vacation.

Below is a rough recipe for laap gai (chicken laap). I hand-chopped the chicken into pieces that weren’t quite small enough (blame it on hunger-induced impatience), then overcooked it. The real deal should have ground meat or more finely chopped pieces, along with a little bit of liquid at the bottom of the plate. It also looks really nice when you garnish it with mint leaves (I ran out).

2 tablespoons glutinous rice (sometimes called sticky rice… but not the same thing as sushi rice)
1 pound ground chicken
1 small shallot bulb, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of half a lime
a few small hot chili peppers (such as Thai bird’s eye), chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat rice in a small dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly. When all of rice is golden brown, remove from heat. Let it cool a bit, then grind with a mortar and pestle, or in a spice grinder. Set aside.

Heat some vegetable oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add chicken, shallot, and salt. Stir it around to cook evenly. Add fish sauce. Cook until most, but not all, of the juices from the chicken are gone. Toss with lime juice, chilies, mint, cilantro, and toasted rice powder.

penne with chicken, poblanos, and chipotle sauce

Back to that thing about quick pasta dinners being a throwback to leaner times. Now that my hours have been cut in half at work (unfortunate but not the end of the world, thankfully), I’ve joined the ranks of the underemployed. And now that the one class I’m taking this semester is kicking my ass (anatomy and physiology is not easy at all you guys), cooking dinner at home almost religiously is a surefire way to save a few bucks and unwind during a night of frantic studying. This recipe was loosely adapted from Gourmet (aww). Yes, it looks a little like something you’d get at Applebee’s, but don’t get all food-snob on it! It’s tasty and filling, and makes for an un-boring quick dinner.

1/2 lb whole wheat penne
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 flat pieces (filets or whatever)
olive oil
salt and black pepper
3 small poblano chiles, sliced into thin strips
1 whole roasted red pepper from a jar, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chipotle chile, finely chopped, and/or 2 Tbsp adobo sauce from the can
1/3 cup half and half
1 scallion stalk, chopped
toasted pumpkin seeds
cotija cheese

Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions.

Season chicken on both sides with a lot of salt and pepper. Pan-fry in a large pan with some oil over medium heat, about 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove and set aside.

Add poblanos to the pan with some salt and black pepper. Cook over medium heat until limp and soft. Add roasted red peppers and garlic, and cook for another few minutes. Add chipotle chile and/or sauce, along with half and half. Let simmer a few minutes, or until sauce has thickened a bit.

Slice chicken breast. Add to pan, along with scallions and drained pasta. Toss to coat everything. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and cotija cheese.