Pasta Primavera

We had a ton of veggies that were on the verge of going bad in our fridge, so I scoured the internet to see what I can make with everything. I was leaning toward just roasting them in the oven and eating them as a side when I came across the Pasta Primavera recipe by Ree Drummond. I've had it a few times but I've never tried making it at home but I'm so glad that I did because it was amazing! 

Pasta Primavera

(Source: Ree Drummond)

Vegetables:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally 

1 cup bite-size broccoli pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips 

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces white mushrooms, washed and sliced 

2 medium zucchini, sliced diagonally

1 medium summer squash, sliced diagonally

Sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 cup frozen peas

12 fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

1 pound pasta (fettuccini), cooked according to package directions

For the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook for 1 minute. Then add the broccoli; cook for another minute. Add the red peppers; cook 1 minute more. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.

To the skillet, add the butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; allow to heat up. Add the mushrooms, zucchini and squash, and cook until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add them to the other vegetables. Set aside.

For the sauce: Add the garlic and onions to the skillet, and cook until starting to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.

Next, pour in the chicken broth and wine; stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Stir in the cream and Parmesan, and allow the cheese to melt. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Add the cooked vegetables to the sauce, along with the peas and basil; stir to combine. If the sauce needs a little more liquid, splash in a small amount of broth. Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and pour all the contents of the skillet over the pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with extra basil, and serve with extra Parmesan.

The Best Greek Chicken

This is the best greek chicken that we've had at home. It's super easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal. Dr. Sweetpea even admitted that he was skeptical at first but was blown away! 

Greek Chicken

(Source: Carlsbad Cravings)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/2" thickness (I used chicken thighs)

Greek Chicken Marinade

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

Whisk together all of the Greek Marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag and add chicken. Marinate 4-8 hours. Remove chicken from fridge and let sit at room temperature 20-30 minutes.

SKILLET DIRECTIONS:

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, drain chicken from marinade, pat dry and add to skillet.

Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 4-6 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

GRILL DIRECTIONS:

Meanwhile, grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375-450°F.

Grill chicken undisturbed for for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

**I baked our chicken in the oven. I preheated the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit and baked the chicken on a baking rack for 25 minutes.**

Greek Chicken Kapama

Dr. Sweetpea has been having a rough week so I decided to make him one of his favorite Greek comfort food dishes for dinner. Chicken Kapama is essentially stewed chicken in a tomato sauce. The chicken is soooo tender and flavorful and it makes sense why it's a comforting meal for Dr. Sweetpea. He absolutely loved this meal and I'll be making it for us more often. 

Chicken Kapama

(Source: Cat Cora)

One 2 1/2 to 3 pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

5 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

2 to 3 cinnamon sticks

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups water

6 ounces store-bought or homemade tomato paste

1/2 cup grated Myzithra cheese (or substitute kasseri or freshly grated Romano)

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels so they don’t spatter in the pan. Mix the cinnamon, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl and rub the chicken pieces on all sides with the mixture. Mince 3 of the garlic cloves and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep, nonreactive skillet over high heat. A 12-inch skillet with sides about 3 inches high should allow you to brown all the chicken pieces at once. (If you don’t have a skillet large enough to cook all the chicken at once, don’t try to cram the chicken in your smaller pan. Instead brown the chicken in 2 batches, using 1 tablespoon of oil for each batch. If you crowd the pieces, the chicken will steam rather than brown.)

Add the chicken to the skillet and brown for 5 to 7 minutes per side, nudging the pieces with a metal spatula from time to time so the chicken doesn’t stick to the skillet. When the pieces are nicely browned on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-high and add the onions, minced garlic, and cinnamon sticks. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and are a rich golden brown. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze, loosening any browned bits, until the wine has evaporated. Then add the water, tomato paste, and remaining 2 whole garlic cloves and return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should cover about three quarters of the chicken. Reduce the heat to low, cover skillet with a lid, and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.

Taste and adjust the sauce with more salt and pepper, if needed. If the sauce seems a little too thick, thin it with a little more water. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks. Sprinkle the chicken with the grated cheese. 

Homemade Naan and Chicken Doner Kebabs

I'm a huge fan of Naan whenever we go to an Indian restaurant. Since I'm a huge carb person, I'd be perfectly happy eating just Naan if I could. Anyway, when I saw that there is a way for me to make it at home for us regularly, I had to try the recipe out myself and it's BETTER than what I've eaten at restaurants. I served the naan with homemade chicken donar kebabs and the meal was just amazing. Dr. Sweetpea loved everything about his meal.

