Showing posts with label pui. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pui. Show all posts

October 29, 2008

Braised chicken with sweet peppers and olives - Pui cu ardei si masline


Maybe last week when i made this i couldn't have said that the fall is here, especially when every single day we had over 90F at lunch. But the mornings are colder, and so are the nights, the sun sets pretty early, so why not start cooking some comforting recipes that make the house smell amazing and warm.
I found this recipe in the Food & Wine newsletter i get every week, and i am glad i looked at it.
It takes a while to make, and i know it keeps going back and forth between the oven and the stove, the roasting pan and the skillet, and seems complicated, but it isn't. Or maybe just a bit, but it was so worth it. The house smelled so nice from the roasted peppers, the chicken was so flavorful and really falling off the bone, the sauce absolutely amazing and we love olives, what else could i say? We had some crusty bread with it, but i thought it could be served with polenta as well.

Now, here is the original recipe, and the one below is my tweaked version. I am not going into why i changed it, i cannot help myself not to, but i didn't take out any ingredients, just adapted it a bit. Read them both and see which one suits you better, but give this one a try if it's tempting, you will like it a lot.


Braised chicken with sweet peppers and olives - adapted after Ethan Stowell's recipe


4 bell peppers (2 red and 2 yellow), cut in strips
11/2 onions, one thinly sliced and the other half diced
10 chicken drumsticks
salt and pepper
one carrot diced or shredded
1 celery ribs, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 ½ cups dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 pound green and black olives
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200C). On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the bell peppers and the onion slices with a little bit of oil. Roast the peppers for about 30 minutes, turning them halfway through, until they are softened.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook the chicken in a very large skillet, over moderately high heat until it is golden all over. Put the browned chicken pieces in a large roasting pan or baking dish.
In the same skillet, add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and the diced onion and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the wine and the vegetables over the chicken. Add the chicken stock to the pan, cover with foil and put it in the oven, lowering the temperature at 350F(175C).
Braise the chicken for about 1 1/2 hours, until it’s falling off the bone. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and cover with foil. Set the roasting pan over medium heat (if it’s a roasting pan, but if you used a baking dish, pour the sauce in a saucepan), stir in the peppers and the olives into the sauce and boil the juices for about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread.

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Pui cu ardei si masline - reteta adaptata dupa reteta lui Ethan Stowell

4 bucati ardei gras (2 rosii si 2 galbeni), taiati solzisori
1 ceapa + jumatate, ceapa intreaga taiata solzisori si jumatatea tocata marunt
10 pulpe de pui - partea inferioara (pot fi amestecat partea superioara si inferioara, asa e reteta originala, numai ca eu am avut numai ciocanele)
sare si piper
1 morcov tocat marunt sau dat pe razatoarea mare
1 tija telina verde, tocata
2 catei de usturoi tocati marunt
1 lingurita cimbru
375 ml vin alb sec
400-500 ml zeama de supa ( de pui sau legume)
200-250g masline verzi si/sau negre
2 linguri patrunjel tocat marunt

Se incalzeste cuptorul la 200C (400F). Pe o tava tapetata cu folie de aluminiu se pun ardeii si ceapa taiata solzisori, stropiti cu ulei si condimentati cu sare si piper. Se coc cca 30 minute, amestecandu-I sa nu se arda, pana cand sunt moi.
Intre timp se condimenteaza carnea de pui cu sare si piper. Se prajeste puiul in doua transe intr-o tigaie la foc mai mare, pana cand e aurie carnea peste tot. Se pune puiul intr-o tava mare sau un vas termorezistent.
In aceeasi tigaie se pun la calit morcovul, telina, usturoiul, cimbrul si jumatatea de ceapa care a fost tocata marunt, timp de vreo 5 minute, pana cand ceapa devine translucenta. Se adauga vinul si se lasa sa dea in clocot, amestecand cu lingura sa se topeasca toate bucatelele ramase de la prajitul puiului. Se toarna vinul si legumele peste pui. Se adauga zeama de supa, se acopera tava cu folie de aluminiu si se pune la cuptor, micsorand temperatura la 350 F/175C (foc mediu).
Se lasa puiul la cuptor timp de o ora si jumatate, pana cand carnea cade de pe os. Se scoate puiul in vasul de servit si se tine acoperit. Se pune tava pe aragaz la foc potrivit (daca e de metal, daca nu, puneti sosul din tava intr-o craticioara), se adauga ardeii, ceapa si maslinele si se lasa sa fiarba vreo 5 minute. Se potriveste de sare si piper.
Se toarna sosul peste pui, se presara patrunjel proaspat tocat deasupra si se serveste imediat cu paine proaspata, din aia cu o crusta groasa, numai buna de muiat in sos.


