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Crispy Pan-Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters or Thighs

Crispy Pan-Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters or Thighs

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Yield: 2-6 servings
Adapted from Epicurious

July 2015 This is an easy and fairly quick dish for bone-in leg quarters or thighs.  You can change the flavors by adding additional seasonings to the chicken.  Herbes de Provence or poultry seasoning both work well

    • 2-6skin-on, bone-in chicken leg quarters or thighs
    • Kosher salt
    • Freshly ground pepper.
    • 1TBS oil

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 10” -12″ cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking.

Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Flip chicken; Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes.

Check temperature for 175 next to bone. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through.

Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops

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Yield: 2-3 Servings
Scott Nowell

Dec. 2017 Hmm pork chops. Lots of choices for the seasoning here. The recipe I adapted this from used Poultry Seasoning, but I like herbs de Provence better. You can use about anything that suits you. The number of servings depends on the quantity and thickness of the pork you use. The original called for inch thick chops. I used ½ inch thick cutlets. Adjust the cooking times to suit your pork. I think the thicker cutlets are the right choice.

  • 4pork chops or cutlets
  • 2tsp herbs de Provence, Poultry Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, etc.
  • salt and pepper
  • 1onion, sliced
  • 4cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½TBS all-purpose flour
  • 1½cups chicken broth
  • ¼cup buttermilk or 1 TBS Saco buttermilk powder and ¼ cup water
  • ¼cup water

Pat the pork dry and season on both sides with salt, pepper and your chosen seasoning.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and brown well on both sides. Remove to plate, reserve.

Dump oil from pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter to pan over medium heat. Add the onions and a big pinch of salt. Brown for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add flour and cook 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, plate juices, ¼ cup buttermilk and ¼ cup water. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Adjust heat to low and add pork to pan with sauce. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your meat. Baste the meat with the sauce occasionally.

Serve with:

Vegetable Starch
Green Beans Noodles
Broccoli German Potato Salad
Asparagus Spaetzle
Green Salad French Fried Potatoes
Whole Boneless Turkey

Whole Boneless Turkey

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Yield: 6 to 8 Servings
Chef John / Food Wishes

October 2017: I saw the video about this on Food Wishes YouTube feed. It had “try this” written all over it. I was looking forward to this for Thanksgiving this year. Alas, overruled by the family for the traditional bird. The day after Thanksgiving I bought two fresh turkeys at deep discount. One was used for this recipe.

  • 1turkey, completely thawed
  • 4cups of stuffing of your choice. This fills a 12 lb turkey. You will need more for larger birds.
  • salt and pepper
  • 10pieces kitchen/butchers twine 18 inches long and one piece 36 inches long

You really need to watch the video unless you’re an experienced turkey deboner. In the video John mentions have some long nose pliers. Getting the tendons out without them is nearly impossible.

Make the stuffing and set aside.

Debone the turkey. With the skin side down, smooth things out to their original shape. Flip the tenderloins over to fill in between the white and dark meat. Slash the thickest part of the breast and fold toward the neck end. Season GENEROUSLY with salt and pepper.

Smooth the stuffing down the middle and out to the edges.

Fold the sides toward the middle and tuck in the ends. It may not stay at first.

Slide the pieces of twine under the turkey and tie to make an even package.

Season well with salt and pepper, flip over and season the other side. Move to a roasting pan.

Start in a 450°F oven for 15 minutes

Reduce to 325°F until you get an internal temperature of 150 F. (mine took about 1½ hours more)

Pan sauce is the drippings from the roasting pan with a big splash of cream, reduced until slightly thickened, and strained.

Oven Roast Potatoes & Shallots

Oven Roast Potatoes & Shallots

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Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Adapted from Food & Wine

1984: A simply dish that makes a wonderful accompaniment to a roast. Shallots cooked this way are a great treat.

  • 2lb potatoes
  • 1lb shallots
  • salt
  • pepper
  • rendered beef fat or commercial duck/goose fat

Peel potatoes and half crosswise. Place in pan, add water to cover and add salt to taste (1-2 tsp). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Drain.

Remove loose and broken skin from shallots. It is not necessary to peel shallots

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise twice to quarter. Each piece is now 1/8th potato.

Paint sheet pan(s) with rendered fat. Arrange potatoes and shallots in single layer, drizzle with fat. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 35 minutes in 325°F oven while roast finishes. After removing roast raise oven temperature to 400°F. Remove shallots to dish and cover. Continue roasting potatoes for another 25-30 minutes.

