Cooking/Recipe Thread.

[skatesindreams]

Here it is:
Marcella Hazan’s Chicken Roast with Two Lemons

This is the simplest most delicious roast chicken recipe I know — no fat, no basting, no stuffing.

Serves 4

1 x 3-4 lb (1.35-1.8kg) free range chicken
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small lemons
Trussing needle and string
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Regulo 4.

Wash the chicken thoroughly with cold water. Remove any bits of fat from around the vent end. Drain the chicken well and dry thoroughly with a tea towel or kitchen paper.
Rub the salt and freshly ground black pepper with your fingers over all the body and into the cavity. Wash the lemons well and dry them with a tea towel, roll on the counter and prick each of the lemons in at least 20 places with a cocktail stick or skewer.
Put both lemons in the cavity. Close up the opening with cocktail sticks or with a trussing needle and string. Don’t make it absolutely airtight or the chicken may burst!
Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast side down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so don’t worry it won’t stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken breast side up. Be careful not to puncture the skin.
Cook for another 30-35 minutes then increase the heat to 200C/400F/regulo 6, and cook for a further additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20-25 minutes total cooking time for each 1 lb (500g). There is no need to turn the chicken again.
Bring the chicken to the table whole, garnished with sprigs flat parsley and leave the lemons inside until it is carved. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious, so be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shrivelled up but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze, they may squirt.
Serve immediately.

 

[skatesindreams]

As you can imagine, the leftovers make delicious sandwiches, or chicken salad.

 

[algonquin]

@skatesindreams Thank you. I have cooked a turkey breast side down. It turned out well, very moist, but did not look that appetizing.

 

[skatesindreams]

One of the wonderful things about this recipe is that, if you are fortunate and don't tear the skin when turning the chicken over, the skin will puff up.
Even if it doesn't, the chicken will be juicy and golden brown.

 

[gk_891]

Here's a nice chicken recipe from Trinidad. This one is deep fried but the lady mentions that you can cook it in the oven instead if you don't want to deep fry it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFrue5OXM2s

And this is a really nice Vietnamese recipe for chicken.

http://ninawilleat.blogspot.ca/2013/02/ga-roti-vietnamese-rotisserie-chicken.html

Apparently it's a Vietnamese adaptation of French rotisserie chicken but using their own ingredients and braised instead of roasted. I like adding lemongrass to the marinade though as I think it makes it taste even better. Apparently adding lemongrass makes this dish ga roti xa (instead of just ga roti).

 

[icie]

This was incredibly bland. I thought that it would be and should have played with recipe.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...getables/bab4dfa0-64a0-44c6-af1e-597317a6a363

I'd add some herbs de provence to it for more flavor.

 

[Japanfan]

Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so don’t worry it won’t stick to the pan.

I always roast my chickens in a chicken broth/white wine/garlic mix with bay leaves and maybe a bit of oregano. It makes for a most wonderful gravy.

 

[skatesindreams]

The recipe I shared makes its' own gravy, to be thickened or not, as you choose.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I liked the egg roll in a bowl - it's low carb. http://tiphero.com/egg-roll-in-a-bowl/

I did a different ratio - 1 lb or pork to 3 lbs of cabbage and a couple cups of shredded carrots and onion. I also did a couple squirts of braggs amino acids and skipped the soy sauce.

 

[clairecloutier]

I made this a couple nights ago and really liked it. I recommend it if you enjoy lentil soups.

Calcutta Red Lentil Soup (Massor Dal)
from Olive Trees and Honey by Gil Marks

3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 large white or red onions, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups red lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. Aleppo chili pepper or red chili pepper flakes
14-oz can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 cups water
2 bay leaves
About 2 tsp. salt or 1 tbsp. kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2-4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Cooked basmati rice
Dill and/or cilantro, chopped, for garnish

1. Get out a 4-quart pot. Heat oil, onions, and garlic over medium heat. Saute until soft and translucent, about 10 min. Stir in ginger, spices, and lentils; saute until coated, about 1 min. Add tomatoes; saute 1 min.

2. Add stock, water, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils break down, about 40 min. Discard bay leaves.

3. If soup is too thick for your liking, add water or stock. If you want a smooth consistency, puree soup in blender or food processor. Stir in lemon juice to taste.

4. Serve soup over basmati rice, garnished with cilantro and/or dill.

 

[annie720]

I recently made these cumin-scented black bean burgers from Mollie Katzen's new cookbook The Heart of the Plate. We make a lot of veggie burgers and I was skeptical that these would taste that great since there are so few ingredients, but the flavors really come together nicely! We enjoyed these a lot and will be having them again. Very easy to put together. Btw I don't eat my veggie burgers/patties with buns so that may have a difference in how these taste for different people.

https://www.archetypes.com/food-fuel-cumin-scented-black-bean-burgers/

 

[Spun Silver]

I recently made these cumin-scented black bean burgers from Mollie Katzen's new cookbook The Heart of the Plate. We make a lot of veggie burgers and I was skeptical that these would taste that great since there are so few ingredients, but the flavors really come together nicely! We enjoyed these a lot and will be having them again. Very easy to put together. Btw I don't eat my veggie burgers/patties with buns so that may have a difference in how these taste for different people.

https://www.archetypes.com/food-fuel-cumin-scented-black-bean-burgers/

Thanks for posting that - they look good and easy. If you have any other particularly good veggie burger recipes, I would love to know them. It was pretty easy to find a good veggie burger when I lived in Manhattan, but out here (12 miles over the Hudson R.), next to impossible.

