Southwestern Chicken Cacciatore

You may have noticed a lot of visual weirdness at Nibble Me This since this weekend. I ran into some bandwidth issues on the hosting site for the header and background. My good friend & template guru, Brandi, is fixing it for me this week but there might be some speed bumps along the way.

I'm pretty proud of this dish because not only did I make it up on my own, I did it on the fly using what I had with what I thought would work and the whole family loved it.

I was GOING to make a knock off of Ruby Tuesdays' Sonora Chicken or Aubrey Cafe's Rattlesnake Pasta, but I realized that the chicken thighs I had were not boneless, but bone in. So I opened the fridge and changed gears...

Nibble Me This Southwestern Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients
5 ea chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
1-2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 ea serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
3 ea mini sweet bell pepper, seeded, diced (substitute 1 sweet bell pepper)
1 ea vidalia onion, diced
1 ea jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled (kept whole)
2 oz Tequila
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 ea beef steak tomato, cut into wedges
cilantro or parsley for garnish

Instructions
Put an oven proof skillet in the oven and allow to preheat to 350f.

Make a rub with the chili powder, pepper, cumin and salt. Season both sides of the chicken thighs.

Place the heated skillet on the stove top burner over medium-high heat and add oil. Add thighs skin side down and sear for 5 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for 5 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate. Reserve one tablespoon of oil in the pan and pour the rest into a glass measuring cup. Add chicken broth to measure 1/2 cup and keep for later in the recipe.

Add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan and saute until the onions begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the Tequila. Most of it will evaporate off in just 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan. Pour the broth/drippings mixture and the diced tomatoes over the chicken. Top with the tomato wedges.

Put back into the 350f oven until the thighs reach an internal temperature of 180f (relax....they're bone in thighs, they can take the heat without getting dry). This took about 30 minutes in the oven. Top with cilantro or for those of you cilantro-phobes, parsley.

We served it with rice topped with the veggie mixture and some quickie "non-refried refried beans"(one link chorizo crumbled and browned, mixed with one can of Bush Mixed Beans [pinto & northern] topped with cheese).

I was kind of worried that this would be too spicy hot but it wasn't. Even the 10 y/o loved this and he doesn't like much heat. Now that we made this out of the blue, just based on what we had on hand....I'll definitely be making this again on purpose.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Maybe tonight was a bit of both.

Jalapeno Potato Salad & Raspberry Chipolte Ribs

I'm usually a traditionalist when it comes to potato salad. I like your basic "Southern, after church, covered dish, yellow mustard potato salad".

However, a few years ago, Robert at White Trash BBQ got me to try this Jalapeno Potato Salad recipe for something different. Before I go into the details, you have to go look at his blog to see the ridiculous picture of me that he included in his post. Trust me, it's worth the extra few clicks.

Jalapeno Potato Salad
adapted from the White Trash BBQ adaptation of Beverly Bundy's recipe

4 ea large potatoes, peeled and cubed into 3/4" pieces
1/4 cup coarse grain mustard
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of roasted garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
3 ounces black olives, pitted and drained, halved
4 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup green onion, sliced thin
1 to 2 ea jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced

Cook the potato in boiling water until it just starts to turn "fork tender".

Mix the mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the oil while rapidly whisking so you get a good emulsification (not separating).

Drain the cooked potatoes and while still hot, add to the mustard mixture. Fold in the black olives, green onions & chili peppers.

While Bundy likes to serve her's chilled, I followed Robert's lead and like to serve this dish warm.

The jalapenos give a nice crisp texture and really aren't very hot when they have been seeded and finely diced.

This potato salad is quite a departure from the same ol', same old potato salad. I still enjoy a basic southern potato salad but this jalapeno version is now our favorite. The bold flavors of the feta, vinaigrette, and jalapenos bring it together.

Speaking of different, several months ago, I receive a care package of free samples from the folks at Fischer and Wieser. One of the samples was their Roasted Raspberry & Chipolte Sauce. It has been neglected for one reason or the other until now.

I had a very nice spare rib that I had trimmed St. Louis style (squared off). Actually, I had three, but froze two for later use.

I seasoned the rack with a rub...

Smoked it with lump charcoal and a blend of cherry and hickory woods in the Big Green Egg at 250f (put them on bone side up, I just flipped them for the picture) for 4 hours....

