A WINTER HOLIDAY
Whatever you celebrate, I hope I have it covered. Have a happy . . .
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A Winter Holiday
Lentil Soup
Lentil Soup
Here’s a simple lentil soup recipe. My doctor goes over my diet each time I see her for an annual physical. She inevitably tells me that I eat too much meat and not enough vegetables. Well, this should make her happy. And if you replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock it would be vegan. According to Medical News Today lentils really are pretty healthy.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup Italian trinity (carrot/onion/celery)
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 cups dried rinsed lentils
- 14 oz crushed tomato
- 1/2 tsp. coriander powder – optional
- 1 ½ tsp. paprika
- 2 dried bay leaves
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the trinity and cook for 10 minutes until it begins to dry.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 45-50 minutes or until lentils are soft.
Remove bay leaves and take a cup of the soup and put it into a blender. Blend until it’s smooth and put it back into the pot. 
Taste for seasoning. If the soup is too thick add some water.
For a variation you can stir in some cooked white rice when the lentil soup is almost done.
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Giuggiulena
Giuggiulena
Giuggiulena (ju – ju – lay – na) is a simple Calabrese recipe. It’s something like a cookie and something like candy and very easy to make.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 cups sesame seeds
- ½ cup roasted almonds
Put the honey and sugar in a pot over low heat. Stir for a few minutes until it’s blended.
When it begins to bubble, add the sesame seeds and coarsely chopped almonds. Keeping it at a low heat, stir until everything is well blended and the sesame seeds start to darken.
When it’s done, pour the mixture on a lightly oiled counter and flatten it until it’s about ½ inch thick.
Cut it with a knife into bit sized pieces and let it cool to room temperature.
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Peperoncini Chicken
Peperoncini Chicken
This is adapted from a recipe created by Grant Melton that I found in Bon Appetit. It’s something like a sheet pan roast but with a couple of extra steps. The chicken retains its crisp skin and the vegetables cook in olive oil, brine, and chicken fat.
Peperoncini Chicken – Ingredients:
- 4 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 tbsp. olive oil divided
- 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
- 10 peperoncini and ½ cup brine
- 2 finely grated garlic cloves
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 425o.
Season the room temperature chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, Place chicken in the pan and cook for 13-15 minutes without turning.
In the meantime, toss the potatoes, peperoncini, garlic, oregano, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
Turn the chicken skin side up and arrange the potato mixture around it. Pour the peperoncini liquid around it and give the pan a shake to distribute it. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.
When it’s done transfer the chicken and peperoncini to a serving dish Place the pan with the potatoes on a burner – medium/high heat. Add the onion, celery, and parsley. Blend and cook for 5 minutes. Pour it over the chicken and potatoes and serve.
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Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes
The last time I had fried green tomatoes in a restaurant was over two years ago in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They’re not too common in New York restaurants so we have to make our own. It’s really very simple recipe but the hard part is finding firm, unripe green tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 3 or 4 large unripe tomatoes cut crosswise into ½-inch slices
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup corn meal
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp. Cajun Spice Mix
- Salt and black pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
Put the flour in one dish, the beaten egg and milk in a bowl and the corn meal/breadcrumbs/Cajun seasoning, salt and black pepper in another dish.
Put a half inch of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. After patting them dry, dip each tomato slice first in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs, letting any excess coating drip off. Fry them in batches and don’t let them touch in the pan.
Cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes on each other side. Drain on paper towels and serve.
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Sheet Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Parmigiano
Sheet-Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Parmigiano
I adapted this from a Melissa Clark recipe in the New York Times. Everything cooks in the same pan and the same amount of time keeping preparation simple.
Ingredients:
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more for serving
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 poblano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Season room temperature chicken with salt and black pepper and place it on an oiled, rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, paprika, and oregano. Pour over chicken, tossing to coat.
Add tomatoes, poblano and bell pepper to baking sheet, spread vegetables around the chicken.  
Season vegetables lightly with salt and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle Parmigiano all over the vegetables and some on the chicken. 