Homemade Naan

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

1/2       cup ice water

1/3       cup plain whole-milk yogurt

3          tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1          large egg yolk

2          cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 1/4    teaspoons sugar

1/2       teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/4    teaspoons salt

1 1/2    tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In measuring cup or small bowl, combine water, yogurt, 3 tablespoons oil, and egg yolk. Process flour, sugar, and yeast in food processor until combined, about 2 seconds. With processor running, slowly add water mixture; process until dough is just combined and no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let dough stand for 10 minutes.

Add salt to dough and process until dough forms satiny, sticky ball that clears sides of workbowl, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Shape dough into tight ball and place in large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place heatproof plate on rack. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape each piece into smooth, tight ball. Place dough balls on lightly oiled baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart; cover loosely with plastic coated with vegetable oil spray. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer 1 ball to lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. Using hands and rolling pin, press and roll piece of dough into 9-inch round of even thickness, sprinkling dough and work surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Using fork, poke entire surface of round 20 to 25 times. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Wipe oil out of skillet completely with paper towels. Mist top of dough lightly with water. Place dough in pan, moistened side down; mist top surface of dough with water; and cover. Cook until bottom is browned in spots across surface, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip naan, cover, and continue to cook on second side until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. (If naan puffs up, gently poke with fork to deflate.) Flip naan, brush top with about 1 teaspoon melted butter, transfer to plate in oven, and cover plate tightly with aluminum foil. Repeat rolling and cooking remaining 3 dough balls. Once last naan is baked, serve immediately.

Chicken Doner Kebabs

(Source: Recipe Tin Eats)

1 kg / 2 lb chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

Olive oil , for drizzling

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt, unsweetened

3 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

Mix Marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken and mix to coat well. Cover and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours, 24 hours is ideal. If only 3 hours, add 1/2 tsp salt. Preheat oven to 220C / 430F (standard) or 200C / 390F (fan / convection). Choose a pan of a size such that the skewers will stay propped up on the pan walls (see photos in post or video) and the chicken will be elevated off the base. Line with foil. Remove chicken from fridge. Divide the chicken into 2 piles. Take one piece of chicken, fold in half then thread onto two skewers (see video). Repeat and push the chicken snugly up against each other. Repeat with other skewer. Prop the 2 skewers on the edges of the baking pan. Drizzle surface with oil. Bake for 35 minutes or until the surface is golden with some charred bits (char is good!). Spoon the pan juices over the chicken. Then turn, drizzle with oil and bake for 20 minutes (or 25 - 30 minutes if you had large thighs). If you need / want more colour, switch to grill/broil for a few minutes on high - I don't do this. Baste again with pan juices and stand for 5 minutes.

Carving: Stand the skewers upright or on an angle, and slice meat fairly thinly. Use to make Doner Kebabs or Kebab Plates.

Tacos Al Pastor

Since moving to Houston, we have fallen in love with eating Tacos Al Pastor. I've never tried before but the pork is soooooo good. So I googled recipes to find an authentic recipe and came across the recipe from My Latina Table. Her recipes all look amazing and I'm so glad I made the Tacos Al Pastor recipe that she posted because it was as tasty as what we get around town. No pictures but I'll post the recipe below.

Tacos Al Pastor

(Source: My Latina Table Blog)

For the Al Pastor Meat/Marinade

2-3 pound Pork Loin cut into thin slices

4 Guajillo Chile, boiled, de-seeded, and cleaned.

1 Ancho Chile, boiled, de-seeded, and cleaned.

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 onion

1/2 cup of orange juice

3/4 cup of pineapple juice (fresh is better)

1 Tablespoon of Oregano

1 Tablespoon of Thyme

1 Tablespoon of Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Cumin

1-2 Tablespoons of Paprika

1-2 Tablespoons of Salt

For the Roasted Tomatillo Chipotle Sauce

3 Tomatillos

1/4 Onion

2 small cloves of garlic

1-2 chipotles (depending on level of spiciness you want)

3 Tablespoons of Pineapple juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Tacos

Corn Tortillas

Chopped cilantro

Chopped Onions

Lime juice

Salt

Grilled pineapple

Tacos al pastor meat

For the Al Pastor Meat/Marinade

Blend all of the ingredients together until completely combined. Strain the liquid over a bowl to end up with a smooth marinade. Add one layer of meat in a large bowl or baking dish and cover with the marinade, and then repeat in layers until all of the meat and marinade have been used. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). Remove from the refrigerator and grill the meat until cooked through. Remove from grill and cut into thin slices to serve on the tacos.

For the Roasted Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa

Roast the tomatillo, onion, and garlic in the oven on baking sheet at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven. Blend with the rest of the ingredients except the salt and pepper until well combined. Put in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Tacos

Heat the tortillas with a little bit of oil. Add the meat, the pineapple, the salsa, the lime juice, the cilantro and onions, and enjoy!