Frugal Foodie Friday - Chicken Not-Ciatore

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was a newlywed, several dishes dominated magazine space and claimed spots on dining room tables. Everyone, well maybe almost everyone, became fascinated with lasagna, manicotti and chicken cacciatore and felt duty bound to master their preparation. I was no different than other young homemakers of the time, so the Silver Fox and our friends came to know these dishes well. Ten years later, I found myself in New Jersey where chicken cacciatore held no sway, and the local favorite was a dish called chicken Murphy. Chicken Murphy was a sauteed or roasted combination of sausage, chicken, peppers and potatoes. The inclusion of potatoes is what gave the dish its non-Italian name. The two dishes were similar, so I'd alternate the frequency with which they were served when making dinner for my family. There came a day when I had no mushrooms for one and no potatoes for the other, so a bit of invention was required. I combined elements of the two dishes and came up with one my gang dubbed "not-ciatore". The dish is a relatively inexpensive braise that I think you will enjoy. It's easy to prepare and makes a great weeknight meal. The cost makes it a candidate for my Frugal Foodie Friday collection, so I decided to feature it today. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. Here is how the dish is made.

Chicken Not-Ciatore...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bell pepper (red or green), cut in 1-inch cubes
4 or 5 sweet cherry peppers, coarsely chopped
3 links hot Italian sausage, cut crosswise in 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley or basil for garnish

Directions:
1) Heat 2 tablespoon frying pan. When oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, bell pepper and cherry peppers and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
2) Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan and saute sausage until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
3) Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add chicken and shake to coat. Add chicken to pan and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
4) Add wine to pan, scraping to release brown bits (fond) from bottom of pan. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to pan. Bring mixture to a boil. Return vegetables and aromatics, along with sausage and chicken to pan. Cover pan, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Arrange on a serving platter. Top with sausage and chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

      

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Tricolor Pepper and Wild Rice Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It was a busy weekend, packed with food and fun and the company of neighbors and good friends. At the moment, I don't think I'll ever be hungry again. The upside to all the good food we had these past few days, is the wonderful recipes I'll have to share with you this week. Today's salad is an end of summer wonder that goes especially well with grilled lamb or beef. It's packed with color and flavor, and, despite some chopping, it's remarkably easy to make. If you skim through the ingredient list, you'll also see that it is also good for you and your waistline. This is a straight forward recipe and there are no tricks to its assembly, so I leave you to your own devices. I want to thank all of you who have expressed concern for my daughter and her family. They were among yesterday's evacuees from Steiner Ranch in Texas and while they still cannot return home, their house is, thus far, unscathed by the wildfires. My prayers tonight are for those who were not as fortunate.

Tricolor Pepper and Wild Rice Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Sherryl Ludlow

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided use
1-1/4 cups water, divided use
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Combine wild rice, 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2) Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine long grain rice and remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender.
3) In a large nonstick skillet, saute peppers and zucchini in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes. Add onions and saute for 1-2 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
4) Drain wild rice and stir into vegetable mixture. Stir in white rice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining oil and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.








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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Wild Rice, Cranberry and Almond Salad - The Streaming Gourmet
Brown Rice Salad with Beets and Herbs - Angie's Recipes
Curried Rice Salad - Sydney's Kitchen
Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad - Perry's Plate
Insalata di Riso - Chaos in the Kitchen

Roasted Fennel and Peppers

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the treasures of late summer is the abundance of expensive vegetables that can be purchased for pennies on the dollar in local markets. Fennel, leeks and peppers come to mind. As autumn takes hold, they will again soar in price, but for now, they can be enjoyed with abandon. My kitchen tends to track the seasons, and when these vegetables appear in farmer's markets, I know its time to pull my French and Italian recipes from storage and start to fix some of our favorite Mediterranean meals. It's still too warm for the heavier braises, but there are loads of lighter dishes that work really well and help to bridge the seasons. Today's recipe is one of them. I served this tonight with a simple roast chicken and some thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes. Nothing more was needed. This is a strongly flavored dish that will not appeal to all tastes, but if you have fond memories of the food of Provence and Tuscany, you are in for a real treat. While some chopping is involved, this is a easy dish to prepare, and, if you have even meager knife skills, you can have it on the table in an hour. This dish works well with plain grilled meats and roasts, as well as chicken. I think most of you will enjoy this side-dish. Here's the recipe.

Roasted Fennel and Peppers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Healthy Cooking Magazine

Ingredients:
2 large fennel bulbs, halved and sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
Fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced, optional

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Place fennel, peppers, onion and garlic in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper and rubbed sage. Toss to coat.
3) Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring twice. Garnish with fresh sage if desired. Yield: 6 servings.








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You may also enjoy these recipes:
Roasted Beets - Delicious Obsessions
Roasted Cauliflower - Nutritious Eats
Roasted Vegetable Medley with Rosemary Thyme - Savoring Today
Roasted Vegetables with Feta - In Flora's Kitchen
Roasted Asparagus - Foodie Journey

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday
Yvonne- StoneGable - What's on the Menu Monday

Crock-Pot Southwestern Sausage and Hominy Stew

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The third recipe in this month's crock-pot series would be given a pass, if pass/fail were the only grading options available. Were I to continue with the baseball analogy used with the other recipes we've featured so far, I'd call this a double play. Let me immediately add that there is nothing wrong with this dish. As a matter of fact, if there are teens in your house it might become a family favorite. My problem is that I think the recipe used to make this very basic dish is contrived. You don't really need a slow cooker to prepare it. This earthy casserole can be simmered stovetop or cooked in a microwave at the same time the rice that accompanies it is made. This is not a dish that needs to simmer for hours at a low temperature. You may want to prepare it that way, but it is not necessary and will add very little flavor to the finished dish. Most of the ingredients used in this stew come from cans and, like all dishes of this type, it is super simple to make. Texture in the dish is provided by the add-ons found at the end of the recipe. Don't forget them. The mango is used to brighten the flavor of the stew. If you don't have one, you can substitute a sweet apple or pear and get nearly the same affect. I think that those of you who are looking for crock-pot or slow cooker recipes will like this a lot. It's easy to do and very affordable. Here's the recipe.

Crock-Pot Southwestern Sausage and Hominy Stew...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann as featured in their book Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups prepared salsa, medium or hot (I recommend hot)
1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper (1-inch pieces)
1 cup coarsely Chopped yellow pepper (1-inch pieces)
1 (10-oz.) bag frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (15.5-oz.) can white or golden hominy, rinsed and drained
1 (12-oz.) package smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
2 tablespoons tequila
For Serving:
3 cups hot cooked long-grain white or brown rice
1/2 cup crushed tortilla Chips
1 medium-large ripe mango (10 to 14-oz.) peeled and sliced off the pit
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion (white and tender green)
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
1) Combine salsa, bell peppers, corn, chili powder, hominy, sliced sausage and tequila in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours.
2) To serve, divide rice among 4 bowls; top each serving with stew, crushed chips, mango slices (I diced my mangoes), cilantro, green onions and a big dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Your might also enjoy these recipes:
Taco Pie - Home Cooking Rocks
Chicken Chilaquiles - Baked Cupcakes
Stacked Green Chile Enchiladas - My Baking Heart
Shortcut Chili Colorado - Shamrocks and Shenanigans
Mexican Lasagna - And Then I Do the Dishes
Posole - Around My Family Table