Week of April 12

Grilled Chicken with Red Pepper-Almond Sauce

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
⅓ cup water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Red Pepper Sauce
5 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ teaspoon table salt
2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup whole almonds, toasted
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:
FOR THE CHICKEN: Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound gently with meat pounder until ½ inch thick. Whisk water, fish sauce, honey, salt, and pepper together in bowl. Transfer mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add chicken, press out air, seal bag, and turn bag so contents are evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
FOR THE RED PEPPER SAUCE: Combine vinegar, garlic, and salt in small bowl and set aside.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
Toss bell peppers with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in bowl until evenly coated. Remove chicken from brine, letting excess drip off (do not pat dry), then toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in second bowl until evenly coated.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place bell peppers, skin side down, on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until most of surface is well charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly charred on second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer bell peppers to bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Place chicken, skinned side down, on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until chicken develops dark grill marks, 3 to 5 minutes. Gently release chicken from cooking grate, flip, and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
While chicken rests, pulse almonds in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Add sesame oil, paprika, cayenne, vinegar mixture, and bell peppers (do not remove skins) and process until smooth, about 45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Loosen with water as needed and season with salt to taste. Transfer to bowl and serve alongside chicken.

We toyed around with fish sauce in a couple of previous recipes, now it's time to dive in. This marinade should officially make you a convert. Or reveal that you really should just stick to chicken nuggets.

Chicken breasts nowadays are gigantic mutations, so you'll probably need to slim them down a bit before pounding them flat by first cutting off the tenderloin and flattening that separately. After that, if the breast is huge, then slice the whole thing in half horizontally by laying your hand flat on top and cutting it in half while you hold it in place. If the breast is like medium huge, then cut it in equal thirds by slicing the tail/smaller end of the breast off first, and then slicing the remaining piece in half horizontally. I usually get these marinating in the morning to destress the whole affair.

This recipe works well with yogurt flat breads.

Vegan Mapo Tofu

Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
2 cups water
15 ounce block of soft tofu (do not use silken)
Salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 small dried hot red peppers
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon fermented spicy broad bean paste (doubanjiang)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely ground Sichuan pepper
1 tablespoon corn- or potato starch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup slivered scallions, both white and green parts
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
Remove stems from mushrooms. Make a light mushroom broth by simmering stems in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, then strain and reserve broth (discard stems). Dice mushroom caps and set aside.
Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cover with boiling salted water, let steep for 15 minutes, then drain.
Put oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium heat. Add red peppers, black beans and bean paste and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and let sizzle, then add mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil and Sichuan pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups mushroom broth and cook mixture gently for 2 minutes.
Carefully add tofu cubes. Shake pan to distribute sauce, using a wooden spoon to help. Try to avoid smashing tofu. Drizzle in cornstarch mixture, gently swirling pan to incorporate (sauce will thicken) and simmer tofu in sauce for 2 minutes more. Thin with a little mushroom broth if necessary. Transfer to a low bowl or platter. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro sprigs.

I really enjoy mapo flavor- which comes from the broad bean paste/Sichuan peppercorn combination. Having spent some time in Asia, this comes across as very authentically Chinese. With that in mind, I keep a container of Sichuan peppercorns in my pantry and a jar of broad bean paste in my fridge. Note that this isn't usually a spicy combination but rather just slightly hot, and because of the peppercorns, "tingly". If you want to ease into this, consider setting the peppercorns aside and gradually adding them to your bowl separately. I dont really bother with the fermented black beans here- they're fun but I dont find them to be necessary.

Use soft tofu here if you can find it. Medium is OK and firm will do in a pinch- extra firm and pressed will really not work all that well. For the dried chilis, I use arbols, which I always have on-hand in my pantry.

Mini Meatball Soup with Broccoli and Orecchiette

Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large head broccoli, stalks and branches peeled and coarsely chopped, head cut into small florets
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 quarts chicken broth
8 ounces orecchiette
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the carrots, broccoli stems and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally to keep the garlic from scorching, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as it simmers.
Once the broth begins to simmer, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and divide it among bowls.
While the pasta cooks and the broth simmers, use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop little sausage meatballs and plop them into the broth. (You can also pinch 1/2-inch pieces of the sausage and roll them between your hands.) Return to a boil, add the broccoli florets, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring gently and occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and the florets are bright green, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the soup over the orecchiette. Finish with Parmesan.

Scooping 1/2 tsps out of a pound sausage takes about 15 minutes, so I just do this first before anything else and set it aside. If you do it at as described you need to really hustle.

Read the recipe here carefully in regards to the broccoli. If you're not paying attention, you'll just throw all of the broccoli in to the pot right with the carrots and garlic, and turn it into mush. Ask me how I know.

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 1 hr | Servings: Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1/2 leftover Thyme-Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, skin removed, meat shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno chile, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired)
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

Directions:
Instructions Checklist
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold top firmly as blender will be quite full). Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.
Lay tortillas on work surface; mound chicken mixture on half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:
This dish can be assembled up to 8 hours ahead of time; refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to bake (add a few minutes to the cooking time).

This is a recipe comes from a Martha Stewart book that makes reference to a thyme roasted chicken recipe. Don't worry about that. You can use a grocery store pre-roasted whole chicken, or you can use my time-tested method for generic shredded chicken (for this recipe, you'll need about 1.75lbs-2lbs of chicken):

Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally and add them to a pot of salted, simmering water. Simmer/low boil breasts for 10 or so minutes until cooked through. Take them out and put them in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix them on low for a minute or so until properly shredded. Salt and pepper to taste.

I think flour tortillas work better here. Just my opinion.

Gnocchi with Peas and Egg

Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 35 mins | Servings: 4

Ingredients:
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs
1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
1 ½ cups fresh or thawed frozen peas (7 ounces)
5 ounces arugula, tough stems removed, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup thinly sliced white onion
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 ounces grated Parmesan (¾ cup), plus more for serving

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add eggs, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 6 minutes. Remove eggs; run under cold water to stop cooking, then peel.
Return water in pot to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they float, 1 to 3 minutes. Add peas; return to a boil, then stir in arugula. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water.
Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add cream, cheese, and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Add gnocchi mixture; toss to combine, then simmer 30 seconds more. Add additional pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to create a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper and serve with halved eggs, sprinkled with more cheese and pepper.

This is a really odd recipe that kinda caught my attention. I'm not sure what to make of it...I thought it was pretty good but Mrs. Treats doesn't care for peas, and was a little less enthusiastic. In either case, I think it would be OK to cut the amount of peas in half. Or sub edamame.