Chicken with cream and tarragon… I believe I was a B.A student the last time I made this dish. Pheeeww, that was a long time ago!

How can it be that I let 10-15 years slip by without cooking this divine dish? Jeez.

I was cooking a lot of French and Italian dishes back then, my early years of cooking. I sure roasted and braised a lot of chickens back at that time too. One of the first cookbooks I bought at the university’s book store was dedicated to chicken recipes (no, no chicken desserts). I did not know how to handle any other type of meat or fish and chicken was easy. It also cost less and was pretty hard to screw up, especially the thighs—you can’t go wrong with chicken thighs. (Well, unless you are really, really “talented”, you know, the type that burns water.)

Back then I was living in a rented apartment with two roommates. It was a holiday and they went home to their families but I stayed. Luckily, I had some friends who stayed too so together we planned a potluck dinner party at my place—my apartment had a huge living room. We attached a few tables together, friends brought chairs from their homes, each person/couple (I was boyfriend-less) brought a dish to share and we had a fabulous time with good food and wine. We were all students, singles or married without kids, in our early twenties. We all struggled to work for a living and study after work, but we did find time to party. I remember the feeling I had at the time, at that dinner, I felt so free, and independent, and happy about living on my own, doing whatever I wanted, being responsible for my own choices—the essence of freedom.

These friends are long gone—some are no longer friends, some live far away (I moved!)—our friendships have faded. Some couples split or got divorced. We all moved on with our lives. But the chicken… the chicken will always be on my mind and the memories of those years and those friendships too.

So why have I made this cream and wine-braised chicken now?

I’ve been speaking of inspiration, and searching for it, and my tarragon plant has started growing faster in the past month. It was right there, under my nose, so pretty and fragrant. In my mind, tarragon will always be associated with that holiday dinner shared with friends in my then-rented students’ apartment.

I know that the plant will be dormant in winter (but, hopefully, will come back in summer. I took it back inside the house last winter with other herbs in pots) so I had to use it immediately.

It’s pretty amazing the effect that food and its aromas have; this power they posses to make me travel back in time. The first perfumed scents of the French tarragon—too unique to describe—made me feel… (10-15 years younger? Naaa) It simply reminded me of good times and the feeling of freedom I owned that magical weekend, sitting around a table with friends who appreciate good food, all laughing, smiling… Purely happy.

Chicken braised with cream and tarragon

Serves 6

5 whole chicken legs, separated to legs thighs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
3-4 sprigs of tarragon

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms, onion, and garlic until they are golden brown. Remove to a plate.

Add more butter and oil to the pot, if needed, and fry the chicken, skin side down, until it browns. Using tongs, turn to the other side and cook to brown the second side.

Add the wine and shake the pot to release the brown bits that got stuck to the bottom. Return the mushroom-onion mix to the pot, add cream and the tarragon, and season with more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Braise on the stovetop, with the lid on, over low heat for 45-60 minutes, or place in a 350 F degree oven (for the same amount of time).

Serve with a side dish that will absorb and complement the creamy sauce like potatoes, rice, or noodles, and/or leafy greens, like kale.

I have already compared my glamorous suburban life to meatballs before. So what else is left to say?

Do you like chicken?

Do you like meatballs?

Do you like cheese in your chicken meatballs?

Oh, oh, I know, do you like a crusty bottom on your meatballs?

‘Cause these little guys have nice crusty bottoms, and they’re well-tanned ones too!

They get it from their mother, ahem, eh, from the pan

What other virtues do they have?

They’re easy-peasy to make, fun to eat, cheesy (I’ve already said so), and bite size (love that). I think they’ll make good appetizers when dressed up in something fancy and their bottoms covered.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a pile of laundry to take care of.

But before I go, to entertain you a bit more, this is the photo I took on December 2008 (with a point and shoot) when I made the meatballs and their soup:

I’m pretty sure that the exact same photo with a DSLR + minus the artificial yellow light would have looked much fancier…

Italian Wedding Soup’s chicken meatballs

The complete recipe plus the soup can be found in Barefoot Contessa “Back to Basics” cookbook or online, click here. This is my adaptation for the meatballs.

*One of my favorite shortcuts is to prepare herb flavored fresh breadcrumbs ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for exactly this sort of recipes. Click here to see.