Roast until chicken is golden, crisp and cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Stir the vegetables halfway through cooking but don’t disturb the chicken. Transfer chicken to plates. Stir vegetables around in pan. Stir in the parsley Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Spoon vegetables over the chicken to serve. 
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Breaded Flounder Filets
Breaded Flounder Filets
I grew up with a kid named Vinny. We’d eat with each other’s families often. This was as close as I could come to his grandmother’s recipe for breaded flounder filet. I think I did it justice.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb founder fillets
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
- 3 cloves of finely minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
- 1 tsp. oregano
- Olive oil for frying
- Lemon for serving
Cut the filets into portion sizes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to come to room temperature.
Prepare three dishes – one with flour, one with the beaten eggs and one with the breadcrumb mixture containing the garlic, parsley, and oregano.
First dredge the filet in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then coat it with the beaten egg letting any excess drip away. Dredge the filet in the breadcrumbs, pressing it so it sticks. Put the filets aside for 20 minutes to let the coating stick.
Add about ¼ inch of oil to a frying pan and heat to medium. Fry each side until golden brown. Don’t crowd the pan. Drain the filets and paper towels and serve with sliced lemons.
If there’s any egg wash and breadcrumbs left over make a breadcrumb polpette.
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Marmite Roast Potatoes
A while back I did a post on umami and at the time, I had never tasted Marmite and didn’t include it. Their advertising slogan is “Love it or hate it,” and I wondered which way I’d go. I tried it in a recipe that I adapted from Karen William’s Marmite Roast Potatoes on Delish – a British cooking site. Maybe I don’t love it yet, but it works for me.
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“Vegans, Love It or Hate It, You’re Going to Need It”
“New ways with Marmite: top cooking tips”
Marmite Roast Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 2 lb white potatoes
- 2 oz. butter
- 1 tbsp. Marmite
- 1 tbsp. bourbon
- Thyme leaves (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400o.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Place the peeled and cut into 2 inch potatoes and boil for 10 mins. Drain, shake well to rough-up the edges and leave them in the pot, covered, for 10 minutes.
Melt the butter in a small pot and whisk in the marmite and bourbon until blended.
Put the potatoes into a baking tray and pour the marmite over them. Turn potatoes to coat. Cook for 20 minutes, turn the potatoes, and cook for another 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with black pepper, thyme leaves and serve.
Based on Melissa Clark’s suggestion. I tried Marmite on a scrambled egg sandwich. Very good but if you try it, don’t add any additional salt.
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Corn Chowder
Corn Chowder
Chowder comes from the Latin word calderia, which meant ‘cooking pot.’ or ‘cauldron.’ Vegetables or fish stewed in a cauldron became known as chowder.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- Fresh kernels from 3 – 4 ears of corn
- 1 tsp. sweet paprika
- 2 – 3 cups diced potatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until its soft, then add the red bell pepper and cook for another five minutes.
Remove the kernels from the corn and add to the pot. Add the paprika and diced potatoes and blend. Cook for five minutes. Then add the chicken broth and parsley.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 – 20 minutes. Put one cup of the soup into a blender and blend until creamy then return it to the pot and stir. Pour in the milk and simmer for five minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped scallions.
Two variations –
-
Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian dish.
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Replace two cups of the chicken broth with clam broth and add canned or fresh clams for corn clam chowder. Also add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of Tobassco.
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Greek Yogurt Chicken Cutlets
Greek Yogurt Chicken Cutlets
This is a different take on breaded chicken cutlets. Instead of an egg wash for the breading you use yogurt and the scallions and onion powder give it a nice tang.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. chicken cutlets or chicken breasts cut into cutlets
- Salt and black pepper
- 8 oz. Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
- Olive oil as needed for frying
- lemon for serving
Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and black pepper.
Mix the yogurt, scallions, onion powder and a dash of salt and black pepper together in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken and mix to coat it with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Bring chicken to room temperature. Scrape off any excess marinade and press the chicken into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Allow the breaded cutlets 20 minutes to rest before frying.
Heat the oil to medium-high and fry the cutlets until lightly browned – about 5 minutes per side. Cook in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Drain them on paper towels and serve with lemon slices.
. . . and a chicken cutlet sandwich.
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