Chicken and Asparagus in a Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce

It's starting to feel like spring around here, and when I sat down to menu-plan on Friday I knew instantly what I wanted to have for dinner to celebrate. This dish is extremely easy to make and comes together in ~15 minutes after the prep work is done. I like to do the prep in the morning when I'm in a putzing-around-in-the-kitchen mood (which is less likely to be there when dinner time sneaks up on me). The bright lemon and dill are perfect with the asparagus, making this a great (and actually really healthy) spring dish. I don't remember where I first saw the recipe that later became this, but I remember that they had you boil the crap out of your asparagus, so it was olive-green and mushy by the time you sat down to eat it. Not cool. You can simmer for a bit longer if you prefer, but I like to throw the asapargus in at the end for just long enough to heat through.

Chicken and Asparagus in a Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
   1 teaspoon oil
   4 - 5 shallots, minced
   6 chicken breasts, cut crosswise into ½” wide strips
   2 8-ounce cans sliced water chestnuts, drained
   3 cups chicken broth
   zest from 4 lemons
   juice of 4 lemons (see note)
   4 - 6 tablespoons flour
   1 3/4 C fat free sour cream (or full-fat if you're in the mood)
   1 teaspoon sea salt
   3 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2” lengths
   1 cup chopped fresh dill

In a large nonstick pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to high, then add the chicken and water chestnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until a majority of the chicken is turning opaque, about 4 minutes.

Combine the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, sour cream, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Things will be looking pretty bland at this point:
Add asparagus to the skillet and simmer until just heated through. Stir in the dill and serve (over rice if desired).
Serves 6-8.

Note: The only juicer I ever use and, in my opinion, the greatest juicer ever invented, is the aluminum juicer pictured above from the good people at WearEver. You can pretty much only find them at eBay or antique stores, but I highly recommend that you run out and find one. You can thank me later.

Scorching Chile Chicken

This dish is definitely in my Top 5 Favorite Lunches. I make it ridiculously often (so much so that Stef used to tease me about it in Melbourne) but never seem to get tired of it. This dish also once magically cured Alicia when she was sick, so it apparently has medicinal value in addition to being very healthy. On top of all that, it's actually extremely easy to make (and not just in the Emily-style way...) despite the seemingly-long ingredient list. The only real prep is chopping 2 onions, a few cloves of garlic, and some chiles. The rest is just a matter of dumping stuff in a pot, then letting it cook slowly in the oven (or, slightly higher-maintenance, simmer on the stovetop...).

Everything in this recipe is very much "to taste," and I don't think I've ever had it taste the same way twice. I used Red Curry Paste for the first few years that I made this, but in Melbourne I ran out of Red Curry Paste and had to substitute Penang, only to discover that I love this dish even more that way... For this batch I used 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes, 6 serranos, and 6 red jalapeño chiles and it turned out rather scorching indeed.

Scorching Chile Chicken
   For Spice Paste (adjust for desired degree of “scorching”-ness):
      3 tablespoons tomato paste
      3 cloves garlic, minced
      4 - 12 serrano chilies, finely minced
      1 - 3 tablespoons crushed dried red chilie flakes
      2 tablespoons Penang curry paste or red curry paste
      2 teaspoons chile powder
      1 teaspoon paprika
      1 teaspoon salt
      1/2 teaspoon sugar
   For the Chicken and Sauce:
      1 tablespoon oil or chicken fat (chicken fat is vastly superior but not always readily available...)
      2 - 3 tablespoons cumin seeds
      2 onions, chopped
      4 bay leaves
      1 tablespoon ground coriander
      1.5 tablespoons ground cumin
      1/2 teaspoon turmeric
      2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
      1 - 1 1/2 cups water
      6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
      1 tablespoon garam masala
   To Serve:
      Plain whole milk yogurt

Combine all ingredients for spice mix and set aside.
Heat oil in a large pot and toast the fry the cumin seeds 1 – 2 minutes. Add the onion and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the spice paste and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken and garam masala. Cover and simmer 25 – 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Alternately, pre-heat oven to 375°F and bake for 60-90 minutes. When the dish is finished cooking, I like to remove the chicken from the sauce and chop it into small bite-sized pieces, then return it to the sauce to soak up all that spicy goodness. Serve with yogurt to calm the burn.

Serves 6 generously.

Grilled Salmon Soft Tacos with Lime-Marinated Shrimp

I was having a bit of a Mexican food craving on Saturday, but also wanted something fresh and Spring-y to celebrate the (isolated) gorgeous day that was happening. Thus, I decided to grill up some salmon, marinate and grill some shrimp, make up a big batch of pico de gallo, make a variation on guacamole, and make a batch of corn tortillas to aid in the consumption of all of the above. This is hard stuff to write recipes for since it's really just throwing a bunch of stuff together until it tastes right, but here's an attempt. "Recipes" are given for each component, which can then be made into tacos:
or served without the tortillas as a relatively fancy-looking dish:

Salmon:
Season the salmon with salt and pepper, then grill until barely cooked through (or to your preferred doneness). I like to do the grilling all on just the skin side (or with the salmon on a piece of lightly-oiled foil if it's skinless) to remove the risk of any sticking-to-the-grill catastrophes. I prefer skin-on salmon, but Costco only sells skinless so I often end up going with that...

