SAFFRON CHICKEN

Well, we have recovered from the flu, and the verdict is in on Casey Anthony (I'm still in shock over that one), so it's time to return to blogging.  During my most-recent "blog break", I continued to try new recipes.  Over the next few days, I hope to share some of them.  In my kitchen, a new chicken recipe is always welcome, especially if it is relatively healthy.  Besides, how often do I get the chance to cook with saffron?

SAFFRON CHICKEN

adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

(Makes 2 servings, recipe from Massoud and The Best Recipes in the World.)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 onion cut in lengthwise slivers 

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbsp butter 

pinch saffron (about 1/4 tsp. or less)

3/4 cup Swanson® Chicken Stock     

1 1/2 Tbsp  lemon juice 

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Cut chicken in 1/2 strips diagonally.  Using a frying pan which is not too large and has a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil and butter, then brown the chicken quickly over medium-high heat.  (Don't let it cook long enough that the outside starts to get hard.  The chicken does not need to be cooked through.) 

Remove chicken to a plate, add onion, and brown over very low heat until edges of onion pieces are turning golden, about 12-15 minutes.  Remove browned onions. Add chicken back to pan, and cover with onions.  Heat chicken stock, add saffron and stir to dissolve, then pour over chicken and onions. Simmer on very low heat with pan covered 30-45 minutes.

Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice and simmer 15 minutes more. Serve hot over rice.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?  ~Author Unknown

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HABICHUELAS (PUERTO RICAN PINTO BEANS)

People like to talk about "culture clash" and the differences between ethnic groups, but if there's one thing I've learned in eight years of marriage with Jorge is that people are all the same.  The girl raised in Kentucky (hey, y'all!) and the Puerto Rican born in Ohio, raised in Puerto Rico and who came to Florida via NYC should have nothing in common.  But it turns out we are more alike than different.   Now, I could wax philosophical about how love binds our hearts and builds a bridge and all that country music stuff, but that's not what this blog is about.  it's about food.  Plain and simple.  And that may well be the first thing I noticed.  Our food is not that different.  Note that I did not say cuisine.  Kentuckians don't eat cuisine.  We eat dinner.  Anyway, the pork, the frying, the chicken, and the beans.  Especially the beans.  I grew up eating pinto beans all the time.  We ate them slow cooked (not Crock Pot slow-cooked, but stove top slow-cooked) flavored with a ham hock and salt.  A bowl of beans and a piece of cornbread and I'm a happy girl.  Turns out I didn't have to give up beans, I just needed to learn to season them differently.  Now, today's recipe uses canned beans for convenience, but if you want to use dried beans, be my guest.  I cook them the day before the Kentucky way, serve them with cornbread, and put the leftovers in the refrigerator.  The next day, they reappear in the saucepan in the recipe below.  Either way is great.  BTW, serve these with rice.  Some days I serve them with white rice, and some days I like them with Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo).  Whatever floats your boat!

HABICHUELAS (PUERTO RICAN PINTO BEANS)


1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 oz diced ham
1 can pinto beans
1 can (8 oz.) GOYA® Spanish Style Tomato Sauce
1 packet GOYA® Sazón with Coriander and Annatto 
2 Tbsp  GOYA® Recaito
3 Tbsp green olives, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c. College Inn^® Bold Stock Rotisserie Chicken     

Heat oil to medium in deep saucepan.  Add ham.  Saute with recaito for 3 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, Sazon, and olives.  Stir; cook 2 minutes.  Add beans, potatoes, and chicken stock.  Bring mixture to boiling.  Cover with lid and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 20 minutes.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

I know every book of mine by its smell, and I have but to put my nose between the pages to be reminded of all sorts of things.  ~George Robert Gissing

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Very Good Recipes - Kingdom of Puerto Rican Recipes

TAGS: PUERTO RICAN

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NOT-SO-MEXICAN CHICKEN & RICE - OR HOW TO USE THAT LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN

Last night, we had roast chicken for dinner.  I just seasoned  the chicken with Sazon and Chicken Bouillon and put it in the George Foreman roaster for 90 minutes.  I don't think they still sell that roaster, but if they ever bring it back, I'm buying a second one for emergencies.  I loooove that roaster!  But I digress.  The only problem with roasting a chicken for two people is finding a use for the leftover chicken.  Lunch today was a salad with chicken, but there was still lots of leftovers.  So, I had to find a use for them.  Waste not, want not and all that jazz.  I started looking for recipes using cooked chicken and found this one.  It actually called for canned chicken, but close enough for me.  Now, to be honest, it was called Mexican Chicken & Rice, but it didn't taste like Mexican.  As a matter of fact, it wasn't even Tex-Mex. I don't know what it was, but it was pretty good.  Just not Mexican.  Oh, well; another day, another dinner....

NOT-SO-MEXICAN CHICKEN & RICE
adapted from Campbell's Kitchen


1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup uncooked medium-grain white rice
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

Combine first seven ingredients over medium heat; bring to a boil.  Add rice to pan; reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Add beans, tomatoes, and chicken.  Cook additional 5 minutes.

MUSIC TO COOK BY

Until next time, Happy Cooking!  : )

"Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life." — Herbert Henry Asquith

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