Makes 6-8 servings, about 40 meatballs

1-1/2 pound ground chicken thighs
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano/Parmesan, or any cheese you have and like
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the chicken, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, cheese, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with your hands.

With a teaspoon, or cookie scoop (my favorite kitchen tool, it makes less mess (see a photo of one in this cookie post)), drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a lightly greased sheet pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

We need to have a serious talk.

To make it easier, I’ll start with the bottom line:

“Any lousy chicken stock you will make at home will taste far superior to ANY store-bought stock or broth you will buy.”

Now, let me tell you something.

The last time I made chicken stock was about 3-4 years ago. I got busy with the kiddies and stopped making it. I thought I didn’t have time for this.

So, I tried different brands, organic, free-range, sodium free, stocks, broths, in cartons, cans, and even frozen fresh stock for $7 per pint! The frozen fresh became the preferred one. Because I thought I nailed it. I believed I have found the perfect solution: an organic, fresh, make from scratch (by someone else) substitution to real homemade chicken stock. I put my trust in that stock and made a $7 “investment” each time I bought it. Then, one day, when dinner plans have changed and I couldn’t use the stock right away, I left it to thaw in a fridge for 2 days. When I finally wanted to use my thawed stock (in a soup), I poured it into a measuring cup since I only needed 2 cups and, to my absolute surprise and shock, water poured out! Water.

I looked at the bottom of the container and there I saw some brown bits/residue lying on the bottom. This did not look appealing. I also felt cheated for paying $7 for this stock. The previous times I used it, I reheated it in a small pot and immediately added it to the main dish so I never noticed this “feature”. It always looked brown and homogenous as good stock should be. At that point in time my stock option has changed. That frozen one was the best substitute compared to the others (besides buying real stock at the farmers market) – although it always tasted somewhat pale – or so I thought. To that point, I felt good when I used it, as if my conscious was clear (yeah, just like the stock!), but that incident ruined it for me. I was left with no other choice but to go back to making my own. But how?

It’s not that I didn’t know how to make stock. I made it many times before, using a big fat tall pot. The problems were: 1) finding the time to do it. After all, it’s a process that takes hours, 2) it needs some planning ahead, and 3) you need a lot of bones. In short, it’s not something you can do spontaneously. Or at least this is what I thought…

Then, one evening, I had an insight.

Do you know how seeking perfection in everything you do might cause a person to not do anything at all? Does it ever happen to you? It sure happens to me…

My solution? Forget about perfection! Make small, spontaneous stock investments.

Isn’t it gorgeous?!

In the past, I had a “bone collection” (I know, this doesn’t sound good) from leftovers of roasted chickens we ate, only by the time I had enough (4-5 lbs.), some got lost in the freezer or were too old and freezer burnt. From time to time I bought bones/carcasses of organic chickens to complete the collection but then I felt silly paying for bones. And, still, making a big pot of stock felt like a big project. Like a special occasion.

And, then a few days ago, we had a lovely dinner of simple grilled chicken drummettes, mashed sweet potatoes, and a Caesar salad. As I was watching the bones piling on the plates, I had an“A-ha!” moment – you know I have those from time to time… – and I quickly snatched them from the others plates so I won’t forget later and toss them in the trash. My family was still eating the last drummettes, but I got too excited to sit. I put the bones in a small pot with 1/2 fat carrot, 1/2 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 smashed garlic clove, and a handful of peppercorns, covered with cold water, and brought it to a boil. 2-1/2 hours later I had a pint and a half of homemade chicken stock.

Now, this might not be how you are supposed to make chicken stock by the book. For more hard core how-to, go see Michael Ruhlman’s blog. So I named it My Lousy Chicken Stock ‘cos it’s not perfectly made, and I can feel better about it, but:

1) it’s homemade and so much better than any store bought or brand you will buy

2) it’s doable for the average bone collector

3) it’s cheaper. With a handful of basic veggies and the bones – free, I’d say I spent less than $1

4) the biggest benefit, you know what’s in there!

So if you ever felt intimidated to make your own chicken stock at home, this lousy one is for you.

I tell you, in this market, you should invest in some stock. The profit? It’s priceless.

And, next time you have a plate that looks like this

or this

you’ll know what to do… Right?!

