AIR-FRYER CHICKEN SKEWERS

Posted in Air-Frying, Poultry by sallybr

Super simple preparation, the air-fryer shines to produce moist and tender chicken in less than 30 minutes (not counting marinating time, of course). You can add different spices, just keep the basic oil, lemon and yogurt base.

AIR-FRYER CHICKEN SKEWERS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup yogurt, low-fat or full fat
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1 red bell pepper, cut in squares
olive oil spray

Make the marinade by whisking vigorously the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, and agave nectar. Add the Herbes de Provence, pepper and salt, mix well.

Place the pieces of chicken in a bowl and add the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Soak wooden skewers in water while you marinate de meat. Make sure to you skewers that fit inside your air-fryer, or cut them in the appropriate length. Remove chicken from the marinade. Thread pieces of chicken and a couple of red bell pepper pieces in each skewer.

Turn fryer to 400F or as high as it will go. Spray the basket with olive oil, place the skewers inside, spray some more olive oil over them. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them to a baking dish and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Uncover and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Another one for our rotation. Our fryer held 7 skewers with no issues, but smaller fryers might force you to cook in batches, so keep that in mind. If onions are not a problem for you, thread some together with the red bell pepper for even more flavor. You can also take this preparation heavily into Middle Eastern territory by incorporating cinnamon, turmeric, allspice, whatever you feel like.

We enjoyed ours with simple white rice and broccoli.
A perfect meal for a Wednesday evening!

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17Jul2023

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

I am still totally in love with pickled jalapeños and this particular recipe has been in our menu three times in the recent past. It is very low in carbs, very flavorful, and if you own a sous-vide gadget, now is the perfect opportunity to put it to use, because the texture will be absolutely perfect. If you don’t have a sous-vide the process will be reversed. Start by browning the rolled chicken and then bake it. It will be a bit tricky to keep the shape, but doable.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 chicken breasts
a little lemon juice
salt and pepper
8 prosciutto slices
reduced fat cream cheese (about 6 oz)
finely diced pickled jalapeños, amount to taste
finely minced kalamata olives (or sun-dried tomatoes)
olive oil for searing the outside

Pound the chicken breasts to make the meat uniform – if they are too thick, trim them a bit cutting lengthwise carefully before pounding. Squirt a little lemon juice over the pieces of meat, then season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Mix the cream cheese with the jalapeños and kalamata olives. Season with a l little salt if you like. Add a small amount on top of the meat, closer to one end. Roll the meat around the filling, lay the roll on top of two slices of prosciutto and roll as tightly as you can. Seal in a vacuum bag, and place in the sous-vide bath for 3 to 4 hours at 142F.

Remove from the bag, dry well and sear the outside quickly on a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We are pretty hooked on this preparation. I always do the pickled jalapeños and sometimes couple with different goodies. Olives, black or green, sundried tomatoes are both winner combinations. In this type of recipe the sous-vide truly shines. I don’t make it in the oven anymore, but as I mentioned in the beginning you can do that, reversing the steps. Start with searing. Probably 375 F for 30 minutes maximum will work.

With a side of green beans and walnuts, we did not need anything else!
.

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8May2023

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS

Posted in Air-Frying, Poultry by sallybr

The air-fryer does it, friends! If you don’t have one you can still adapt to a regular oven, but I tell you, the texture and how easy it all happens is hard to beat. Ever since we invested in a model with a bigger basket, I’ve been using it all the time.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
juice of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
slices of prosciutto
spray of olive oil

Squirt a very small amount of lemon juice over the chicken breasts, season lightly with salt and pepper, rubbing the mixture all over.

Lay 2 slices of prosciutto overlapping slightly over a board, place one chicken breast over it and wrap the prosciutto around. Carefully place the meat in the air-fryer basket, with the seam side down. Repeat with all other pieces. Spray them with a little olive oil and air-fry at 400F (or as high as your machine goes) for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the meat midway through. You can check the temperature with a probe thermometer if you prefer a little more precision, going for 160F.

Allow it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made this twice already and will be repeating it soon, because we really liked it a lot. Prosciutto tends to be expensive, that is the only drawback and you do need two slices per breast. We enjoyed it with green beans with almonds and plain rice, it was a quick and very delicious dinner.

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22Jan2021

SLOW-ROASTED SWEET POTATOES IN TOMATO, LIME AND CARDAMON SAUCE

Posted in Poultry, Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Once again I turn to Joanne’s blog for inspiration. Like me, she also loves Ottolenghi and adapted this recipe from his new cookbook, Flavor. His method calls for high-temperature roasting of sweet potato slices coated in maple syrup and spices. I changed things around a bit, as I am absolutely set on roasting them low and slow (after trying the method described in this post of my recent past). You can conceivably make the sauce and the potatoes days in advance to finalize the dish quickly before meal time. I served it alongside grilled chicken breasts. They worked so well together that I decided to feature both recipes in a single post.

