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Chicken And Broccoli Stir Fry

Chicken And Broccoli Stir Fry

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Dinner at the Zoo

2016: I think Gayle found this on the internet. It came out quite good and goes together quick as a stir fry should. The oyster sauce is a nice change from my usual stir fries. I give my portion a few drops of pepper oil for some heat.

  • 1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1TBS + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2cups small broccoli florets
  • 1cup sliced mushrooms (if you don’t like mushrooms you can add more broccoli instead)
  • 2tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1tsp minced garlic
  • ¼cup oyster sauce
  • ¼cup low sodium chicken broth or water
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 2tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp cornstarch
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 10″ fry pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and cook for approximately 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds more.

Remove the vegetables from the pan; place them on a plate and cover.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and turn the heat to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pan in a single layer – you may need to do this step in batches. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.

Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes or until the vegetables are warmed through.

In a bowl whisk together the oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Make a slurry In a small bowl by mixing the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water.

Pour the oyster sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables; cook for 30 seconds. Add the slurry and bring to a boil; cook for 1 more minute or until sauce has just started to thicken.

Serve immediately, with rice if desired.

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 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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Beef with Broccoli

Beef with Broccoli

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Yield: 2 Servings
adapted from Sue & Gambo

This is a simple recipe, but you need to remember one key rule – Don’t overcook the beef or the broccoli! The Oyster Sauce is a traditional flavoring and is skipped in many recipes.
I’ve made this with a variety of steak cuts. Flank and sirloin have good flavor but are rather tough. If you want it better than takeout, use strip or tenderloin.

Beef:

  • 8oz of sliced beef

Tenderize: (optional)

  • ¼tsp baking soda
  • 3TBS water

Marinade:

  • 1egg white
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • ¼tsp salt
  • 1-2½TBS of corn starch
  • 1TBS of oil

Broccoli:

  • 1lb broccoli
  • boiling water

Slurry:

  • 1TBS of corn starch
  • 2TBS of water

Premix sauce:

  • 1cup of chicken or beef broth
  • 2TBS of oyster sauce (optional)
  • ½tsp sugar
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • 1tsp sesame seed oil (optional)
  • 1tsp of dark soy sauce

Stir-fry:

  • 1TBS of oil
  • 1tsp minced garlic


Beef:

Note: Tenderize the beef with a Jaccard before slicing. (optional)

Slice the beef with the blade tilted 45 degrees to get a thin cut through the grain.

Tenderize: (optional)

Mix 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3 TBS water in a small bowl. Add beef, mix well and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Marinate:

In a bowl, add the beef, egg white, white pepper, salt, Mix well. Add 1 to 2 TBS of corn starch and mix well. Add 1 TBS of oil and mix again. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Premix sauce:
In a small bowl add 1 cup of broth, oyster sauce, sugar, pinch of white pepper, sesame seed oil (optional), dark soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.

Make slurry:

Whisk 1 TBS of cornstarch and 2 TBS of water in a bowl. Set aside.

Boiling the broccoli

In a 6 qt pot add 1/2 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli, cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes. After your broccoli is done boiling strain and cool with cold water.

Cooking the beef

In a wok add 2 TBS oil, the beef and cook on high heat until the beef is brown. Set the beef aside.

Stir-fry
Add 1 TBS of oil, minced garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds.
Add beef, broccoli and stir-fry for 30 to 60 seconds. Add the premix sauce and bring to a boil. To thicken the sauce, slowly add slurry to your stir-fry until it’s the desired thickness.

French Green Beans and Shallots

French Green Beans and Shallots

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Yield: 4 Servings
Jacques Pepin

September 2016: This is an excellent green bean preparation: simple flavors combined into an elegant dish that goes with almost anything.

  • 4cups water
  • 1lb very small, firm green beans, cleaned
  • 3TBS butter
  • 3TBS peeled and chopped shallots
  • ¼tsp salt, or to taste
  • ¼tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 1tsp lemon juice


Bring the water to a boil. Add the beans and cover the pot. Continue cooking the beans, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and plunge into ice water.

At serving time, heat the butter in a skillet, add the shallots and sauté for about 1 minute, until the shallots start to brown.

Add the beans, salt and pepper, and sauté briefly. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve.

Broccoli with Lemon Butter

Broccoli with Lemon Butter

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

1984: This is a simple dish that is nearly too simple to justify a recipe. I updated the first paragraph below to add information that I find most people don’t know.
This is a great accompaniment to roast beef or about anything else that can stand the lemon bite.

  • 2bunches of broccoli
  • 4TBS unsalted butter
  • 1TBS fresh lemon juice
  • ¼tsp salt
  • ¼tsp freshly ground pepper


The outer surface of the bottom of stems on a bunch of broccoli is often quite tough, but that is easy to fix. Cut the bottom half inch off to get rid of the dry end. Then, peel the bottom few inches of the broccoli with a vegetable peeler.  Separate the broccoli into spears of the desired size. Rather than tossing out the stem, cut it on a diagonal into 1/8 to ¼ inch thick coins. When cooking, put the stem pieces in the boiling water about a minute ahead of the spears.

Add about ½ inch of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt.

Add broccoli and boil until crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. The water is really for steam, so the broccoli won’t be covered.

In a small saucepan warm the butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring, until butter melts.

Transfer broccoli to a heated bowl and pour sauce over the broccoli.