Paella Valenciana

This is my version of one of my favorite dishes, Spanish paella. When I visited Barcelona, Spain, it was the one dish I had to try, and I was not disappointed. The best paella I ever had was in Barcelona. Paella is a one-pan rice dish, and there are many different variations for making it. Many versions include seafood, but mine is just meat: chicken and chorizo. 

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked short grain white rice (I prefer the Spanish bomba variety, as it is typically used in Spanish paella)
1/3 pound chicken, dark meat bone-in, washed and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
1-2 chorizos (Spanish sausage), sliced into 1/3 inch slices
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1/4 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1/4 cup white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup frozen baby green peas
2 tablespoons Goya Sofrito
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tablespoon paprika
6-7 saffron threads (optional)
Olive oil
Salt, to taste

Start by making the saffron broth: steep the saffron threads in about 1/4 cup hot water (optional). Set aside. Place a paella pan (or large frying pan) on the stove and heat over medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil and then the chicken pieces, Season them with salt, and fry until they are golden brown (seared) and almost cooked through. Move the chicken to the sides of the pan. Add another tablespoon of oil, followed by the onion, garlic, poblano pepper, and chorizo. Fry them for about 5 minutes, then season with about 1/2 tablespoon of paprika (more if you are not adding the saffron) and a pinch of salt.

Frying the meats

Then add in the Sofrito and red bell pepper and mix well.

With red bell pepper and Sofrito added

Add in the white wine, and simmer until the alcohol is cooked out (about 1-2 minutes). Next, add in the rice and saffron broth.

Rice added

Add the chicken stock and stir. Cook on high for about 5 minutes or until it begins to boil. Throw in the peas and stir, then reduce the heat to medium.

Cooking with the chicken stock and peas

Cook for about 10-15 minutes, without stirring. Once the paella is cooked, remove it from the heat. Sprinkle the fresh parsley over the top, cover with a towel for 10 minutes. When you are ready to serve, garnish with a fresh lemon wedge, and enjoy!

Quick and Easy Chicken Dinner

Sometimes I crave something simple; a light, healthy, meal with fresh ingredients. One without a heavy sauce or spices to mask the natural flavors of the main ingredients of the meal. This chicken dinner just that, and is also easy and quick to make...perfect for a busy weeknight! I usually use lemons when baking chicken, but they are difficult to find here in Grenada. I settled on some unripe oranges, as the oranges here never become as sweet as the ones in the U.S. and usually taste more like lemons anyway.

Ingredients:

2 chicken leg-quarters

2 whole lemons 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 teaspoon of dry oregano (you may use fresh if you have)

2 teaspoons of olive oil

salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

5 small potatoes, cut into quarters

4 carrots, diced into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons of olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of parsley

salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the two ends of the lemons off and discard. Then slice two thin round slices of the lemons, and the rest into thicker (3/4-inch) slices. Place the thick slices of lemon on the bottom of a baking dish. 

2 thin slices and a few thick slices

Placed in the baking dish

Wash the chicken, then trim some of the fat and extra skin. Slide your fingers under the skin to lift it off and create a pocket. Mix together the garlic, thyme, and a little salt, and rub the chicken with the mixture under the skin. Next, place one thin slice of lemon under the skin of each of the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle some salt and black pepper on both sides of the chicken pieces. Place the chicken on top of the lemon slices in the pan, and then drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken.

Garlic and thyme

Minced garlic with thyme, oregano and salt

Place the chicken on top of the lemon slices in the pan, and then drizzle the olive oil over the top of the chicken.

Chicken ready for the oven

In another baking dish, add the potatoes and carrots, along with the oil, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Mix them together and then place in the oven. Bake both the chicken and the veggies for about 1 hour-1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken read with a kitchen thermometer reads 165F. The veggies should be almost fork-tender and golden brown along the edges. Enjoy!

Chinese Cashew Chicken

Back home Cashew Chicken is one of my favorite Chinese take-out dishes, but it is not available here in Grenada. Stir fry's are usually quick-cooking meals; perfect for a busy day. I had a container of cashews sitting around in the kitchen, so I decided to try my own version of the dish. It turned out great and I'll definitely be making it more often!

Ingredients:
     1 pound boneless chicken breast, washed and cubed
     4 large carrots, diced
     5 celery sticks, diced
     1/2 cup of cashew nuts
     3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
     1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
     1/2 cup of reduced-sodium soy sauce
     2 tablespoons of sugar
     1/4 plus 1/8 cup of water
     1 tablespoon corn starch
     3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
     1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, optional

For the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add half of the garlic and ginger, and fry for a few seconds, until aromatic, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the red pepper flakes (optional) and soon after, the soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep the sauce on medium heat for about 2 minutes, until reduced slightly, and then turn off the heat. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/8 cup of water and cornstarch, set aside.

