Cooking

I enjoy cooking.  But sometimes the "same old same old" gets boring.  So I read cooking articles in the newspaper, see some on TV, etc.  Most just seem like the authors are randomly throwing things together to create something new ("Sausage with cauliflower and mushrooms"?  No thank you). 

But sometimes I find a strange one that sounds (in my mind) like it might work.  I've been making a North Aftican chicken dish I found.  It sounds weird but I really like it. 

It is chicken with lemon and shallots and green olives.  I made it a few days ago, took it out of the oven, set it to cool enough to set into individual containers (covered it with a wire rack so the cats wouldn't get at it), and forgot about it overnight!  Had to toss those...

ARGHHH!

So I just had to do it again today.  Went shopping for a new pack of 10 thighs and lemons.  This time all went well.  The pan holds 6 thighs, so I baked the other 4 with more spices and panko flake coating.  That went well too (and actually one of THOSE was dinner tonight with a big tossed salad, an ear of corn, and some brocolli. 

It was important to me to make up for the wasted ones...  When a mess up cooking (and fortunately, it is just me, not guests) I want to do it again right soon.

And (I may have mentioned the recipe previously), it is very flexible.  No specific amounts of anything (sort of making a salad)

You take skinless chick thighs (I think bone-in adds to the flavor) seasoned with garlic, ginger, and paprika to taste to marinate for a few hours;  place them in a shallow baking pan, top them with with lemon and shallot wedges.  Heat oven to 350F.  Bake about 40 minutes (til 175-180F).  Remove thighs to covered plate.  Remove lemon wedges to a plate to cool. 

If you don't like chicken fat, drain into a fat-separator and wait 5 minutes, then return non-fat portion to pan.  Whisk in enough cornstarch to make a medium slurry.  A shot of dry sherry and some chicken paste is a nice addition.

Add more green olives than you might think (4-8 per thigh) to baking pan and return to the oven for 5 minutes.  If the sauce is too thick, whisking in a little water at a time works fine.  Place thighs in baking pan to reheat (thighs are very forgiving of temperature and reheating).

This recipe is easier than it sounds, is completely open to ingredient quantities, and flexible.  You can do almost anything you want, for example, so long as the chicken thighs reach 175F.  And, in fact, my recipe is more complicated than the recipe I found (which was just a chicken parts/lemon/shallot/green olive stew.

It is fine on its own.  I usually serve a thigh over spaghetti with the sauce.  If you just want the thighs, make little sauce. 

I'm mostly mentioning this because I was really annoyed at myself at letting the previous version sit out and spoil.  And then one paragraph let to another, LOL!

Cooking Time, Part 1

I've been cooking for myself for almost 50 years.  I don't often see a new recipe that I suspect I will like.  The newspaper food section offers stuff like fish smothered in strawberries or pork with aocado sauce.  I know what I like and don't like.  Adding stuff like tofu and pineapple to my tossed salad isn't my style.

But I came across one in Better Homes and Gardens (I got a free subscription with some thing I bought at a store).  It seemed weird, but I tried it.  And I LOVED it!

So here it is (my adjusted version):

1.  Preheat oven to 400F. 
2.  Spray or wipe some olive oil on a sheet pan. 
3.  In a plastic bag, place 6 bone-in chicken thighs, add some olive oil to coat, add some salt, ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and some dried red pepper flakes to taste.  Shake bag to spread spices.
4.  Place chicken on baking sheet.
5.  Add 1 lemon and 2 shallots cut into wedges.
6.  Bake 30-40 minutes until chicken thighs are 175F.
7.  Squeeze lemons to release remaining juice.  Careful, they are hot.
8.  Remove chicken to bowl and cover to keep warm.
9.  Add 1/2 cup green olives and 2 pats butter to pan.  Return pan to oven for 5 minutes.
10.  Pour heated pan liquid into a fat separator for 5 minutes.  It separates quickly.
11.  Pour juices over chicken and let sit 5 minutes.
12.  Serve over any starch or pasta you like or none.