Noodles & Rolls: Weekly Menu 5/6/13

Hello friends - Having gone dark here at ESB over the past couple of weeks, it's good to be back! I've noticed there tends to be a clear correlation between the presence of carby dishes in my house and the amount of stress I'm feeling. So as you can see, it's been especially crazy around here!

Regardless of the motivation, the results were tasty. Boil some water and throw in the pasta, or start toasting those buns and join me.

Need some more inspiration? Try these dishes from previous Weekly Menus.

• Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
• Weeknight Bolognese
• Bacon Macaroni Casserole

Enjoy!

Cider Vinegar Braised Chicken Thighs

This dish is perfect for a Sunday evening - it takes a bit longer than weeknight dinners, but is SO worth it, especially for the smell in your kitchen. Don't skip the step of broiling the chicken at the end to crisp up the skin.

Sides: Egg noodles, steamed green beans

Shortcuts

• Buy leeks already cleaned and trimmed (such as Trader Joe's)
• Use pre-chopped, jarred garlic
  

Make Ahead Notes

• Clean and chop carrots, garlic and herbs
  

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat olive oil. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat, in batches if necessary, turning once, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer  to a platter. 
• Spoon off all but 2 TBSP of the fat in the casserole. Add the carrots, garlic and leek and cook over low heat until crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened, 3 minutes. Add the broth, season with S&P and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken in the sauce, skin side up. Transfer the casserole to the oven and braise chicken for about 50 minutes, until cooked through. 
• Preheat the broiler. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, skin side up. Broil on the middle rack of the oven until the skin is golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. 
• Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until reduced to about 4 cups, 10 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the parsley and chives and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the casserole, skin side up, and serve. 

Recipe from Food & Wine 

Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions

Mmmm, carnie food.

Sides: Good sub rolls and a green salad, such as the Chickpea & Spring Green Salad that I've been obsessed with all spring

Make Ahead Notes

• Chop onions and peppers
• Measure out dry ingredients
  

Ingredients

• 6 (4 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup white wine

Directions

• Place sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and slice.
• Melt butter in the skillet. Stir in the yellow onion, red onion, and garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Season with basil, and oregano. Stir in white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
• Return sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Recipe from Allrecipes

Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair

 If you're serving this to kids and suspect they might not be fans of the sauce, keep the chicken and plain pasta separate for them.

Sides: Spinach or arugula salad

Make Ahead Notes

• Rinse, drain and chop artichoke hearts
• Chop parsley
  

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed, drained, and quartered
• 2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves

Directions

• Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish and keep warm.
• Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.
• Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Extra Credit: "Closed Kitchen Eggs"

 This was my lunch a few days ago when I was craving eggs and feeling inspired by the beautiful book Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, in which a character named Katie cooks what she calls "closed kitchen eggs" for a friend. They are browned and herby and delicious. Make them now.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• Salt & Pepper - about 1/4 tsp each
• A pinch of garlic powder
• A TBSP or two or grated cheese (I used smoked Gouda)
• A tsp or two of chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Note: This is a bit like cooking an omelet - add just about anything that sounds good
• A tsp or two or vegetable oil

Directions

• Whisk eggs with all seasonings and cheese
• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a small frying pan
• Pour eggs into pan; cover and reduce heat to medium
• Cook until set, about 3-5 minutes (eggs will puff up a little)

"I cracked two eggs in bowl and whisked them with grated cheese and herbs.  I poured them into a pan of heated oil and covered them with a lid.  Something about heating the oil and putting on the lid makes the eggs puff up on contact. And they brown without burning.  It was the way my father used to prepare eggs for me when I was a girl, though we never ate them for breakfast.  They tasted best, he used to say, when the kitchen was closed." - From Rules of Civility


Quote found on the Turtle and Leaf Blog