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October 10, 2008

Party food - Menu pentru petrecere

This post is not about something recent, the party was back in April, and the pictures were taken then, but since at that time i wasn't yet ready to start this blogging affair, i saved them in a folder. Honestly, i was thinking i'll have the time to re-make some of the food to take new pictures, but until now, i didn't get to do it. Maybe later on, and then i'll edit the post to add the new pics.

First, about the party. It was meant to be a surprise birthday party for my friend Lily, even though it was a week after her B-day. On her birthday we went to her house for dinner, gave her the gift and she really didn't expect anything else after that. We planned it for a couple of weeks. Claudia, her daughter was supposed to get the flowers and decorations, then together with my sister to clean and set up our place for the party, while i was in charge with the food. Everything was planned, when my dear husband, while chatting with Lily three days before the party said: "so, we'll see you at the party Saturday". He knew it was supposed to be a surprise, but somehow forgot Lily is the only one who shouldn't know about it!! He called both me and Claudia immediately to appologize, i think he was actually affraid how mad we'll be, and to repair the damage we told Lily that he meant to say "we are having a BBQ on Saturday, see you then", but he got it wrong. While we were thinking that the surprise was ruined and Lily will no longer be surprised, she actually wasn't paying attention to Gabriel when he said party, and all our worries were for nothing. The only worry we should have had it was that Saturday, Lily was so tired after her work day, that she thought a BBQ is not worth all the trouble and she wasn't lanning to come to my house. She had a bad day, she couldn't wait to go home and get in bed. I don't remember why Gabriel dropped Clara at her house that day, but if it wasn't for the fact that i asked her to bring her back home instead of us going to pick her up, Lily wouldn't have come at all. We had no clue about this until it was after 7 o'clock and Lily wasn't showing up. We kept on calling her to make sure she is coming, otherwise, the three buckets of flowers Claudia bought that morning from the flower market downtown ( for which she had to wake up at 6 am on a Saturday morning), the hours spent by her and my sister decorating and then helping me, and the hours i worked in the kitchen were in vain. I mean we could have managed to eat everything and enjoy the party, but this was not meant for us, it was meant to celebrate Lily, and thank her for the wonderful friend she is, hoping to make her feel special.

That's why, in spite of all the worries, it was actually a big surprise. So big, that for about two minutes she didn't understand what are we celebrating. And that this was really for her. And that she had no clue whatsoever, and she almost missed everything. After those two minutes, the party was on, and Lily got the message - we love her dearly and she deserves ten times more than this.

Here is what we had that night:

- Tartines with pork tenderloin and a celery - carrot remoulade
- Mini savory palms with an olive -roasted red bell pepper - parmesan - parsley stuffing



- Cucumber cups with whipped cream cheese, cured salmon, shallot, dill and capers



- Crab Salad





- Beets and cheese "cake" - layers of roasted beets and feta - ricotta - dill with crackers


- Black Forrest prosciutto with cantaloupe



- Squid ink pasta with shrimp




- Chicken "Lollipops" with herbed couscous and roasted mini squash/ zucchini with feta crumbs and basil







- Napoleons with vanilla custard and strawberries (really sorry for the blurry photo, but i'll make it again very soon, when i'll post the recipe too).