At 4 hours, the ribs were just starting to be done. I use the "bend test" to test for doneness (lift one end with tongs, the ribs should bend at almost a 90 degree angle). So I liberally brushed some of Fischer & Weisner's Roasted Raspberry Chipolte sauce....

At 4 1/2 hours, the ribs were done. I used to do spares using the well known 3-2-1 method (3 hours naked, 2 hours in foil, 1 hour naked & glazed). But since I quit using foil, they are almost always done at 4 1/2 hours. Not sure why that is, but it's been consistent.

I'll be honest, I was not sure what to expect from the raspberry chipolte sauce. In fact I was skeptical. I'm happy with just "naked" or dry ribs but the rest of the family prefers sweet glazed ribs. All four of us thought these ribs had a pleasing blend of sweet and savory tastes. We eat a lot of ribs here so it takes something different to catch our attention and this finishing sauce did it. I liked them and they LOVED them.

We'll definitely use this sauce on ribs again.

Now that lunch is over, it's time to start thinking about dinner.

Easy Flank Steak Marinade

This is the first recipe I ever learned for flank steak way back when I grilled using lighter fluid soaked charcoal briquettes (circa 1990). I have since learned the error of my ways and repented long ago. The recipe is even better now that I know how to grill properly.

See this angelic and innocent looking critter?

That was Misty, the best Weimeraner to ever walk this planet. She eventually grew into those ears. She was the most intelligent, loyal, and loving dog I have ever known. In spite of her smarts or perhaps because of them, she had her moments and making this recipe again tonight caused us to recall one of them.

It was a typical Florida summer evening about 15 years ago. The fire flies sparkled and the warm green grass felt like a foot massage on your bare feet. I had grilled this steak recipe but our kids were playing over at their friends' place a few houses away. So I let the steak rest on the counter and we walked to fetch our kids. We were gone for maybe 4 or 5 minutes.

When we returned, there was an EMPTY plate on the counter. There was literally NO TRACE of the steak. The plate was clean as a whistle, no drippings. There were no smudges on the floor. CSI-K9 couldn't have put a case together. The only evidence at all was one satisfied looking dog. She had the perfect innocent "What?" expression pasted on her face.

Easy Flank Steak Marinade

1 ea flank steak
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oil (back then used vegetable oil, now use olive oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients except the steak.

Score the steak. Back then I didn't know WHAT that meant but my mom explained it. Using a very sharp knife lightly drag it across the steak in 1" intervals in a criss -cross pattern about 1/8" deep. You won't be able to see much of a difference now, but it will show up when you grill.

Marinade the steak in a zip lock bag for 4-8 hours, flipping it hourly. Remove the steak from the bag and discard the marinade.

Grill the steak over direct heat at 500f for 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes.

Flip once more and let cook 2 more minutes (total of 8 minutes).

Wrap in foil and let rest for at least 10-15 minutes (away from any dogs). Slice very thinly against the grain. Because you are slicing so thin, don't be afraid that you are burning the steak, you want it dark.
This yields a sweet charred crust on the outside, a tender, juicy interior, and a rich flavor.

Ever have a dog, cat, bird or other animal steal your dinner?

Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly Sauce

One of my favorite comic strips in the daily paper is Arlo and Janis, because they are kind of like Alexis and me. I have done this several times:
And I know I'm not the only one with an arrangement like this:
I liked Richard's (aka Buffalo Dick) comment: "I cook like a tornado went through, wife is in charge of damage control."

I saw this recipe for Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly Sauce in the January issue of Southern Living and knew I had to try it.


Pork Chops with Pepper Jelly Sauce

4 (3/4-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops (about 2 1/4 lb.)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper jelly

1. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops, and cook 8 minutes; turn and cook 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150°. Remove from skillet, and keep warm.

2. Add flour and jalapeño to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until flour is golden brown. Add wine, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; cook 1 minute or until almost completely reduced.

3. Add chicken broth, and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in pepper jelly until melted and smooth. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Return pork to skillet; turn to coat. Serve pork with sauce.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

I substituted a mini sweet red pepper for the jalapeno (it's what I had on hand) and used my pork chop rub instead of just salt and pepper. I also used 1" thick boneless chops but the cooking times were still close.