Shrimp:
Combine the zest of 3 limes with the juice of 1-2 limes, 3-4 tablespoons of minced cilantro stems, 3 cloves finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a large zip-top bag. Add 2 pounds peeled deveined shrimp and allow to marinate for a few hours. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and grill until just cooked through.
Pico de Gallo:
Combine 5 large tomatoes (diced), 1 red onion (chopped), 3 serrano chilies (finely minced), with chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste.
Avocado Relish/Guacamole:
All components of this are carefully cut into small dice, but they're the exact ingredients I use when I make guacomole, in which case I just chop everything and mash it together with avocados. Either way is delicious, this way is just prettier: Wrap 2-4 serrano pepeprs in foil and roast in a 400°F oven until very soft. To remove the roasted pepper flesh I remove the stem and, starting at the tip, scrape the length of the pepper with the back of a knife. Nine times out of ten the flesh will pop out the stem end, leaving the skin behind. (When this doesn't work, you have to get in there a little more to remove the flesh from the skin.) Run your knife through the roasted chillies and set aside. Finely dice 1/4 of a red oinon and one large tomato, then combine in a bowl with ~2-4 tablespoons shredded cilantro, a sprinkle of sea salt, and roasted chillies and lime juice to taste. Toss these ingredients together thoroughly so that there will be less mixing to do once the more delicate avocados are in the bowl. Finely dice 3 large avocados and add to the bowl. Gently toss all ingredients together until well-combined (being careful not to mash the avocados) and season to taste with additional lime, chillies, and/or salt as needed.
Corn Tortillas:
I follow Rick Bayless's recipe exactly when I make tortillas, so I will just link to it here rather than trying to paraphrase. I had actually been having some trouble the last couple times I made tortillas (they weren't puffing like they used to) and after re-reading the recipe I realize it was because I'd been skipping the part about using two different temperatures of pans. I did it the way Mr. Bayless explains this time and had a 100% success rate with puffing.
Homemade tortillas are about a million times more delicious than store-bought and are fairly low-maintenance (once you have the tools). I highly recommend giving them a try when you get a chance.

Bun Cha and Ga Chanh Roti

These are the two dishes I make when I'm craving Vietnamese food. Both are extremely easy to make and really delicious. I usually serve the pork in a lettuce wrap or combine the lettuce wrap ingredients into a salad. I serve the chicken on its own so that the subtle lime leaf flavor remains the star of the dish. Both of these dishes are going to give you some serious charring on the grill (due to the palm sugar in the pork and the honey in the chicken marinade) so keep an eye on them as they cook.

Hanoi Grilled Pork (Bun Cha)
   For Pork:
      6 tablespoons palm sugar
      4 tablespoons fish sauce
      2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
      2 large shallots, finely chopped
      2 teaspoons salt
      2.5 pounds boneless pork loin, minced
   To Serve (See picture below):
      lettuce leaves, torn
      8 oz. bean sprouts
      julienned cucumber and carrot
      cilantro, basil, and mint leaves
      Dipping Sauce (combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilies to taste)
Gently melt the 2 tablespoons of palm sugar with 3 tablespoons of the fish sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring all the time. Allow to cool a little, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and combine with the garlic, shallot, 4 tablespoons palm sugar, the remaining fish sauce, and salt. Add the minced pork, mix thoroughly, then cover and leave to stand for 3 - 5 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Shape the minced pork into 12 flat patties, place them on a preheated grill and cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

To serve, use lettuce leaves as a wrap and fill with pork, veggies and herbs then dip in the dipping sauce.

Serves 6.


Grilled Lime Chicken (Ga Chanh Roti)
   4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
   2 tablespoons clear honey
   2 tablespoons fish sauce
   2 green onions, chopped
   2 cloves garlic, chopped
   16 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
      salt and pepper

Mix the chicken in a bowl with the honey, fish sauce, and salt and pepper. Leave to stand.

In a small food processor or blender, mix the green onions, garlic, and lime leaves, adding a little water if necessary. Make sure the lime paste is completely smooth, then add to the chicken. Stir well then cover and marinate for at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and season with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook until just cooked through.

Serves 4 - 6.

*****

By the way, in theory you could cook both dishes under the broiler in your oven, but in case you need proof of how much better I think these taste cooked with fire, this is what my grill looked like when I went out to start cooking:

Curried Chicken Soup with Carrots

I hadn't made this soup in a couple years, but I have a lot of carrots around lately for some reason and it reminded me how much I used to love this soup. It's extremely easy to make, extremely healthy, and has a really unique flavor (in a good way). This batch turned out better than I ever remember it tasting before, so I'm glad I wrote down approximately what I did so that I can replicate it in the future...

