Monday, February 25, 2008

Leftover Roast Chicken

"Honey make sure you do something with the Blog-Worthy Roast Chicken in the fridge! Lot's of good meat still left on the bone. Don't let it go to waste!" Goodness gracious.. "OK, Dear!"
Such an easy thing really, picking the meat off the bone. Therapuetic actually. Pick, pick, nibble, nibble... Of course when my hubby gave me the little reminder this morning he didn't really have any suggestions of what to do with the meat. It isn't that I couldn't think of anything, but I wanted to make something other than chicken soup (a popular standby in our house). Actually, he did suggest Chicken Enchiladas. Yummm.... Still having made them many times before I wanted to switch things up a bit. So, I went off to Whole Foods and spied a jar of Frontera Red Chili & Roasted Garlic (with tomatillo and sweet onion) Mexican cooking sauce. I figured, I could get creative with this sauce, and it was a good price at 2 for $6.00 for a 12oz. jar. On the way home I stopped into Sanchez Market on Atwells Ave. here in Providence. They make wonderful corn tortillas fresh everyday and at $1.00 for 3 dozen a true bargain!!! Joy of joys, on this day they had made some blue-corn tortillas! Haven't had any since my last trip to New Mexico! I splurged on these :$1.50 for 3 dozen :) When I got home, I decided to make New Mexican style free-form Chicken Enchiladas. I invited my Mom over and the girls and I devoured our servings! We left some for Jim (lucky for him) who was late getting home. I am shocked there are leftovers! (The recipe is something i just put together, so you can be lax on the measurements.) Give this easy breezy recipe a try (sorry I didn't take a picture!):
New Mexican style Free-form Chicken Enchiladas
1 16oz (plus another half a jar) jar of Frontera Red Chili & Roasted Garlic cooking sauce
1 cup Half-N-Half
1 4oz. can of Diced and Peeled Mild Green Chilis
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup frozen sliced peppers (I used Trader Joe's Tri-Color pack)
1 Medium Onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
About 3-4 cups leftover cooked-Chicken cut or shredded
12oz. shredded Colby Jack cheese
12-16 corn tortillas
garnish with: shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced avocado and salsa.
Saute the onion in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Add frozen corn and peppers saute for about 5 minutes.
Add Chicken and one 16 oz. jar of sauce.
Add the half-n-half and cook till heated through, about 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
In the meantime, lightly spray a 13x9" pan with cooking oil.
Pour a ladle full of sauce to coat the bottom.
Cover with 6 corn tortillas (they will overlap a bit)I dip my corn tortillas in the sauce mixture to soften them up.
Add some more sauce and sprinle with cheese.
Repeat procedure for another layer or two as if you making lasagna.
The final layer should have remaining (half jar of sauce) and shredded cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Serve with rice and shredded lettuce.
ENJOY!
This is a relatively mild dish, so feel free to sprinkle on the hot sauce afterwards.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

1st Annual Jen's Dish Event!

The first ever Jen's Dish event was held the Saturday before the Super Bowl :(, at Washington Hill Liquors in Lincoln, RI. The afternoon was made all the more festive by the addition of Mike Murray and his Saugy Hot Dog cart! Who can resist free Saugy Frankfurts? A big THANK YOU to Kent & Gregg for putting together a terrific list of Super Bowl pairings accompanied by special Super Bowl prices! Another big THANK YOU to Mary O'Brien of Saugy,Inc. for supplying the frankfurts and Mike Murray for bringing his cart along and making up some yummy dogs! Inside my Mom and I (thanks Mom!)gave out samples of False Alarm Chili. 5 Alarm was more like it! A hearty, vegetarian chili packed with heat!