The whole family liked this recipe. The sauce was to die for. As far as "heat", it really didn't have any since I used sweet red pepper but I don't think the jalapeno would have made anything but a mild difference. The recipe comments on the Southern Living site said the same. If you are looking for heat, I'd opt for a habanero pepper.

I threw together a "fiesta rice pilaf" to go with it. We were quite pleased with it too, especially since I just threw it together on the spot without any kind of recipe or plan.

Fiesta Rice Pilaf

2 oz mexican chorizo sausage, (1/2 link) casing removed
1/2 c sweet onion, chopped
1/4 c sweet red bell pepper, chopped fine
1/4 c corn kernals
1 c chicken broth
1 c water
1/4 c green onion, chopped

Brown crumbled chorizo. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving up to 1 tablespoon of grease (not grease, it's "chorizo infused oil").

Saute onion, pepper, and corn in the same pan over medium high heat until the onion just starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the dry rice and toss to coat. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the rice takes a slight golden brown tint. You'll know it's ready when it releases a mild "nutty" aroma.

Return the chorizo to the mixture. Pour in water and broth. Bring to a simmer, stir once, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, fold in the green onion quickly. Put the cover back on, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

And before my good friends from the BBQ Brethren and Outdoor Cooking Guild start ribbing me for wimping out and cooking INSIDE, I did cook lunch on the grill.

Sriracha wings (the sweet heat version)!

with hot and sour noodles.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Upcoming Guest Post & Food For Thought

Krazy Kitchen Guest Post
On Valentine's Weekend, I am hosting a brunch and a dinner for the lovers' weekend over at Welcome To Our Krazy Kitchen. The theme is (surprise surprise) "romance".

It's going to be fun for us. That week is also our 15th anniversary, so the brunch is going to be a small, intimate menu of some of Alexis' favorites or things that are special to us over the years.

The dinner is going to be entertaining because I am going to have help. My friend and martial arts instructor, Robert, and I are going to cook dinner for Alexis and his fiance. I've been teaching him how to cook a good bit for the past year, but that's mostly been butts, ribs, steaks, and things on the grill. This will be the first full dinner menu we've done together that wasn't BBQ.

Food For Thought
We had a decent amount of snow last night and the boys were over at the horse farm next door, sledding and snowboarding at midnight. I went to sleep but Alexis stayed up. In part to wait for the boys but we had watched Paranormal Activity and I think it had her a bit spooked;)

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, I found this note in the kitchen. I couldn't resist writing a reply at the bottom.

She had also made me two batches of home made cinnamon rolls, wrapped and ready for baking.

I popped them in the oven and quietly set about cleaning the kitchen as quietly as possible. I wanted her to get her rest and if she heard me banging around, she'd feel like she had to get up.

She said she would do it, but she didn't mess it up herself. My walking back and forth to the grill through this mess all night and tracking it inside didn't help any.

Alexis woke up just as I had finished cleaning the kitchen and the rolls were ready.

As we enjoyed our rolls in a quiet morning lull, I smiled at her and thought about "romance". It's not just in flowers and cards, although those are nice romantic gestures. But real, bona fide romance? It's found in sticky notes and cinnamon rolls.

Those two seemingly small things Alexis did put a skip in my step this morning and made my day. Thanks Hon!

Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Sauce for Pasta

I saw this recipe when I was looking for a side to go with some leftover chicken and wanted to try the pasta sauce it uses. I thought I'd use just the sauce with some angel hair.

It called for a 16 ounce jar of roast red bell peppers, so I ran down to the store and bought a jar...

Ok, I lie. I tossed some mini sweet peppers on the Big Green Egg running at about 500f and fire roasted the little suckers! The sweet smell of char climbed into the air in wisps of flavor.

After they were blackened, I threw them in a ziploc bag to let them steam themselves and cool. I peeled them and seeded them. It was a pain in the arse but I will sum up roasting your on peppers as follows:

The effort required might make it worth buying them in a jar. BUT, the fresh roasted taste makes it well worth the effort.

Pasta With Creamy Red Pepper-feta Sauce And Chicken Recipe

2 + 2 tablespoons extra olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
16 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
2 chicken breasts
1 pound whole-wheat fettuccine pasta salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Pound chicken breasts flat season with salt and pepper. Cook pasta, and while its cooking. In skillet place 2 tbs EVOO and fry over med heat chicken breasts slowly till cooked through. Set aside.

