Rosemary Chicken Comfort Food

This recipe comes from the cookbook, Glorious One-Pot Meals. It is a great cookbook for busy folks- essentially you pile the food (in order) in a dutch oven, stick it in the oven and you're finished. This recipe is a favorite of my youngest. I have amended the recipe a bit, but not significantly.

1/4 onion, cut into 1 inch slices
2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
6 - 8 small potatoes, new or boilers- I used Russets, cut into smaller chunks
1/2 small acorn squash, cut into 1 inch cubes - I used a winter squash- not acorn
5 - 10 mushrooms, thickly sliced
15 - 20 green beans, trimmed, cut into thirds - I left out this step with the intention of steaming them
4 - 6 sprigs rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried - do NOT use dried- use fresh!

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray inside of 2-quart Dutch oven and lid with a high heat oil.
Separate onion slices and place in a layer on bottom of pot. Rinse chicken pieces and place over the onions. Lightly salt and pepper. Stab each potato multiple times with a fork and drop into pot above the chicken. Arrange cubes of squash in gently. Add mushrooms and cover with final layer of green beans. Lightly salt and pepper. Tuck sprigs of rosemary into crevices. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma wafts from the oven.

 Here it is going into the oven- you can see I used dried rosemary. Not a good idea- they end up like little toothpicks in your meal. I salted and peppered it after the photo was taken.

 **Delicious- the chicken was tender and moist. The winter squash was a bit mushy, but acceptable. I have a dollop of my cheeky plum sauce that I canned earlier this summer with it.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I couldn't resist picking up some chorizo at World Market this weekend. What a perfect way to use it! This soup looked great online at bbcfood and it uses all the right vegetables for the Los Poblanos box this week. It calls for crusty bread- I almost made some GF rosemary bread sticks...
I used 4 small turnips for this dish and fresh tomatoes. The leeks came from my garden as did the thyme. If you don't have an herb garden at your house- I'd recommend you put some flat leaf parsley, thyme, and rosemary into the ground or a container. Staple herbs!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter
• 1 leek, cut into small chunks
• 1 large carrot, cut into small chunks
• ½ large turnip, cut into small chunks
• 1 sweet potato, cut into small chunks
• 1 celery stalk, cut into small chunks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes (I used fresh romas)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• small bunch thyme, tied together with string (I tied mine with a leek stalk)
• 570ml/1 pint vegetable stock
• 150g/5oz green beans, trimmed (and cut into more bite manageable pieces)
• 1 raw chorizo sausage (about 110g/4oz), cut into small chunks (Optional)
• crusty bread to serve- Optional

Preparation method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the leek, carrot, turnip, sweet potato and celery and fry for 10-12 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften but don't colour.
   
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the cumin, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, thyme, vegetable stock and green beans. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the chorizo for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown.
   
4. Remove the thyme from the soup and stir in the chorizo. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
5. Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and serve with crusty bread on the side.
   
   
   
    Starting to simmer
   
   
    **The finished product. I'd say the chorizo is definitely optional with the richness of the broth-so I took it out of the title. Wow! This soup was fantastic.
   
   
   
   

Vegetable Tagine

I got this recipe from the New York Times. My comment reads, "Good, Filling". It calls for a spice called zaatar. You can find it at the Istanbul Cafe on Wyoming. They don't have a website, but I found this great local blog called Elva Eats that reviews the cafe. I love going into the shop- they have a great selection of basmati rices, spices, and it is a good place to find sheep and goat feta, rather than cow feta.


2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 fresh small chili peppers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup dried lentils
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 cup chickpeas, cooked or canned (if canned, drain and rinse)
1 cup carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice
3/4 cup green peas, frozen
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon zaatar (see note)
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a medium or large saucepan over medium heat, warm the butter or oil. Add the onions and chilies and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the paprika, cayenne and cumin and continue to sauté until the onions are tender and fragrant, a few minutes longer.
3. Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato puree and water just to cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas, carrots, green beans, zucchini, and green peas. Simmer until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Note: this recipe can be prepared in advance up to this point. Allow to cool, refrigerate and serve within a couple of days. Add the parsley and zaatar during the last five minute of cooking. Season to taste. Transfer to a warm serving dish and serve immediately.

**Delicious. The zataar really made an interesting addition to the tastes.