Recipes

Braised Chicken Thighs Mediterranean Style

Braised Chicken Thighs Mediterranean Style

Chicken thighs have a sweet meaty taste that goes well with a variety of herbs and spices. The combination of tomatoes and olives reminds me of the South of France.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan.
  • Add the onion and garlic and sauté over high heat for 2 minutes, until limp.
  • Add the remaining oil and heat.
  • Add the chicken thighs and brown 2 minutes per side on high heat.
  • Do this in two batches if necessary.
  • Remove the chicken and set aside.
  • Add the oregano, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
  • Stir in the tomatoes, olives, chicken broth, and chickpeas.
  • Cook over medium heat 1 minute for flavors to blend.
  • Add the chicken thighs and spoon the pan juices over the chicken.
  • 3 Cover the pan and simmer the chicken for 5 minutes.
  • Again, spoon the pan juices over the chicken.
  • Cover and cook 5 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!
If you prefer, skip the chickpeas and serve the dish over cooked rice or couscous.
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Course; Chicken
Cuisine; Mediterranean

Pork and Olive Skillet Dinner

Pork and Olive Skillet Dinner

This Mediterranean-inspired pork dish doesn’t include a starch, but I recommend instant mashed potatoes in plain or garlic flavor, instant rice, or the garlic bread in Chapter 4 as a side dish.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large nonstick sauté pan.
  • Add the onion and pepper and sauté 2 minutes over high heat.
  • Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a plate.
  • Dust the pork cubes with the flour mixture.
  • Add the pork to the skillet and brown over medium heat, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the vermouth and scrape up browned bits in skillet.
  • Reduce the vermouth by half.
  • Add the paprika and oregano and cook 30 seconds.
  • Stir in the chicken broth and olives.
  • Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until pork is tender.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!
If you have the time, make the Lemon-Scented Orzo in this chapter to serve with the pork
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Course; Pork
Cuisine; Mediterranean

Perch with Martini Sauce

Perch with Martini Sauce

Serve this piquant fish dish over cooked rice or orzo, or pass sourdough bread for dipping into the sauce.
Couverts2 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 can 14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed olives sliced
  • 2 tablespoons gin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 large perch fillets
  • 1 tablespoon minced chives

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.
  • Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, until limp.
  • Add the tomatoes, olives, gin, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer.
  • Gently arrange the perch in the tomato sauce.
  • Using a spoon, generously baste the fish with the sauce.
  • Cover and simmer for10 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Sprinkle with chives.
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Course; Fish

Lemon-Scented Orzo

Lemon-Scented Orzo

Some supermarkets carry orzo that’s the size of rice grains; other stores offer a smaller size as well. I prefer the larger pasta, which has a nice chewy texture.
Couverts4 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fill a medium-sized pan with water and add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Add the orzo and cook over high heat for 10 minutes or until tender.
  • Drain the orzo well and return to the pan.
  • Add the olive oil, lemon rind, parsley, pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  • Stir and heat through 1 minute.
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Course; Side Dish

The Best Burger

The Best Burger

I may have the nerve to suggest a great way to make a burger, but I can’t decide the best condiment for you. That’s a matter of individual choice. I even see quite a few variations at my table. My spouse mixes half ketchup and half mustard, my daughter uses steak sauce, and my son and I slather on the Olive Relish that I provide the recipe for elsewhere in this chapter. And we all agree on potato salad as the perfect side dish. Choose a mayonnaise or oil and vinegar version from the deli or make your own.
Couverts4 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the ground chuck in a bowl with the salt and pepper.
  • Gently mix the seasonings into the beef with your hands.
  • Divide the meat into 4 portions and flatten into patties about 3/4 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter.
  • Place the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
  • When the butter starts to foam, gently ease the patties into the skillet.
  • Cook on the first side about 5 minutes, or until the meat is dark brown.
  • Using a spatula, flip the patties over and cook the second side 3 to 5 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the patty registers 160 degrees.
  • When the patties are cooked, remove and place on toasted hamburger buns.
  • Top with the Olive Relish if you like.
  • Add lettuce and tomato slices and close with the tops of buns.
  • Serve immediately
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Course; Beef / Burgers