When making the chili the night before, I was reading over the recipe and measuring out my herbs and spices. The recipe called for 1/3 cup of chili powder. Seeing as i was doubling the recipe, I scooped away! Well, you'd think i would take a dose of my advice and taste first before adding too much heat. But Noooo, I just plopped the second 1/3 cup in! Oh my goodness, have you ever stuck your nose in chili powder? No, probably not. Well, I couldn't breathe! I had to put on the ceiling fan to get the air circulating. I realized quickly that this was going to be way too much heat, so luckily I was able to scoop out some of the chili powder that was sitting at the top of the liquid, having not yet dissolved. Still, even after I did that it was almost inedible - except for the most daring of palates! Mmmm, 9pm what to do???? Call MOM!
My Mom suggested I split the chili in half, and add more tomatoes (28oz. can diced in juice) to each pot and let it sit overnight. The next morning, well, it still had heat but much more bearable! By the time we set up the table at Washington Hill, the chili had mellowed out nicely and was: PERFECT! Certainly woke up the hung over University students that came in to try it.
Here is the recipe I adapted from Martha Stewart
You will not miss the meat in this one!!
Five Alarm Chili (otherwise known as False Alarm chili!)
Ingredients
Serves 10.
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
· 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
· 1 large carrot, chopped medium
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 pound dried lentils, rinsed
· 1/3 cup tomato paste
· 1 (15-ounce) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
· 1 (15-ounce) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
· 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
· 2 Tablespoons (or more to taste) chili powder
· 4 teaspoons ground cumin
· 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, green and red peppers, carrot, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in 7 cups water, lentils, tomato paste, kidney beans, and pinto beans. Stir to blend, adding diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and crushed red-pepper flakes.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. If the chili starts to dry out, add hot water as needed. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Adapted from a MSL recipe.
Will certainly let you know when and where the next Jen's Dish event will be!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Jambalaya with Jarvis



On January 5th I had the privilege of cooking with and interviewing Jarvis Green, #97 Defensive Lineman for the New England Patriots! What a great experience that was. Jarvis is a kind, humble, talented athlete and generous individual. He also loves to cook! Jarvis is an entrepreneur at heart and will soon be opening up a restaurant in his home state of Louisiana and has spent some off season time learning the ropes from the terrific folks at Prime Steakhouse and The Oyster Bar in Providence's Federal Hill. At the time of the interview the Patriots were undefeated at 16-0, so with thoughts of The Super Bowl looming ahead, I thought we would cook up something yummy and easy to serve at any Super Bowl Party! Seeing as Jarvis is from the New Orleans area, I thought maybe a hearty one pot meal like Jambalaya would be perfect. I found an easy recipe on Martha Stewart's site and adapted it a bit.

Firehouse Jambalaya

Ingredients
Serves 8 to 10.
· 1 whole chicken, (3 to 4 pound), rinsed and patted dry
· 1/2 medium onion, plus 2 chopped medium onions
· 3 whole garlic clove, plus 3 minced garlic clove
· 1/4 cup coarse salt
· 1 28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
· 1 tablespoon ground allspice
· 1 tablespoon dried thyme
· 1 teaspoon dried basil
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· 1 tablespoon hot sauce
· 1/4 cup vegetable oil
· 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
· 1 green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
· 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
· 1 pound andouille sausage or kielbasa, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
· 2 cups long-grain white rice
· 1 pound medium shrimp, (about 30), peeled, deveined, and tails removed

Directions
1. In a large stockpot, combine chicken and enough cold water to just cover the chicken. Add 1/2 onion, 3 whole garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium, and cook for about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Remove chicken from pot; remove meat, discarding skin, and shred. Set aside. Strain broth, discarding solids. Set aside.
2. In a large Dutch-oven, combine 3 cups of the chicken broth, tomatoes, allspice, thyme, basil, oregano, and hot sauce over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, chopped onions, bell peppers, and minced garlic. Cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes; add to Dutch-oven.
4. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over high heat; add sausage, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to Dutch-oven. Add shredded chicken, rice, and remaining 2 tablespoons salt; simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add shrimp, and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand for a few minutes, and serve.
First published MSL September 2005

We paired the Jambalaya with a 2005 X Winery Syrahtica
An ample,but not overbearing red with hints of blackberry and plum and a bit of toasted oak.

Something almost as important to Jarvis as his family and football is his Foundation: "The mission of the Jarvis Green Foundation, a non-for-profit 501(c)3 organization, is to provide support to single working mothers in disadvantaged, low-income areas", especially those mothers affected by Hurricane Katrina.
You could win a lunch with Jarvis Green! enter to win tickets to his Fundraiser at Capital Grill on Feb. 11, 2008.

I want to thank some folks for making this interview & videos possible!
Eric Eisenberg
Wendy Hanson of The Sassy Ladies Coaching Group
Mike Ritz of The Genesis Center
Mike Degnan, Chef Emily and Mimi of Providence Prime
Michelle Girasole of Precision Web
Arty Goldstein and the gang at A Gold Production
and of Jarvis Green himself!
I hope you enjoy the videos! This will be the start of a new venture for "Jen's Dish" stay tuned.......