Curried Chicken Soup with Carrots
   1 teaspoon oil
   2 pounds sweet onions, chopped
   1.5 pounds carrots, chopped
   2 tablespoons curry powder
   1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
   1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
   1/4 teaspoon cayenne
   6 cups chicken stock
   1/4 cup flour
   6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
      fresh cilantro leaves, to serve

Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat, then add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften and the onions begin to color (about 30 minutes). Add the spices (curry powder through cayenne) and stir to combine. Transfer about 2/3 of the mixture to a blender (can do more or less than this, depending on how many carrot chunks you want in your final soup) along with the flour and about 2 cups of the chicken stock, then blend until smooth. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the soup pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken starts to color. Add the mixture from the blender along with the remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with fresh cilantro.

Serves 6.

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Arugula, Chicken, and Feta

This is an incredibly easy but really tasty pasta recipe. It started over at Epicurious, but my version involves a little less pasta and a lot more chicken and veggies (or fruit and greens, technically, I suppose). You can roast the tomatoes while you're doing other things earlier in the day, then get them heated up again while you cook the pasta and grill the chicken. When you add the 12 ounces of arugula to the pot and put your measly little 6 ounces of pasta on top, you will most likely think something is horribly wrong with the proportions. It does indeed look a bit ridiculous at first, but as the arugula wilts down when you toss the ingredients together, suddenly things come together and you end up with a well-balanced dish.

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Arugula, Chicken, and Feta
   4 pounds grape tomatoes
   1 - 4 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
   1 head of garlic, peeled and finely minced
   coarse sea salt
   olive oil
   6 grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
   6 ounces penne pasta
   6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat an oven to 475°F. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with pepper flakes, garlic, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a splash of olive oil (I use about a teaspoon per baking sheet, but feel free to use more if you're an olive oil fan) and spread the tomatoes out into a single layer. Roast until starting to wrinkle and brown in spots. There should be some delicious juices accumulating on the parchment at this point, too.
This step can be done ahead. When you're ready to complete the dish, place the tomatoes (and accumulated juices) in the bottom of a large pot, then add the chopped grilled chicken. Place the pot over medium heat until the tomato juices start to simmer slightly. Reduce heat to low, then add the arugula to the pot but do not stir, and cover with a lid. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Add the pasta to the other ingredients. Don't worry about draining too thoroughly, as a little bit of pasta water will just help build the sauce. Crumble the feta into the pot, then begin stirring all ingredients together. Continue to stir until the arugula is wilted and all ingredients are well combined.

Serves 6.

Cauliflower, Chicken, Potato, and Pea Curry (Updated)

This is one of those cases where being forced to cook through adversity results in good things happening. I decided to make Cauliflower, Chicken, Potato, and Pea Curry last night because I was going to be making it with limited supplies after a long day at work and it doesn't require too many ingredients or much hands-on time...

As I got out my ingredients and started to prep, I immediately realized that I didn't have a pot nearly big enough to hold everything. (Typically everything goes in a huge pot together then into the oven to slowly cook while I do something else.) I decided my best bet was to cook the chicken separately in the oven while simmering the potatoes and cauliflower on the stove-top. This worked out really nicely, since the potatoes can be temperamental (sometimes they're done cooking in 30 minutes... sometimes they're not done after 2 hours...), making it difficult to avoid over-cooking the chicken. With this new method, I was able to boil the crap out of the potatoes while perfectly baking the chicken.

The only question now is why it took cooking in an under-equipped hotel kitchen to come up with this change... The chicken ends up so much more tender and flavorful cooked this way, resulting in a more flavorful dish overall. Before this meal I was getting a little fed up with my hotel room kitchen but, now that it forced me to improve upon one of my favorite dinners, it's not seeming so bad after all...

Cauliflower, Chicken, Potato, and Pea Curry (Take 2)
   1 tablespoon oil or chicken fat (chicken fat is best…)
   2 medium onions, chopped
   3 tablespoons ground coriander
   2-3 tablespoons ground cumin
   1.5 teaspoons turmeric
   0-3 teaspoons dried red-pepper flakes
   1 teaspoon salt
   6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
   2 medium heads of cauliflower, cored and broken into bite-sized pieces
   6-8 small potatoes (preferably Yukon Gold), cut into 1–inch dice
   1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes (not drained, crushed by hand)
   2 1/2 cups water, divided
   3/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more to serve
   2 cups frozen petite peas
   Plain yogurt (to serve)

Preheat the oven to 350̊ Fahrenheit.

Heat oil or chicken fat in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened and starting to color. Meanwhile, combine the spices (coriander through salt) and stir to combine. Rub the chicken breasts with 2 - 3 tablespoons of the spice mixture to coat, then place in a single layer in a baking dish and add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the dish. Place in the oven and bake until the chicken is just cooked through. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, chop into bite-sized pieces.

Add the remaining spice mixture to the pot with the onions and cook, stirring for about 1 minute. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the everything is coated in the spice mixture and well-combined. Add the tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook at a fairly rapid boil, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 30-60 minutes. When potatoes are cooked and liquid is somewhat reduced, stir in the peas and cilantro and cook, stirring, until the peas are heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in the chicken (or, if you're lacking a big enough pot like I was, divide the vegetable mixture between serving bowls then distribute chicken evenly among the bowls).

Serve with yogurt, fresh cilantro, and additional red pepper flakes.

Serves 8.