Olive Relish

Olive Relish

Kalamata olives are dark, meaty Greek olives. You can find them in bulk in some supermarkets or in jars in stores’ ethnic food sections. Using a food processor to chop the vegetables and olives takes less time than doing it by hand. Notice that this recipe doesn’t call for salt. The olives and capers are salty enough for my taste, but you can add a pinch of salt if you like
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet.
  • Add the shallot, garlic, and celery and cook over low-medium heat until the vegetables are limp but not browned, about 3 minutes.
  • Remove the vegetables from the skillet and spoon into a bowl.
  • Stir in the olives, capers, oregano, pepper, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and the vinegar.
  • Let sit at least 5 minutes for flavors to blend.
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Course; Side Dish

Savory and Sweet Chicken Sandwiches

Savory and Sweet Chicken Sandwiches

Thinly slice leftover rotisserie chicken or roast turkey to use in these sandwiches. Add a green salad and iced tea for a wonderful lunch.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons cherry jam
  • 4 small slices sourdough bread cut 1/2-inch thick
  • 4 ounces sliced chicken breast meat
  • 2 slices Asiago cheese

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet.
  • Spread the jam on 2 slices of bread.
  • Add half the chicken and half the cheese to each slice of the jam-covered bread.
  • Top the sandwiches with the remaining bread.
  • Gently arrange the sandwiches in the skillet and brown over medium heat for 3 minutes per side or until the sandwiches are golden brown and the cheese melts.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Cut the sandwiches diagonally in half to serve.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!

Using the same salty-sweet concept, substitute ham for the chicken and spread the bread with peach jam or orange marmalade.
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Course; Chicken / Sandwiches

Cheese Quesadillas with Maple-Flavored Sautéed Apples

Cheese Quesadillas with Maple-Flavored Sautéed Apples

This luscious alternative to a grilled cheese sandwich makes a marvelous brunch entree. If you’re serving a crowd, arrange the finished quesadillas on a cookie sheet and place in a 200-degree oven to keep warm. For a complete brunch menu, I’d add a platter of fried, thickly sliced, maple-cured bacon, and a salad of strawberries and spinach with bottled poppy seed dressing.
Couverts4 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet.
  • Place the tortillas on a work surface.
  • Arrange one cheese slice on one half of each tortilla.
  • Fold the cheese in half if necessary to fit the tortilla half.
  • Fold each tortilla in half to form semicircles.
  • Ease two tortillas into the skillet in one layer.
  • Brown the tortillas over medium heat 3 minutes on each side or until the tortillas are lightly browned and the cheese is melted.
  • Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
  • Add 1 more tablespoon of the butter and repeat with 2 more folded tortillas and keep warm.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the skillet.
  • Add the apple slices and brown over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
  • Add the maple syrup, apple juice, salt, and nutmeg.
  • Cook over high heat until the apple slices are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the lemon juice.
  • To serve, cut each tortilla in half to form 2 quarters.
  • Arrange 2 quarters on each of 4 plates and top with apple slices and syrup.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!
Add a slice of Canadian bacon with the cheese.
Speed It Up! Skip the apples and maple syrup, and instead, warm up a can of apple pie filling to serve over the quesadillas.
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Course; Cheese / Fruit

Beef Wraps with Red Pepper Salad

Beef Wraps with Red Pepper Salad

Assemble these wraps and place them on a serving platter or offer wraps as a do-it-yourself dinner. Place the red pepper salad, beef, and flour tortillas on separate plates and let your family help themselves. You’re getting vegetables, protein, and starch in a hand-held meal, but for more nourishment, serve homemade or deli coleslaw on the side.
Couverts4 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the red pepper, chile, onion, capers, olive oil, wine vinegar, and pepper in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes for flavors to blend.
  • Arrange 3 ounces of meat in the center of each flour tortilla.
  • Spoon the red pepper salad in a strip down the center of each sandwich.
  • Fold the sandwiches as shown in Figure 11-1.
  • Serve with napkins; the wraps are juicy.

Notes & Wine Advice

Vary It!

Substitute 12 ounces of smoked chicken for the roast beef. If desired, use leftover steak in these wraps. Also, try pita breads instead of flour tortillas or use flavored tortillas.
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Course; Beef / Wrap’s

Orange and Radish Salad

Orange and Radish Salad

This salad tastes just as delicious if you substitute baby spinach leaves for the salad greens. Serve this salad with a simple chicken entree, such as the Chicken Breasts with Brandy and Mustard Sauce
Couverts4
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Arrange the salad greens on a serving platter.
  • Top with the orange and radish slices.
  • Stir together the orange juice, vinegar, and honey in a cup, blending well to dissolve the honey.
  • Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and serve immediately, so the salad greens won’t wilt.
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Course; Salad