Orzo with Prosciutto and Asparagus

Orzo with Prosciutto and Asparagus

Sarah mentioned to me today that she will be making this dish from the blog to go with baked ham tomorrow when her in-laws come over for Easter dinner.  And I was reminded just how good this dish is. One of our best.  

It was originally posted in 2010.

This is a great side dish.  We served it today with grilled butterflied leg of lamb, but it also works well with beef tenderloin or filets.  The timing of the dish works out well for entertaining.  And it requires only one pan.  While Tom grills, I make this dish on the stovetop.  Guests love it.   

Orzo with Prosciutto and Asparagus

adapted from Bon Appetit, April, 2003

Serves 6 - 8

2 T.  butter

4 ounces cubed prosciutto

1 1/4 cups orzo (about 8 ounces)

3 c. low-salt chicken broth

2 pounds slender asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

On medium-high heat,  add prosciutto and saute until almost crisp, remove with a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Melt 2 T. butter in the same skillet over high heat.  Add orzo; stir 1 minute.  Add broth, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until orzo begins to soften, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Add asparagus; cover and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes.  Uncover; simmer until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Mix in prosciutto and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chicken Puff Pie by Colleen

Puff Pastry-Topped 9 x 13" Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of my ultimate comfort foods and we have been having an unseasonably long winter here in California.

You can buy ready-made pie at the local grocery but it is expensive.  

I happen to like puff pastry and don't want all of the calories or trouble of making a double crust. And it is easier to go with the natural shape of the puff pastry dough than to cut out a circle.  

So a certain bit of laziness is part of my decision to go with a 9 x 13".  I guess if I'm doing all of the other parts from scratch, I don't feel bad cheating on the crust.

---Colleen

Chicken Pot Pie

1 large shallot finely chopped

3 large chicken breasts, roasted, meat removed from bone and chopped

(about four cups)

2 cups baby carrots, cooked tender in lightly salted water

2 cups baby peas

olive oil

2 cups chicken broth

½ cup half and half or milk

dried or fresh thyme – about 1 ½ teaspoons

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ cup flour

4-6 Tablespoons butter 

puff pastry sheet, thawed
egg wash (1 well beaten egg, mixed with a little milk or water)

Saute chopped shallot in olive oil until tender.  Stir in butter until melted and add flour and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  With a whisk, stir in chicken stock until smooth.  Stir in half and half, drained carrots, peas, thyme, and chicken.  Let simmer until sauce is desired thickness.  If too thick, add a little more chicken broth to thin. 

Note parchment lined baking sheet to catch drips

Pour filling into 9x13 pan.  

Line up dish to gauge roll out of puff pastry.  

Wait for dough to thaw, no matter how impatient you are.

Roll out puff pastry dough to cover dish.  

Place on top and bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until puff pastry is cooked through. Brush the pastry with an egg wash so it will brown well and shine.  

Best to let it sit for a while, at least 10 minutes, before cutting into it.  

You can make the filling in advance and then assemble with the puff pastry later.  If you are doing this, put the filling in the dish and start to heat as you are warming the oven so the filling isn’t cold.  When filling is about 120 degrees, put puff pastry on top and finish baking.

Also, for reheating purposes, I cut a big piece of crust and lift it off with a spatula and put it on a parchment covered baking sheet and reheat for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then, I microwave the filling in a bowl and replace the top.  Otherwise, the crust is soggy.

---Colleen

Lamb Chops with Lemon-Mustard sauce

Well, today I thought I would be writing about Seven-Hour Leg of Lamb, which I cooked all afternoon yesterday while Tom and David watched the Master's final round of golf, and I had a 600-page book to keep me company.

This morning it still seems like a good idea --- a garlic-studded leg of lamb, a bottle of dry white wine, onions and carrots, fragrant thyme, rosemary and garlic---in a low oven (300 degrees) for seven hours, basting it every half hour.

I think I overcooked it (by a few hours!), because the size of my lamb roast wasn't as large as the one called for in Tom Valenti's recipe.

Instead, today I offer you my "go to" recipe for lamb chops, which I made many times over the last 6 months because we bought a CSA from a local farmer.