In a wok or large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the remaining halves of the garlic and ginger. Fry until aromatic, and then add the celery and carrot pieces. Fry over high heat for about a minute (I like my veggies slightly crunchy, so I don't cook them very long). Empty the celery and carrots into a bowl and put the wok back onto the heat. Add the chicken and fry over medium-high heat until cooked and all of the water that had been released from the chicken is gone. Add the sauce that you made into the chicken and cook on high for a few seconds. Add the cornstarch mixture, and the sauce should begin to thicken. Quickly add the cashews and the cooked celery and carrots. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes, and you're done!

Diced celery and carrots

Cooked chicken

After the sauce is added

Lemon Chicken

I went to the supermarket this week and found lots and lots of lemons. Here in Grenada, you don't always have a big variety of produce at any one time, but when they have something there are tons of it! The good thing about that is that it is very easy to tell which fruit and veggies are in season. I had some chicken breasts in my freezer, so I decided I would try my hand at lemon chicken. I picked up a bottle of sweet wine wine and I went on my way. This dish is a simple, light, and delicious, and does not take very long at all to make.

Ingredients:

     4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds worth)

     1/2 cup flour

     2 eggs

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     1 large lemon

     4 tbsp olive oil

     3 tbsp butter

     1 cup chicken broth

     1/2 cup white wine

     Black pepper, to taste

     handful of chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Slice each chicken breast horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Pound out the chicken breasts to make them a little thinner (about 1/3 inch). Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. Whisk the eggs with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. In another shallow dish, Combine the flour with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, and add one tbsp of butter. Dredge each of the chicken breasts in the egg, followed by the flour mixture, shake off the excess flour, and add to the pan. Fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes per side, turning once. Once each of the chicken breasts are cooked, transfer them to a plate. 

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once that has melted, add the juice of the lemon, the white wine, chicken broth, and black pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Boil over high heat for about two minutes to allow the sauce to reduce. Return the chicken to the pan and lower the heat to low. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken again, and add the parsley to the sauce. Once the sauce comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Swirl to melt and combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and garnish with lemon slices. 

Mongolian Chicken

This recipe is an adaptation of the P.F. Chang's Copycat Mongolian Beef recipe found here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/pf-changs-mongolian-beef-copycat-recipe.html. That recipe was fantastic, however, I found it to be too salty for my taste and the amount of sugar to be way too much. What I did to change it was use reduced sodium soy sauce, less sugar, and added carrots for some natural sweetness to tone down the soy sauce even further. I used chicken instead of beef, and found that either one works great in the recipe. It is a fabulous recipe, and makes you feel like you are having Chinese takeout from your own kitchen!

Ingredients:
     2 chicken breasts
     1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
     2 carrots, cut into sticks
     2 scallion stalks/green onions
     1/4 cup cornstarch
     1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
     1/2 cup water
     1/2 cup brown sugar
     1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
     1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
     Vegetable oil

For the sauce: Add two teaspoons of vegetable oil to a small saucepan and heat on a medium flame. Fry the red onion, then remove and set aside. Add the garlic and ginger, and allow them to fry, being careful not to brown the garlic too much. Add the soy sauce and water, heat to boiling, and then add the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and boil for another 2 minutes to reduce and slightly thicken the sauce. Remove from heat.

Slice the chicken (or beef) into thin strips. Dust the chicken pieces in cornstarch and shake off the excess. Set aside and heat some oil in a frying pan. Pan fry the chicken over medium heat until just cooked, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reheat the sauce until just simmering, and add the carrots to it. Boil for about 3-4 minutes, then add the scallions, fried red onion, and chicken. Cook for another minute or so and remove from the heat. Serve with white rice.

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza

I came across pre-made flatbread in the supermarket one day and decided to take a shot at pizza-making. My favorite pizzas are thin crust pizzas, and flatbread is a quick and easy option for making pizza at home. If you're really in a rush you can buy pizza sauce in a jar from the supermarket, but I've included my recipe for pizza sauce below. This is my version of a classic BBQ chicken pizza on flatbread. Enjoy!

Sauce:
Ingredients:
     1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
     4 tbsp tomato paste
     1 tbsp dried oregano
     1 tbsp dried basil
     1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
     1 tsp garlic powder
     1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
     1/2 tsp brown sugar
     1/2 tsp salt
Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to a small saucepan over low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, and allow the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes. Cool before using on pizza.

Pizza:
     2 pre-baked flatbreads
     1 large chicken breast, cooked and sliced
     1/2 red onion, sliced
     1 cup pizza sauce
     1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
     1/2 cup barbecue sauce
     3 tbsp orange or pineapple juice
     1 tbsp honey
Preheat the oven to 425F. Lay out the two flatbreads on a baking sheet. Spread the pizza sauce out evenly on top of each flatbread. Add the chicken slices, and then sprinkle the cheese evenly over both pizzas. Break apart the red onion and top the pizza with the individual onion pieces. Next, mix together the barbecue sauce, juice, and honey in a small bowl using a whisk or a fork. Drizzle each pizza with the barbecue sauce, then place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Slice and serve.