Kale and Hearty

It's still wet, rainy, cold and grey.  It makes me want to bake, and eat, then roast something, then eat.  You get the picture. Not necessarily a good thing!  But kale is good. And quinoa. And goat cheese.  All three together? Very good, indeed. 


I enjoy browsing through food-related websites and blogs and recipe collections.  There are thousands - I mean tens of thousands out there!  But one, Food52, is a great resource. They have weekly contests that anyone can enter, have a very useful question forum, and recently started posting articles from other resources that might be of interest. 


But I digress. What I wanted to tell you about was the kale, quinoa and goat cheese.  I found it on Food52. They chose the recipe as an editor's pick. I thought it sounded good, Mr. Smartipans was not so keen.  But I made it, we ate it and now both consider it a welcome addition to our eating repertoire. In addition to wonderful flavor, it has the added bonus of being a one-pot meal since quinoa is a whole protein. (I was not so lucky as to convince Mr. Smartipans of that, though, and we used it as a side dish to some pan-seared salmon.)


AND it's quick and easy to make. I literally completed it all in 35 minutes and was eating it straight out of the mixing bowl! I tweaked the original recipe by deensiebat, her blog Mostly Food Stuffs is a real treat.


Enough of this - let's get this pot cooking!

Get the quinoa going in a pot large enough to hold both the quinoa and uncooked kale - I used a 2 quart with a tight lid. Then chop up the kale to add about 8 minutes into the cooking.

While the pot is steaming, toast the pine nuts, grate the citrus zest and squeeze the juice. Blend the juice with the olive oil, add the zest and pour it into the bottom of the serving dish.  Then sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese and scallions over the vinaigrette.

Stir in the steamed grain, greens and pine nuts, enjoy the tangy aroma of citrus and melting cheese. Serve up or eat it out of the bowl! I know you're gonna love it!
Now that was quick and easy - and way better the than bake, eat, roast, eat road I was headed down!


Here's the recipe


Kale and Quinoa One-Pot

SERVES 2-4

·         2 cups salted water

·         1 cup quinoa

·         1 bunch kale (or Swiss chard), washed and chopped into 1" lengths

·         1 lemon, zested and juiced

·         ½ orange, zested and juiced

·         2 scallions, minced

·         1 tablespoon toasted olive oil

·         3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

·         1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

·         salt and pepper

1.       Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for about 8 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 8 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.

2.       While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine the citrus juice, the zest, scallions, olive oil (you can substitute walnut oil if you desire), and goat cheese (or feta, if you prefer).

3.       Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, scoop it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss in the pine nuts to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Blustery Day Dinner

What happened to "in like a lion, out like a lamb"? March is not living up to its image. On this first day of Spring we are battling huge winds and sideways rains. This calls for some comfort food. And since its allegedly "Spring" I'm thinking bright and sunny lemons might fit the bill of fare. But in a savory, slow-simmered kind of way befitting this blustery day.


Chicken with Roasted Lemons has become a family favorite; the slow braising of the chicken in a tangy sauce made from chicken broth and white wine, with capers, green olives, and the secret ingredients - roasted lemons and garlic,  makes for a hearty and flavorful dinner.  


So let's get started.


Arrange lemon slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Brush them with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Roast until slightly dry and beginning to brown around edges.

While they're roasting, season the chicken pieces, dust with flour and fry til golden brown on all sides.

Set aside the chicken, pour off any excess oil and deglaze the pan with the broth and white wine.  Add the olives, capers, thyme and roasted garlic.  I just squeeze the cloves out over the pot. Messy but finger-licking good!

Return the chicken to the pan and place the lemon slices on top. Simmer until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.

We enjoy this with a brown rice medley that includes wild rice.  Tried it with pasta - great for capturing the sauce.  I think some tummy warming garlic mashed potatoes would be scrumptious too!

Oh yes, we liked it. A. Lot!


Here's the recipe:

Chicken with Roasted Lemons

Ingredients

Roasted Lemons

·         12 thin lemon slices (from 2 lemons)

·         One head of garlic

·         Olive oil

Chicken

·         4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves or 8 bone-in pieces of your choice

·         All purpose flour, seasoned with salt & pepper, seasoning salt

·         5 tablespoons olive oil

·         1/2 cup sliced pitted green Sicilian olives or other brine-cured green olives

·         2 -3 tablespoons drained capers

·         2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

·         1/2 cup white wine

·         3 sprigs fresh thyme

·         3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

For roasted lemons and garlic:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange lemon slices in single layer on prepared sheet. Brush lemon slices with olive oil; sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Roast until slightly dry and beginning to brown around edges, about 25 minutes.

At the same time, place a head of garlic in oven prepared for roasting by cutting top off, drizzling with olive oil, wrapping loosely in aluminum foil.  When lemons are done, raise oven temp to 400°F and continue roasting garlic another 25 minutes. (Lemons and garlic can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to container. Cover; chill.)

For chicken:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. Heat 5 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Brown in batches if necessary.

Set browned chicken aside, drain off excess fat from pan. Add stock and wine and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, stir in thyme, olives, capers and the roasted garlic (squeezed from the head).

Reduce heat, return chicken and any accumulated drippings to pan, add roasted lemon slices, simmer low and slow until liquid is reduced to syrup consistency, about 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons parsley; continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes, if boneless (or 15-20, if bone-in). Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

·         NOTE:  The number of chicken pieces is totally up to you; just adjust the quantity of liquid and seasonings to balance with the amount of chicken.  This recipe is based on about 8 pieces of bone-in chicken.