Oh, one more thing.

I personally know some of you and I can hear you saying “but I don’t have celery”, or “but I don’t have bay leaf” or… so I’ll give you a discount. Use what you have. I didn’t have parsley that night. So what? It didn’t stop me from investing. But, even better, next time you plan to roast or grill a chicken, buy some!

Lousy homemade chicken stock

Makes 1-1/2 quarts

chicken bones, leftovers from 4 servings of roasted or grilled chicken
1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, peeled
1 garlic clove, whole and smashed
1 bay leaf
a few whole black peppercorns (OK, use ground)
a few parsley sprigs
salt, optional

Put all the ingredients in a pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat and skim any froth or fat that rose to the surface. Lower the heat to a bare simmer (only a random bubble should appear every now and then) and cook for 2-3 hours.

Strain the stock through a sieve set over a big bowl or another pot (or, if you’re into it, line the sieve with 2 layers of paper towel to catch the little bits and soak some of the fat. Those of you who have cheesecloth at home probably don’t need my lousy version for chicken stock, right?!).

Cool in an ice bath (= put the pot in a clean sink and fill it with cold water and ice to lower the temperature of the hot stock quickly so you can then store in the fridge). Store in containers and chill in the fridge. Optional: when completely cooled, remove any hardened fat that formed on the surface. That’s the classic thing to do although I’m sure my grandma would say that some fat is good for you and it sure taste good.

If not using within 1-2 days, label with name and date and freeze.

Whenever I manage to create a beautiful dish out of leftovers, I think about my grandmothers. Strong, hard working, stubborn and resourceful women (I got those genes), they could cook something great out of anything. (I got those genes too!) Back in the old days there was no such thing as throwing food away.

I think my cooking style is a bit old-fashioned in that way. As much as I enjoy a gourmet this or that, mid to high-end restaurants, and following top chefs’ cookbooks and magazines, my way of cooking is a “no-nonsense cooking”. The most important thing above all is, of course, having a family meal at the end of the day with my husband and my kids.

I felt very proud of myself with the results of this pasta & leftovers dish. Orecchiette is my favorite shape of pasta because it has a fun and funny shape and a chewy texture. It is like having plenty of little cups on your plate, each one has a bit of the filling and sauce in it. It works so well with a mish-mash or mix and match kind of dish just like this one.

I had so many different leftovers from previuos dinners and I didn’t feel like reheating any of them and eating them again–it’s boring. I added some crème fraiche–which I hesitated about, not being sure if it will match with all the different flavors–but it worked like magic, binding and bringing everything together. So this is how it went:

Leftovers:
1/2 onion, small chopped
1/3 roasted whole chicken, pulled/cut to large bite-size pieces
3 breakfast sausages, diced
3-4 cups roasted vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, rutabagas), diced if not already
Blanched kale and chard, chopped
½ cup crème fraiche left from this lovely onion tart (substitute with heavy cream. Sour cream might work as well)
1/3 cup grated cheese

Pantry items:
Olive oil
1 clove garlic
½ box of orecchiette or any kind of short pasta

Bring water and salt to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.
Meanwhile, in a big big skillet sauté onion in olive oil until it softens. Add the garlic clove. Move to the side of the skillet and add the leftovers. Warm it all up good.
When pasta is ready, drain and add to the leftovers, add salt, ground black pepper, and crème fraiche. Mix and toss it all together. Serve with grated cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Tell me about your winner leftover & pasta recipes and I will post them here. E mail me at nurit AT familyfriendlyfood DOT com, or in a comment below.

Leftover bread turned into Bread pudding with spiced rum sauce for dessert
Mashed Potatoes with Cheesy Crunchy Topping
Mashed potatoes turned into Light-as-a-feather potato pancakes
Black Forest Chocolate Roulade, using Leftovers Egg whites
Roasted Chicken

Dinner tonight was inspired by a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks “Nightly Specials” by Michael Lomonaco. I cook from this book very often for the reason that it has many wonderful recipes like: Philly cheese steak; Roasted corn chowder with shrimp and tarragon; Beef and porter stew; Moroccan lamb stew; Alpine baked pasta; Coconut-scented basmati rice; Paella with chicken and sausage; Toasted barley and butternut squash; Pan-roasted halibut with asparagus, fava beans, and thyme broth; Floribbean-style tilefish pan-fried with limes, chiles, tomatoes, and avocado; Steamed bass with lemongrass and chile-coconut broth; Bitter greens and honey almonds… The list goes on and on, you got the picture.