In same skillet heat 2 tbs of EVOO. Cook onions till tender 5-7 min. Add garlic cook 1-2 min. Add the chopped peppers and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Place mixture in a food processor Add stock and all but 2 tablespoons of the feta. Process until combined and smooth and return to skillet to keep warm. Use some pasta water to thin sauce if needed. Mix pasta with sauce sprinkle with remaining feta and parsley.

One change I did was added few tablespoons of white wine after sauteing the onions & garlic.

I also only used 1/2 cup of feta cheese. This sauce was rich and tangy enough as is.

This sauce smacked my mouth with a bold flavor. This "side dish" is good enough to be a main dish on its own. Although, I think it would be better served with penne or rigatoni than noodles.

Damn I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

So, what is your favorite side dish that you could happily eat alone as a main dish?

Any Way You Slice It - Meat Slicers

One of the luxuries I have is a meat slicer that my parents gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

While my favorite "meat slicer" is my carving knife, it's hard to beat an electric meat slicer for making thin sliced lunch meat. I thought I would share a few of the tips for using meat slicers that I have picked up over the last few years of using mine.

FIRST AND FOREMOST: There is no substitute for reading, understanding, and following the instructions provided in the user manual for your specific meat slicer.

TIP: Cold meat or cheese slices easier and more evenly.
I roasted an eye of beef round on the Big Green Egg (grill) this weekend, wrapped it in foil and stuck it in the fridge for a day. (It was cooked by searing over direct heat at 500f for 1-2 minutes a side and then roasted indirect heat at 350f until it hit an internal temp of 140f. Normally I'd have pulled it 5 degrees earlier and let it rest but since it was going straight into the fridge.) Here it is after searing and about to go on for the roasting. It's on a raised rack over 2 cups of beef broth and 1 cup of red wine to collect the au jus.

TIP: Start your slicing with a flat even surface.
Roasts are not uniform in shape but you need to have a stable surface to start slicing. To do this, I slice them in half across the grain like this and then put the flat side against the back of the meat slicer.

TIP: Wipe your slicer surfaces down with vegetable oil BEFORE slicing.
This makes sliding your meat/cheese while slicing much easier but more importantly, it makes clean up afterward much easier.

TIP: It's Hip To Be Square
To get even slices, you have to hold the meat still with even pressure on THREE sides so it has no where to go except into the blade. In this picture, the meat is pressed between the back plate and the plastic safety guard but notice the gap on the left side against the push plate.

This will result in the meat sliding left and right as you try to slice it. Instead get it snug against all three like in the picture below. Notice it can't go right, it can't go left, and it can't go back. The only place it can go is into the slicer blade.

TIP: Work quickly but purposely.
Sliced meat dries out quickly, so be ready to package it as soon as possible after slicing. During slicing, I just keep covering the meat in layers so none of it is exposed to air too long.

TIP: Debris
If you want a good New Orleans treat AND you totally trust the sanitation job you did on your slicer the last time, use all of the "debris" from the slicer and make the NOLA classic, Roast Beef Po' Boy with Debris Gravy. Who dat!?!?!

SAFETY TIPS:

1. Always and I mean always use the safety guard(s). Never bare hand it. There are no such thing as small cuts on a meat slicer.
   
2. Always turn off the slicer when reaching in to clear stock from the cutting area.
   
3. Always UNPLUG the slicer when cleaning it. Whatever you do, RESIST the temptation to hold a cleaning rag on the side of a spinning blade. I worked in the safety/workers comp department in a grocery store chain....doing this "short cut" never ends well, eventually.
   
4. Always return the cutting thickness to "zero" or neutral when wiping the slicer down. Even when powered off, you can jack your hand up by bumping into the blade.

If you follow the manufacturer's manual and these tips, you should have a nice batch of thin sliced meat like this AND all of your fingers still attached.

Oh yeah, never use the meat slicer in the bath tub. It's not in my owner manual, but I'm just sayin'.

Tomorrow for lunch? Roast beef & smoked swiss paninis with au jus for dipping. What are your favorite dishes using thin sliced roast beef?