 

[clairecloutier]

I've made these beet burgers once and they were pretty good:

http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants...-burgers-from-the-new-persian-kitchen-4617454

 

[algonquin]

I have not made her burgers, but her other recipes are very good, so I imagine that the burgers would be as well.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-perfect-veggie-burger/

 

[Spun Silver]

I've made these beet burgers once and they were pretty good:

http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants...-burgers-from-the-new-persian-kitchen-4617454

Thank you, Claire. I am not sure I can go with a sweet red veggie burger! (The kind I remember most fondly were green. It was so long ago i can't even remember where I used to get them... some cheap spot in the E. Village....) But who knows, maybe I will feel adventurous one day.

I have not made her burgers, but her other recipes are very good, so I imagine that the burgers would be as well.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-perfect-veggie-burger/

That looks interesting, if complicated. I like her criteria. Thanks!

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

My new favorite healthy cooking site is https://cleanfoodcrush.com. I did one of her sheet pan chicken and vegetables last night and now have lunch for the whole week for two people and roasted vegetables for the whole work week.

 

[oleada]

My struggle is having the energy to cook after a long day at work and the gym. I do like cooking but it feels like such a chore at the end of the day. Mr. Oleada works even later so he is no help. Plus, I want to lose a little weight for the wedding so it's hard to balance that plus the exhaustion.

Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow has been my bible when it comes to cooking recently. Everything is under 30 minutes or something you leave in the slow cooker all day, but it's healthy and full of flavor. She had all the nutritional information for her recipes (it's co-written with a dietician) and IRC it's got WeightWatchers info as well. She also has a month's worth of meal plans which helps too. My fiancé is super picky and he's liked everything we've tried. Gina Homolka should give me , I've recommended this book to so many people.

 

[Spun Silver]

Sometimes the only thing that helps me is listening to music while I do it. Thanks be to my little sister who gave me a wonderful little machine that plays internet radio. Suddenly I am not thinking about it being a chore at all. That works for 2-3 days a week. Other than that it's hubby's cooking, leftovers, or frozen pizza. :/

 

[clairecloutier]

I feel like if I were working a 9-5 office job right now, I wouldn't cook at all except the most basic stuff possible, like grilled cheese and frozen food. I have no idea how working moms do it! I used to cook dinner when I was working office jobs, before we had kids, but we rarely ate much before 8:00. Now with kids, dinner has to be much earlier, around 6:00ish. Combine that with a 9-5 schedule--problems. Like I said, I don't understand how a lot of moms parents do it, unless they're mostly relying on takeout and frozen food.

 

[algonquin]

@oleada Thank you for the cookbook recommendation. I like using my slow cooker, but it over cooks if I don't lessen the cooking time. It can be like eating a shoe. I often wonder if a higher end slow cooker would make a difference.

 

[clairecloutier]

@algonquin At her request, we got this Cuisinart slow cooker for my mom for Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053WRWX8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1. She says it works really well, and it even has a browning function. I may consider getting one for us sometime.

 

[algonquin]

Thank you. Sometimes, the higher price is worth it. I bought a Blendtec blender over a year ago and it is worth every single cent. I LOVE it. I went through countless cheap blenders and got fed up.

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I feel like if I were working a 9-5 office job right now, I wouldn't cook at all except the most basic stuff possible, like grilled cheese and frozen food. I have no idea how working moms do it! I used to cook dinner when I was working office jobs, before we had kids, but we rarely ate much before 8:00. Now with kids, dinner has to be much earlier, around 6:00ish. Combine that with a 9-5 schedule--problems. Like I said, I don't understand how a lot of moms parents do it, unless they're mostly relying on takeout and frozen food.

I am a 9-5er and cook for my family each night. I have some staple recipes for nights where we have to be on the go. I buy chickens that are split in half - they cook faster and I don't have to much to them other than season and bake. I also make boneless pork chops - a protein that is done in about 10 minutes. For sides, I often put sweet potatoes in the microwave and saute asparagus, brussel sprouts or other vegetable. When I know there are a couple nights of crazy, I double batch cook so I have chili or pasta sauce ready to go. I don't eat pasta but I'll make some for my daughter and it keeps in the freezer well. I use zucchini as my pasta. On the weekend I cook/prep for salads the rest of the week. Cooking a meal at home often takes about 10-15 minutes if I plan well. I do not eat out other than a work event every couple of weeks.