There is a recipe in the book for “Braised chicken with butternut squash, walnuts and sage” that I wanted to make. But I made so many changes in it that I think I can call it my own by now. I decreased the amount of spices to give the chicken a milder flavor than the usual Thanksgiving-y robust cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg combination so typical to recipes for the holiday season. And of course, like always, I made a few shortcuts, and added more vegetables. The result was terrific.

Thanksgiving-y chicken
Makes 4-6 servings

1 onion, medium diced
4 carrots, peeled and cut to large pieces
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced large
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced large
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole chicken legs, divided to thighs and drumsticks
2 tablespoon butter, cut to small pieces
Sage for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a big pan, toss the vegetables with salt, pepper, the spices, and olive oil.
Generously sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Add to the pan with veggies and mix so chicken gets some of the spices on it. Arrange nicely in the pan, chicken skin side up. Spread butter on top.

Have a wonderful dinner.
Nurit

My friend T. brought me this cookbook for my birthday. I cooked Oliver’s recipes in the past and didn’t go crazy for them because of their simplicity – they don’t call him The Naked Chef for nothing (In case you don’t know, no, he doesn’t cook naked). Back then I was into a more elaborate style of cooking, with many steps, long list of ingredients, etc… The more complicated the recipe, the better.

But that has changed.

I changed my style of cooking after realizing two things: 1) I cook for hours and the food is gone in 20 minutes, and 2) I spend hours in the kitchen instead of spending time with my precious husband and kids. So I have done some serious rethinking. Then I started watching Jamie Oliver’s and Ina Garten’s shows on the Food Network channel and learned how I can prepare fabulous meals with less effort.

It was a very helpful lesson as a personal chef too. Cooking in other people’s home the way I did before, I would have had to move in with them. Not sure they would have liked that so much.

So this book is the right kind of book for me now. I tried these recipes below and they were so easy to make–a no brainer. It’s a great book for the home cook (ooh, a rhyme!) who doesn’t have much time (another rhyme!).

Here is the recipe to the chicken in the photo above, taken from Jamie Oliver’s web site. It’s a put everything in a dish and cook it ‘till it’s done kind of recipe.

Tender and crisp chicken legs with sweet tomatoes

This recipe takes literally minutes to put together and then requires slow, gentle cooking. In return for your patience, what happens in the pan from just a couple of ingredients is an absolute joy and never fails, so it’s a good one to serve if you have guests.

Serves 4

4 chicken legs, preferably free-range or organic, jointed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped• olive oil

optional:
1 x 14 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained
2 handfuls of new potatoes, scrubbed

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chili and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours, turning the tomatoes halfway through (I didn’t touch the pan until it was done – N.), until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

If you fancy, you can add some drained cannellini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan and cook them with the chicken. Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish – remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once.

***

Lamb with chickpeas, yogurt and pan-roasted veg

serves 4 – 6 (even 8-10, perfect for a holiday meal, or a big dinner party – N.)

1 leg of lamb, butterflied and opened up like a book
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely choppeda large bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
a large bunch of fresh mint, chopped
1 x 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 x 500ml tub of natural yogurt (I used goat yogurt – N.)
12 baby turnips, scrubbed
a bunch of baby carrots, scrubbed, tops left on
1 butternut squash, unpeeled, cut into 8 wedges
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
extra virgin olive oil

Score the lamb on both sides. Using either a pestle and mortar or a food processor, grind or whizz up the coriander seeds with the garlic, fresh coriander, mint and half the chickpeas until you have a paste. Season the paste or “marinade” with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add the lemon juice and yogurt. Place half of this flavored yogurt in a large plastic bag and add the lamb. Put the other half of the flavored yogurt in the fridge. Tie the bag up to seal it and turn it around to allow the yogurt to coat all the lamb. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, but up to 24 hours in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Place the turnips and carrots in a roasting tray with the squash, onions, garlic and remaining chickpeas, then sprinkle with the cumin, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss together to coat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, then place the meat directly on the oven rack with the tray of vegetables on the shelf below. Cook for about 1 hour, tossing the vegetables halfway through. Serve the lamb well cooked with the vegetables and flavored yogurt on the side.