There were lots and lots of lamb chops.  At first, I simply pan-fried them.  Then, I found this recipe in Fine Cooking.

The sauce is SO good.  I am putting it on the blog so I don't forget about it.  It works well with lamb tenderloin,too.  It is delicious.

I have changed the recipe up a bit, based on making it so many times.

Seared Lamb Chops with Lemon-Mustard Pan Sauce
(Fine Cooking, 2016)

Serves 2

1 T. olive oil
4 small lamb loin chops
1 t. finely chopped garlic (more if you wish)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed
2 t. country style mustard
1/2 t. brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly chopped parsley or chives for garnish (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pat the lamb chops dry with paper towels.  The drier they are, the better they will brown (vs. steam). Season both sides well with salt and pepper.

In an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold all of the chops, add the oil, then heat to medium high. Turn on the fan, and prepare for splatters.  Add the chops, and cook for 3 minutes on the first side. They should be well browned.  If they are not, then go a minute or two longer.  Flip them over with tongs, and cook on the other side until browned, for at least 3 minutes, and if needed up to 5.

Transfer the chops to a plate, and set aside while you make the sauce,

Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic, add the thyme, stirring into the pan juices, until fragrant. This happens quickly.  Don't let the garlic burn.

Add the wine, and cook, stirring in the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, and brown sugar and cook for a minute or so longer.

Add the chops back in to the skillet, and transfer to the oven.

Roast until done to your liking, about 7 minutes more, up to 10 minutes.  This will depend on the thickness of your chops.

Best to test the temperature.  Medium rare is 135 degrees.

Remove the pan from the oven, remove the chops to a plate and tent (cover with aluminum foil), while you finish the sauce.

Add the cream to the skillet, and cook stirring, over medium high heat, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

Add the fresh herbs and stir.

Serve the sauce with the chops.

And an arugula salad.

Delicious!

B

Country Captain by Tom

One - Pot Chicken with Spices - Southern style

I volunteered to cook after our almost week-long trip to Dayton, Ohio.  Recently Barbara found a magazine titled "Southern Cast Iron", which featured this recipe.  She also had just received a number of cast iron skillets from my mother as we cleaned out her kitchen.  Unfortunately, the recipe I used called for a covered 12" skillet, which we did not have.  Skillet yes, cover no.  So I made this one-pot dish in a heavy stainless steel oven-proof skillet that I did have a cover for.

But first, what is Country Captain?

Per Wikipedia, Country Captain is a curried chicken and rice dish, which is quite popular in the Southern United States.  It was first introduced to the U.S. through Charleston, Savannah, New York and Philadelphia by sea captains returning from India. It traces its origins to India cuisine and features curry.

The recipe I used is said to have been introduced by a British sea captain landing in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1700s.  But Southerners have made this dish their own.

Now I have made it, and I must say, it is quite good.

      ---Tom

Country Captain
(from Southern Cast Iron magazine)

Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds) 
4 chicken drumsticks
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups Carolina Gold Rice or any other white long-grain rice
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped and toasted almonds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350.

Add the oil to the 12" skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and brown the chicken.  This will take 8-12 minutes.  Do sprinkle the chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper as you are browning the chicken.  Once the chicken is sufficiently browned, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Next add the onion, green bell pepper and celery to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  This will take 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. 

Stir in the rice.

Next add the brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, paprika, and red pepper.

Stir in the chicken broth, raisins and the remaining salt and pepper.  Nestle the chicken pieces into the rice mixture.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cover the skillet and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.  Check to make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Also check the rice to see how wet it is.  If it is still wet, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, which I needed to do.

Remove the skillet from the oven using oven mitts.  Remember the handle will be hot!  Take the chicken out of the pan and add the drained tomatoes and vinegar.  

Gently fluff the rice mixture with a fork to distribute the tomatoes and vinegar.

Now put the chicken back into the skillet.  Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Toast the chopped almonds at this stage.  Watch carefully to insure they do not burn.

After the 10 minutes are up, sprinkle the dish with the almonds and the chopped parsley.

It is now ready to serve.  I made a prepackaged cauliflower in a cheese sauce to go with the dish.

So there you have it.  Country Captain.  A one-pot Indian inspired chicken and rice dish.

---Tom