Frozen food I made works and I also buy unseasoned frozen fruit, green beans, and peas. If I am at a work function at night, I'll get my kids a pizza from Trader Joe's - they like tarte d'alace. I always have vegetables in the fridge they can use for salads.

 

[gk_891]

I cook large pots of stuff on the weekend and then portion them for each day of the week. That way, I can come home from work and simply reheat a portion each day. I simply don't have the energy to cook each day. The only thing I do prepare daily are my vegetable side dishes which take little time.

 

[skatesindreams]

Does anyone here have experience with the "Instant Pot"; or a similar, full-featured alternative?
I'm looking for something with a 4 qt. capacity.

 

[Jenny]

Another handy appliance for busy people is a rice cooker. We have a very plain and simple one - it has one button It's taken the calculations and guesswork out of rice for us, and it works every time. We've done different types of rice (including short grain brown, which is super healthy) and added ingredients for things like Mexican rice or rice pilaf, and extra bonus, it's a dream to clean.

It takes awhile of course, but while the rice is cooking you can prepare other foods and set the table, and even get most of the kitchen tidied up before you sit down to eat. A friend of mine even uses hers in the morning to make a batch of hot rice for her kids' thermos lunches.

I similarly suggest an egg cooker. I must've seen hundreds of articles/tips on how to boil a perfect egg, and somehow they're all different, other than involving a pot to clean and calculating the timing. My cheapo egg cooker does them exactly how I want them, every time, and never with the grey ring on a hard boil. I even fake poached eggs by doing a soft/medium boil then carefully peeling them. And no dishes!

Lots of chefs these days are promoting the power of the simple and nutritious egg to complete just about any meal with a hit of protein and flavour - a pile of veggies, toast with something on it, a rice bowl, a salad, many pastas, etc.

 

[jeffisjeff]

I am a working mom with two kids and we cook most nights. My husband and I take turns, so we each cook 2-3 times per week. The one who isn't cooking tends to stay a bit later at work. We don't try for 6pm though - 6:30pm is more feasible for us.

I have a handful of during-the-week quick recipes that I make. I do tacos, which are super quick and easy. I make my own seasoning mix, but I tend to make a large batch every few months. So tacos just involves dicing up some onion, pepper and tomatoes, cooking with the hamburger and adding the seasoning. I also make steak fajitas if I can find some nice thin sliced steak at the store. Slice the steak, slice the onion and pepper, cook with the pre-made seasoning, and you are done.

Pasta with meat sauce is similarly easy. I use a jarred sauce, but I tend to add a lot of fresh veggies (tomatoes, carrots, onion, pepper). At this point, I can dice up the veggies pretty quick.

If you have a good Chinese/Indian/etc. sauce (either jarred or pre-made), that is pretty quick too. My trick for speed is to use ground turkey breast (so there is no need to cut up raw meat), along with diced fresh vegetables. We actually use ground turkey breast in many of our recipes for this very reason.

I also make mini-meatloafs in muffin tins. They cook much faster than a regular meatloaf.

My husband uses the slow cooker a lot or will make things like an oven-baked omelet. He also makes homemade sloppy joes using ground turkey, which are pretty quick if you have the ingredients on-hand.

 

[clairecloutier]

Lots of chefs these days are promoting the power of the simple and nutritious egg to complete just about any meal with a hit of protein and flavour - a pile of veggies, toast with something on it, a rice bowl, a salad, many pastas, etc.

I've noticed this trend and wish I could partake but unfortunately, I hate eggs!! It's too bad because they do seem like a great & simple answer to a lot of meals. One of my friends, who is a single working mom, says that she & her daughter do a lot of omelets for dinner.

Side note: One thing I do to speed up meal preparation is to dice up a bunch of onions (and/or celery) and put them in a container in the fridge. They last just fine for up to 1 week, and it definitely speeds things up. I also pre-chop peppers, they seem to do fine in the fridge for a day or two.

 

[icie]

Does anyone here have experience with the "Instant Pot"; or a similar, full-featured alternative?
I'm looking for something with a 4 qt. capacity.

I don't have one yet, but I have heard great reviews about it. I'm waiting for Amazon to have one of their sales on it to buy one.

 

[Jenny]

Side note: One thing I do to speed up meal preparation is to dice up a bunch of onions (and/or celery) and put them in a container in the fridge. They last just fine for up to 1 week, and it definitely speeds things up. I also pre-chop peppers, they seem to do fine in the fridge for a day or two.

I do that with green onions, and herbs like parsley and chives, as well as grated cheeses. Just make extra every time I need to, and they're ready to go. We also freeze tomato paste in roughly tablespoon size blobs, so you don't waste a can when you only need a bit, and you have them ready to go for sauces etc.

re small appliance purchases - I have found Amazon to be generally not the best deal. Instead, I've bought a bunch of items on The Shopping Channel (QVC in the US) as they regularly have good brands like Kitchenaid, Vitamix and Cuisinart on special, often with free shipping as well - you can just buy on their websites, same as Amazon. If you're in Canada, the Bay is also often the best price, with easy purchase/delivery service.