Inventive Cooking

During the past month or so I have had opportunity to engage in some adaptive cooking. The first cause of this challenge - as I like to look at it from the perspective of a "reality cooking program" - was the result of the fact that since my return from France, and up until last Thursday, I had no use of a real oven. Apparently a crucial component of our oven had decided to breakdown during my parents' preparation of a roast one weekend during my absence, and said component had to be sent first to Canada and then to Illinois in order to undergo 400 dollars-worth of repair. Incidentally, the lack of an oven this past month has commanded that I rely primarily on a good old-fashioned stove-top method for most of my culinary escapes. However this has not been the only reason I have chosen to partner with the stove in cooking this fall. Since the weather has changed from summery and humid to autumnal and crisp, I have been longing for dishes that invite comfort and warmth, and cook-top braises have provided for precisely that.
It was thus with this mindset that I headed off to Boston for a weekend of reuniting with some of my favorite people from my Alma Mater. Because we had been sequestered to dorm life for four years together we were never presented with the opportunity to cook together, so on this occasion I was determined to be able to prepare a meal for us that didn't come from a dining hall/dorm room microwave. The principal ingredient I decided would be chicken and what better way to feed a group than to have everything come from one pot - well I suppose I should say multiple pots as some size-constraints did limit how much I could fit into one vessel?
Thus I set to work in "R's" and "M's" kitchen to prepare my meal of braised chicken - a la Charlotte - with garlic bread, crudites and chips with chickpea and spinach and artichoke dips to start, and apple crumble to finish. The following are general guidelines and quantities I used, but I cannot guarantee precise accuracy as I did everything by taste for this occasion.


Chickpea Dip
1 can chickpeas, drained and juices reserved
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tblsp lemon juice
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin powder - I actually forgot this, but it really does add a nice flavor
salt and pepper to taste

1) Combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings into the food processor and add 1-2 tblsps of the reserved chickpea juices. Process until smooth, season, and transfer to a serving bowl to be eaten with crudites and chips.


Spinach and Artichoke Dip
1/4 package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained- or fresh spinach sauteed until wilted in a little bit of oil
1 8 oz package Philadelphia cream cheese - you can even use the spinach and artichoke flavour if you want
1 8 oz jar artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 green onions, chopped - I really only added these because they were there and I like a little oniony flavor

1) Combine the spinach, cream cheese, artichoke hearts, Parmesan and green onions into the food processor. Process until smooth, season if necessary, and transfer to a serving bowl to be eaten with crudites and chips.


Braised Chicken with Mirepoix and Tomatoes
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - natural, organic preferred
6 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsp butter
dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup red wine
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
2 whole carrots peeled and chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes

1) Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tblsp of olive oil and 1 tblsp of butter. Season all the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dried thyme leaves. When the butter has melted place six thighs into the pan and allow to sear for roughly 5 minutes. Turn the pieces of chicken over and cook the same on the other side. Remove these thighs to a large heavy-bottomed pot, and repeat the procedure with the remaining six pieces of chicken, 2 more tblsps of olive oil and 1 more tblsp of butter.
2) once all the chicken has been transferred, add the 1/4 cup of red wine to the hot pan to deglaze. Add these juices to the pot with the chicken and top it off with cold water - enough to cover all the chicken. Put the pot over high heat to bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat so that the contents is at a bare simmer. Allow to cook uncovered while you prepare the rest of the meal - I think I had it going for about an hour or so - at which point the liquid should have reduced significantly.
3) Return the pan you used to sear the chicken to the heat and add the final 2 tblsp of olive oil. Allow the onions to sweat for five minutes first, then add the garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook these also slowly over low heat until all the veggies are tender. Remove from the heat.
4) Once the chicken has achieved your desired tenderness - I like it so that one doesn't even need a knife to cut it, and rather it just falls apart by itself - add the diced tomatoes with their juices. Heat through and finally add the vegetables. Stir until everything is evenly distributed. Bring to the table/floor with garlic bread after your friends have enjoyed their appetizer/hors d'oeuvres course.


Garlic Bread
1 loaf of your favorite crusty bread
1 stick unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
2 tblsp fresh parsley, chopped - or 1 tblsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt - or to taste

1) Combine the stick of butter, parsley, and salt together in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring when done.
2) Cut your loaf of bread into even slices, being sure not to slice all the way through the bottom so that the butter cannot escape. Put the loaf into a nest of aluminum foil and onto a baking sheet.
3) Brush the butter onto both sides of every slice - any remaining butter can be brushed over the top of the loaf afterwards. Bake the bread in the oven for five to ten minutes until the crust is nice and crispy and the inside pieces are piping hot. Serve with your entree.


Apple Crumble
This recipe definitely needed some tweaking, so I will try to get back to you on it - thanks to "E" though for all her hard work pealing the apples!


THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO FIVE CAMELS: "S", "R", "J", "C" and "E"