SLOW-ROASTED SWEET POTATOES IN TOMATO, LIME & CARDAMON SAUCE
(adapted from Joanne’s blog)

for potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds
olive oil to rub potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

for the sauce:
5 tbsp olive oil
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
14 oz whole peeled tomatoes, blended until smooth
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ground cumin
zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup water
2 tsp finely chopped dill

For the sweet potatoes. Heat the oven to 300F. Rub them with oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and slow roast for 60 to 90 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool, peel the skin off and slice it into 1 inch thick rounds to proceed with the recipe (can be made a couple of days in advance).

Make the sauce. Combine the olive oil, jalapenos, shallots, and a pinch of salt in a large saute pan over medium heat, cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, cardamom, cumin, lime zest, and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes so the flavors can combine, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 425F. Add the sauce to a shallow baking dish that can hold all the potato slices in a single layer, if possible. Place the slow-roasted potatoes on top of the sauce and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Close to the end of roasting time, sprinkle dill on top. If you like a little more color development, use the broiler.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was absolutely delicious, and if you spread the preparation by roasting the potatoes the day before, it is a breeze to put together. I actually find myself slow-roasting sweet potatoes and saving them, still with the skin, for all sorts of uses later. Cardamon and lime in the tomato sauce? Winner combination. I intend to make a roasted tomato soup pretty soon with those basic flavors. Stay tuned. And now, as I promised, the main dish we had with these wonderful potatoes.

BONUS RECIPE

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt

In a bowl, stir together all ingredients, except chicken (of course). Whisk well until brown sugar is dissolved. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and add the marinade. Leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes, but if you have time allow it to sit for 4 hours or even longer.

Heat grill, and cook around 6 minutes per side. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice on the bias, and serve, preferably with those amazing sweet potatoes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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19Dec2018

PORK TENDERLOIN ROULADE WITH PUMPKIN AND PECANS

Posted in Pork, Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

This is a super simple recipe, but one that looks like you spent a considerable effort to bring to the table. I made it sous-vide, but you don’t have to do it this way, I offer alternatives for stove-top cooking. You can also use chicken breasts instead of pork, I made it both ways, not sure which one I prefer, I think the pork makes it easier to roll and looks a bit more tidy in the end. So that’s the one I picked to highlight today.

PORK TENDERLOIN ROULADE WITH PUMPKIN AND PECANS
(adapted from The Essential Sous Vide Cookbook)

2 pork tenderloins (about 1.2 pounds each)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
¼ cup chopped toasted pecans
2 tsp Southwest spice mix (I used Penzey’s)
3/4 cup chicken broth (divided)
¼ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flour

Heat the water bath to 150°F.

Butterfly the pork tenderloins and use a rolling-pin or a meat mallet to flatten the meat to about 1/4 inch thick. Protect them with a plastic wrap and sprinkle the meat with a tiny amount of water before pounding. Season with salt and pepper all over.

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin purée, the pecans, the Southwest mix, and a smidgen of salt. Spread half the filling on each piece of meat, leaving a ½-inch border around it. Roll up each pork tenderloin jelly-roll style, starting at the narrow end, and tie with kitchen twine (use 4 or so pieces to cover the extension of the roll).

Pour ¼ cup of chicken broth and the apple cider into the bag. Add the roulades, and seal using the water displacement method. Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 5 to 6 hours. Remove the roulades from the bag, reserving the cooking liquid (pass it through a sieve if you prefer a smooth sauce in the end). Place the roulades on a paper towel–lined plate and pat them dry.

In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. If needed, add a bit more oil to the skillet, add the flour, cook it for a couple of minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken broth plus the reserved cooking liquid. Cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat, cut in slices and serve with the gravy.

For non-sous vide cooking: make the roulades and start by browning them on all sides on a skillet with very hot olive oil. When golden brown, add the chicken stock and apple cider, cover, and simmer gently until cooked through, making sure the liquid comes at least to half the height of the roulades. Depending on the thickness of the roulades, it will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Baste the roulades and turn them around on all sides during cooking. Once done, reduce the cooking liquid by boiling, or if you like more of a gravy consistency, do the flour trick as described in the recipe.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The temperature for cooking pork is a matter of taste. I’ve mentioned it before, we don’t care for pork still pink in the center, so I always go for 150F. You should do what suits your taste. The sous-vide has two advantages, the flexibility in time – you can even push the cooking time a bit further, if needed – and the way it keeps the roulade shape during cooking, even though it is not vacuum-sealed. Of course, the texture of the meat is perfect when made sous-vide, but you can still get a very nice meal on the stove-top, it just takes a bit more of tending during cooking. You don’t want to over-cook the delicate meat, or leave it uncooked in the center. As I mentioned, I also used chicken breasts, and the rolled effect is not as nice, but it still tasted great. For chicken breasts, I reduced the cooking time to 4 hours, and used 148 F. Probably not much difference from 150F, but that’s what I did.

I love to find uses for canned pumpkin puree, because I often use some in a recipe and have leftovers staring at me later. Yes, it freezes well, but there is a limit to the number of little packages one can keep track in the freezer. I rather open a can, use it all up, and move on. When I made the recipe a second time, I did not even toast the pecans and it was still very nice, so a few shortcuts here and there don’t hurt. The sous-vide is perfect for working days. I can prepare it all the evening before, leave the bag in the fridge, set up the water-bath at lunch next day, and arrive home to a nice, almost effortless dinner. A couple of side dishes, and we are set.