Since this post is long enough, I think i'll break them down in different posts, at least the ones that have kind of a recipe to write about. There was nothing extraordinary about the cucumber-salmon bites and the cantaloupe-prosciutto combination, or about the beet & cheese "cake" with the crackers, but i knew our friends would like them. The rest, to be continued....

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Postul acesta e cu poze vechi, de la o petrecere surpriza in Aprilie. Am salvat atunci pozele, si am tot zis ca o sa ajung sa le postez si poate chiar sa refac bucatele pentru niste poze mai bune, dar nu am apucat pana acum.
Petrecerea surpriza a fost pentru ziua Lilianei, prietena noastra. Chiar de ziua ei fusesem la cina impreuna, i-am dat cadoul si nu se mai astepta la nimic dupa aceea. Dar noi vorbisem cu fata ei Claudia sa ii facem petrecerea la 3 zile dupa, la noi acasa. Am planificat totul cu saptamani inainte, si a ramas Claudia o sa cumpere florile, decoratiile si sa aranjeze casa noastra cu sora-mea, iar eu ma ocup de mancare. Numai ca scumpul si dragul meu sot s-a scapat si i-a spus Lilianei ca ne vedem la petrecere Sambata, iar noi ca sa dregem busuiocul am zis ca ne-am gandit sa punem de un gratar la noi Sambata, si Gabi i-a zis din greseala petrecere. Ne-am facut noi griji sa nu cumva sa se fi prins, cand de fapt Lili nici nu-l auzise bine pe Gabi, si habar n-avea de nimic. De fapt, nu numai ca nu avea habar, dar dupa o zi lunga la lucru sambata aia, s-a gandit nici sa nu vina la noi. Noroc ca Gabi a lasat-o pe Clara la ea, si am insistat noi sa o aduca ea inapoi, altfel toata munca noastra ar fi fost de pomana (Claudia a fost la 6 dimineata in piata de flori si a venit cu 3 galeti acasa, iar dupa-amiaza a muncit cu sora-mea sa aranjeze totul si m-au ajutat in bucatarie, in timp ce eu am petrecut jumatate de zi cu pregatitul). Nu ca nu am fi fost noi in stare sa consumam totul, dar ideea e ca totul a fost pentru ea, sa-i multumim pentru prietenia ei si sa o sarbatorim.
Lili a ajuns la noi dupa 7 jumate seara si in primele doua minute nu a inteles pentru cine era surpriza si de ce e casa aranjata asa frumos. Se uita la noi, la flori, la masa, de parca nimic nu facea sens. Dupa cateva minute, pupaturi si imbratisari, din nou, am inceput petrecerea, iar Lili a primit mesajul - ne e tare draga si merita chiar de zece ori mai mult, mai ales de ziua ei.
Meniul a fost:
- Tartine cu muschiulet de porc si salada de telina si morcov
- Mini plamieri cu umplutura de masline- ardei copt- parmesan- patrunjel
- Cupe de castraveti cu spuma de Philadelphia, somon, ceapa rosie (esalota), marar si capere
- Salata de crab
- "Tort" de sfecla si branza telemea- ricotta - marar cu biscuiti
- Prosciutto cu pepene galben
- Paste negre ( cu cerneala de sepia) si creveti
- "Acadele" de pui la gratar, couscous aromat si mini dovlecei la cuptor cu telemea si busuioc
- Cremsnit cu vanilie si capsuni (scuze pentru calitatea pozei atat de incetosate, dar o sa le fac in curand din nou si o sa postez atunci reteta si pun alta poza).
Si pentru ca postul asta e destul de lung deja, o sa am altele separate pentru fiecare din mancarurile care au un fel de reteta. Nu a fost nimic iesit din comun in ce priveste castravetii cu somon, prosciutto cu pepene galben si sfecla cu branza si ( mai ales biscuti), dar sunt combinatii care stiu ca le plac prietenilor nostri. In rest, o sa vina continuarea....

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