Fettucine with Shrimp & Sun-dried Tomatoes

Fettucine with Shrimp & Sun-dried Tomatoes

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Yield: 2 to 3 Servings
Scott Nowell

2016: This is a great tasting combination that is easy to put together. It’s titled Fettucine, but any pasta would be fine.

  • 6oz fettuccine, (any kind of pasta will work)
  • 1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved.
  • ½packet unflavored gelatin
  • ¼cup water
  • 5-6cloves minced garlic
  • ½cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • handful of green beans, frozen or blanched.
  • olive oil
  • 2TBS butter

Start water boiling for pasta.

Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup water in a small cup to bloom.

Shrimp stock:  Meanwhile, sauté shrimp shells in a teaspoon of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet. Sauté for a couple of minutes until shells are pink. Add a cup of water and a bay leaf to the pan. Bring to a medium boil. Boil until water reaches boil. Pour through a strainer into small bowl. Pour gelatin mixture into bowl with shrimp stock and stir well.

Add salt to taste to pasta water. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Shrimp: Add a TBS of olive oil to skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté for a minute or so on each side. Add sun-dried tomatoes to skillet and saute for a minute or two. Remove from heat.

When pasta is nearly done, add a handful of green beans to pasta water and return to boil. Drain and return to pan over medium heat.

Add shrimp stock to pasta and beans. Bring to a boil and stir. Add shrimp and tomatoes to pasta. Add butter, stir, remove from heat. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.

Serve.

Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes & Broccoli

Pasta with Chicken, Tomatoes & Broccoli

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

August 2017: Needed to use up some cherry tomatoes. I turned them into an enhancement for a pasta casserole with some chicken and broccoli. Hmm, good.

  • 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, whole or cubed
  • 6-8oz pasta, penne, rotini, etc.
  • olive oil
  • 1-2pinches crushed red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1shallot, minced
  • 2cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3-4cups broccoli florets

Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Set a large pot of water to boil. When it boils, add salt to taste. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Remove water from pasta and set aside. Add broccoli to water and cook for 2-3 minutes until it is mostly cooked. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Drain.

Heat a TBS of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until hot but not smoking.
Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side to brown. Reduce heat to medium and flip until cooked through. 160°F at thickest spot. Remove to cutting board and rest. Slice chicken to bite sized pieces.
If using cubed chicken, cook stirring occasionally until no longer pink in the middle of thickest piece.
Remove chicken from pan. Add another TBS of olive oil, minced shallot, tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Sauté until shallot starts to brown.
Add tomato mixture to pasta pot with drained broccoli. Add chicken and pasta to pot with two TBS of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. You can also add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to make it saucier. Mix well until heated through.

Pasta with Ground Beef

Pasta with Ground Beef

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 1994: Another simple, tasty quick pasta casserole. Really an upgraded  substitute for Hamburger Helper. This could easily take the addition of other vegetables such as broccoli or asparagus.

  • 8oz pasta, rotini, penne, etc.
  • 2medium onions, halved and sliced
  • 4scallions, sliced
  • 1-2tsp minced garlic
  • 1TBS oil
  • 4oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 2TBS red wine
  • 1cup beef stock
  • 1-2tsp corn starch
  • salt and pepper to taste

Bring water for pasta to a boil and cook pasta al dente.

While heating water, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add a TBS of oil and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt for 4-5 minutes until softened. Half way through sautéing the onion, add the scallions and garlic. When onions are done, remove to bowl and set aside.

If adding the optional mushrooms, in the same pan used for the onions, sauté the mushrooms until nicely browned and add to the bowl with the onions.

In same pan used for onion, brown the ground beef, cooking until done. Drain the beef and set aside with onions.

Add red wine to beef pan and de-glaze over high heat for 1 minute or until reduced by a third. Add beef stock to pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix a TBS of corn starch with a little water and blend to form a slurry. Add to pan a bit at a time, whisking stock often as it comes to a boil and thickens. Salt and pepper to taste.

Return beef and onions to pan and stir to mix. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Check and adjust seasonings. Serve with a vegetable of choice.

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera

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Serves 6 to 8
Adapted from Crème de Colorado Cookbook

1994: This is a labor intensive dish, peeling and seeding tomatoes is a chore, but well worth the effort. I should probably title this Pasta Semi-Primavera since I really like the addition of both chicken and kielbasa. The original didn’t include any meat.

  • 4medium zucchini, sliced (3-4 cups)
  • 2cups small broccoli florets
  • 8-16oz pasta
  • ⅓cup pine nuts
  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 1TBS minced garlic
  • 4large tomatoes, skinned and chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 1cup snow pea pods, cut in half diagonally
  • ¼tsp salt
  • ¼tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 4TBS butter
  • ½cup heavy cream
  • 1cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼cup minced fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 1lb chicken, smoked sausage, kielbasa or combination. (Optional)

If using the optional chicken or sausage, cook and set aside.