I am a fan.
Have an easy and fun time cooking!

To buy the book, click here.

Nurit

This photo is not the prettiest, I know, but dinner was sooo delicious, AND this is the easiest meal on earth to prepare! AND, kids love it too. It’s a win-win.

Whole Roasted Chicken with Chardonnay-Tarragon Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken, about 4 lb.
3 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
5 sprigs thyme, optional
1 sprig rosemary, optional
1-2 garlic heads, cut lengthwise, optional
Salt
Black pepper, ground
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix garlic and parsley with some salt, pepper, and evoo. Distribute between the skin and meat of the chicken breast.
Place thyme, rosemary and garlic, if using, inside the chicken’s cavity. Tie the legs with kitchen twine (optional). Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, drizzle evoo, and give the bird a nice massage.
Put chicken in a pan, preferably on a roasting rack, breast side down. Roast for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees (use the convection oven, if you have it). Roast another 15 minutes.
Turn chicken breast side up, and continue to roast another 45-60 minutes, or until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through (if using a thermometer, the temperature at the legs, not near the bone, should register 180 degree).

For the chardonnay-tarragon sauce:
The sauce is from the cookbook “Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy” by Wolfgang Puck. It is called “chardonnay butter” sauce there, but I think chardonnay-tarragon is a better name. The sauce is optional, but it is so good, I highly recommend you take the extra step and make it.

½ cup chardonnay
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
Salt
Black pepper

When chicken is done, remove it to a platter or a cutting board. Let rest covered with foil. Meanwhile make the sauce.
Pour excess fat from the pan (you can use paper towels to soak the oil). Pour remaining juices into a small pot (or use the roasting pan if it is flame proof). Over high heat, add wine and lemon juice to the pot, bring to a boil and reduce to half the volume. Remove from heat. Add butter and tarragon, salt and pepper, whisk all together. If you like a smooth sauce, blend in a blender, or serve as is.

For the potatoes and carrots:
4-5 medium potatoes, preferably with red skin, cut to quarters
4-6 carrots, cut to big chunks
Salt
Black pepper, ground
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

I cook the vegetables separate from the chicken so they don’t get soaked with all the chicken fat. But you can certainly roast them together in the same pan, chicken on top.
Put all in a pan and roast 45-60 minutes in a 350 degrees oven (do this when you roast the chicken to save time and energy).

Oh, and don’t forget the roasted garlic cloves! They are delicious! Eat them.

This dinner can be prepared in 20 minutes if you are quick and efficient in the kitchen.
If you are not, you know what I say: 1) take a cooking class, and 2) the more you cook, the better you get.

Makes 4-6 servings

For the chicken:
4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Shawarma seasoning, optional (available at Mediterranean stores. Or use more cumin, turmeric, and thyme)
Salt
Pepper
Evoo (extra virgin olive oil)

Rub chicken with spices, salt, pepper and a drizzle of evoo.
Reheat 10-12’’ stainless steel skillet over medium heat. Sear one side of chicken for about 4 minutes until browned, turn on the other side and sear another 4 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, turn from side to side every few minutes until done. It will take about 20 minutes or so. (You can also grill the chicken).

For the Israeli couscous:
1 tablespoon Evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup onion, minced
1 box Israeli couscous
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water

In a small pot, sauté the onion with evoo and butter until translucent and soft. Add couscous, salt, and boiling water. Mix and cover the pot. Cook over low heat 8-10 minutes until al dente.

For steamed cauliflower:
1 medium size cauliflower, cut to florets
Salt
1 garlic clove, whole, slightly crushed, optional
3 sprigs thyme, optional

In a small steaming pot add 2’’ water, and garlic and thyme, if using. Bring to boil. Put the cauliflower in the steam basket, salt lightly, cover and cook about 8 minutes (I forgot to measure the time. I think this is what it took).

Salad with feta:
See “Simplest salad” + add crumbled feta.

Cook with your kids.
Kids can: gather ingredients from pantry, make salad (young children can use plastic knife), sprinkle salt and pepper, ground the black pepper, pick herbs from pot (or use small scissors), drizzle olive oil.