Category: Winter

Orange and Soy Glazed Chicken

Clementine-Soy Chicken Thighs

January 22, 2012 Filled under Asian, Chicken and Poultry, Fruit, Light, Winter
21 Comments

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

For some reason, we always celebrated Chinese New Year when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but I always looked forward to it. It was so fun, and we didn’t eat Chinese nearly as often back then as we do now. Mom would take out the electric wok and cook dinner right on the table – usually a chicken stir fry. The next night, we’d wrap the leftovers in tortillas and eat them as fajitas. Yum.

I made this clementine-soy glazed chicken a few weeks ago and thought it would be the perfect Chinese New Year post. But then I started researching and apparently I had it all wrong. The holiday has all sorts of food traditions, like eating noodles to bring long life and dumplings to bring wealth. And apparently serving a chicken or duck whole represents health, but serving it cut – like these thighs – is the opposite. Oops.

Oh well. This dish is delicious any time of the year, and you should definitely make it (if you’re superstitious or prefer to celebrate the New Year more traditionally, just wait until tomorrow.) Read More

cauliflower pasta

Fettuccini with Cauliflower, Prosciutto and Peas

January 12, 2012 Filled under Italian, Pasta and Noodles, Winter
7 Comments

Can we talk about cauliflower for a second? It’s a great vegetable with a really unique flavor. I love it and, if you haven’t tried it lately, you really should give it a second chance. But there’s a right way to do cauliflower and a wrong way. The cauliflower “steaks” that food editors seem to have decided should be all the rage this winter? NOT the right way. In fact, it’s a pretty decent way to confirm any suspicion that you may have had that cauliflower is gross.

This pasta, on the other hand, with the some of the cauliflower caramelized in the oven and the rest pureed into a creamy sauce? Even if you think you hate cauliflower, you’ll love this. Read More

Fettuccine with Cauliflower, Prosciutto and Peas

Serves 8.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

In this dish, based off of one I ate at Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo, cauliflower is pureed into a smooth sauce that coats wide, flat pasta. Prosciutto, Peas, and sun dried tomatoes turn it into a meal.

While you can use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil in this recipe, they will add unnecessary fat. I like to buy tomatoes that are dry packed in a cellophane bag. To rehydrate them, steep in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 large (6″-7″ diameter) Cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Skim Milk
  • 1 cup Chicken Stock
  • 3 ounces Pecorino-Romano, shredded
  • 1 Tablespoon Flour
  • 1 cup Frozen Peas
  • 1/8 pound Prosciutto
  • 10 Sun-Dried Tomatoes (not packed in oil), rehydrated and chopped
  • 1 pound Fettuccine or other wide, flat pasta, cooked
  • Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place 1/4 of the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until tender and slightly browned.
  2. Meanwhile, add the remaining cauliflower to a large pot of water set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain the cauliflower and return it to the pot. Turn the burner to medium.
  3. Add the milk, chicken stock, and cheese to the pot. Use a handheld mixer or immersion blender to process the cauliflower into a smooth puree. Whisk in the flour and bring the sauce to a gentle boil to help it thicken.
  4. Stir in the tomatoes, peas, prosciutto, and roasted cauliflower. Combine sauce and fettuccine in a large serving bowl, tossing gently to coat all of the pasta. Season with black pepper.

Calories 241. Total Fat 5.9 grams. Saturated Fat 2.9 grams. Carbohydrates 34.3 grams. Fiber 6.6 grams. Protein 14.4 grams.

I’m entering the main photo from this post into a contest sponsored by Feastie for a scholarship to attend this year’s Eat, Write, Retreat conference. I went last year and it was a great time – I’d really love the opportunity to attend this year as well.