Bring a gallon of water to a boil in 6-8 quart pot. When boiling add 1 TBS salt and stir.

While the water is heating, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Mix a couple of tsp of salt into the ice water.

Make a small X with a paring knife across the base of the tomatoes. Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and put in the ice water. This should cause the tomato skin toloosen and split at the X. Peal the skin starting at the X. Half the peeled tomatoes at their horizon and remove seeds with a spoon or your fingers. Chop the tomatoes. Set aside.

Blanch the zucchini for 1 minute in the boiling water. Remove from boiling water and plunge into the ice water

Blanch the broccoli for 3-4 minutes in the boiling water until crisp. Remove from boiling water and plunge into the ice water with the zucchini.

Remove the broccoli and zucchini from the ice water to another bowl. Discard the ice water.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente. Slightly under cooked is best.

While the pasta is cooking, spread the pine nuts of a cookie sheet and toast for 2-3 minutes under a broiler or in a toaster oven. Stir and toast for a few more minutes until golden. DON’T BURN the nuts.

Save a cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta and transfer to the bowl used for the ice water. Add a little oil and stir to coat to prevent sticking.

In the pasta pot, heat the olive oil, add the garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, snow pea pods, salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add the pasta, meat, butter, cream, Parmesan, pine nuts and basil. Cook until heated through.

Toss/stir gently. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve.

Note: This dish does not freeze well

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Sausage Mushroom Caps Bolognese

Sausage Mushroom Caps Bolognese

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Yield: 24 pieces
Hannah Jack Tavern, Merrimack, NH (closed)

Circa 1988.  This recipe comes from the then chef at Hannah Jack Tavern in NH.  I took a class that he taught at That Kitchen Place in Amherst, NH. Makes a great party appetizer.

  • 1small onion, diced
  • ½green pepper, diced
  • ½sweet red pepper, diced
  • 3cloves garlic, minced
  • 4TBS olive oil
  • 4sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
  • ½cup crushed tomatoes
  • 2TBS chopped parsley
  • 1tsp dried basil
  • ½cup light cream
  • ¾cup shredded mozzarella / bread crumbs
  • 24large mushroom caps, cleaned & stems removed


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat 2 TBS oil over high heat until shimmering. Put garlic in oil, sauté for 10 seconds. Add diced onion, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent but not browned.

Crumble sausage into pan with onion and peppers, stir and press into bottom of pan with large spoon to brown sausage. Cook until light brown. Drain excess fat. Add tomato, basil and parsley and cook about one minute. Add cream and reduce until thick. Remove from heat and stir in Mozzarella. Let cool. Add breadcrumbs to bind.

In a large sauce pan, sauté mushrooms in remaining olive oil. Drain and arrange on cookie sheet. Stuff with sausage mixture and bake at 400°F for 5 to 8 minutes.

Tip

With a few changes, the stuffing makes a real tasty filling for stuffed green peppers.

  • ½mushroom stuffing
  • 3green pepper tops, minced
  • 8oz ground beef
  • 1cup white rice, cooked

Brown the ground beef and the minced peppers in a large skillet.  When brown add the rice and the mushroom stuffing.  Mix until heated through.  Follow the prep and stuffing instructions for stuffed green peppers.

Hamburger & Gravy

Hamburger & Gravy

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aka Gravy Train

Yield: 3-4 Servings
Scott Nowell

1994: A throwback to school days in the 60’s. This was officially called Hamburg & Gravy in high school, the students called it Gravy Train, after the dog-food brand. 

For mushrooms:

  • 4oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1TBS butter

For meat:

  • 1lb 10% ground beef
  • ½medium onion, diced medium fine
  • 1cup of beef broth
  • butter, divided
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • Kitchen Bouquet, optional


Mushrooms & Onions:

Add 1 TBS of butter to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When foaming stops add mushrooms onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are translucent, for about 5 minutes. Remove to medium bowl.

Meat:

Brown the beef over medium high heat. Drain the fat from the beef and return the mushrooms and onions to the pan with the beef.

Sauce:

Add the beef stock and stir. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. If too thin, simmer until reduced by half, a light sauce consistency. To darken, add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet. To finish, remove from heat and stir in 1-2 TBS of butter into the sauce.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

 

Serve with:

Vegetable Starch
Green Beans Mashed Potato (Gravy Train)
Broccoli Baked Potato
Corn French Fried Potatoes
Green Salad