In Love with Leftovers - Braised Chicken with Red Wine

Food Snob is a BIG fan of leftovers - in fact, family members who do not like leftovers are not welcome at Food Snob's dinner table.  For people with limited time to spend in the kitchen - and who wants to spend all day in the kitchen - leftovers can be lifesavers, as long as they are healthy and delicious.

Leftovers can be challenging, however, since many fish, chicken, and meat dishes never taste as good warmed up as they do when they are freshly prepared.  Introducing "Braised Chicken with Red Wine," which is the one of the most incredible chicken dishes I have ever eaten - and it is just as good reheated as it is when freshly cooked.  In fact, the recipe recommends the dish be made ahead and reheated.  This chicken stew reheats well because it uses only chicken thighs or legs - no chicken breasts. Chicken breasts are easily overcooked and do not reheat easily; hence chicken breasts are not good candidates for any stewed or braised dish.  I have served this marvelous winter dish to dinner guests and family members alike and received rave reviews every time.

The recipe for "Braised Chicken with Red Wine" was first published in John Broening's column in the Denver Post in early 2012.  Food Snob is a big fan of both John Broening's Denver restaurants and his weekly column in the Wednesday food section. John recommends seasoning the chicken overnight and cooking it the next day; Food Snob, who is always in a hurry, has seasoned the chicken immediately before cooking and the dish was still delicious.

"Braised Chicken with Red Wine" does not comply with one of Food Snob's most basic recipe requirements - to be able to prepare the dish and get dinner on the table in 45 minutes or less.  The stew requires 1 and 1/2  hours in the oven. However, the dish is quick and easy to prepare, so you can make it during the weekend and enjoy it as a quick meal during weeknights.  So, if the Super Bowl gets boring on Sunday, have these ingredients on hand and you'll have a wonderful meal ready when the game is over - or for supper the rest of the week!

Food Snob has made some adjustments to the original recipe, primarily to (1) reduce the fat, (2) reduce the sodium, and (3) increase the vegetables.  The adjustments have improved the health of the recipe without sacrificing its fantastic flavor.  Comfort food at its best!

Braised Chicken with Red Wine - serves 8 to 12 depending on size of chicken thighs

Overnight, several hours, or right before cooking, combine the following ingredients for the seasoning mix:

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon fennel, crushed with a mortar and pestle or with the side of a knife

Wash, dry, and remove the skin and all visible fat from:

12 large bone-in chicken thighs (purchase natural or organic chicken for the best flavor)

Coat the chicken thoroughly with the seasoning mix.  If you do not plan to cook the chicken right away, refrigerate, covered, several hours or overnight.  When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat a large Dutch oven (or heavy, oven-safe pot with lid) over medium heat; coat with cooking spray and add a small amount of canola oil - just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  When the Dutch oven is hot, dredge the chicken thighs in flour, shake off any excess and brown in the Dutch oven in batches, six at a time.  If you cannot eat gluten, omit the flour. Adjust the temperature of the Dutch oven so that the chicken browns slowly and evenly, but does not burn. Turn the chicken occasionally so that it browns on all sides; add a little more canola oil or cooking spray if needed. If you are in a big hurry, which Food Snob usually is, you can heat both a skillet and the Dutch oven and cook all 12 chicken thighs at the same time.  When the chicken is nicely browned, remove from the Dutch oven and put on a plate or platter (do not stack the thighs).  Add to the Dutch oven:

1 large yellow onion, diced
4 to 5 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut in 1 inch lengths
10 to 12 shitake mushrooms, washed and chopped coarsely

"Sweat" the vegetables over low to medium heat  for about 10 minutes until vegetables soften. (To sweat vegetables, cut a round circle of parchment paper just a little bit smaller than the size of the Dutch oven and cover the vegetables with the parchment paper.  The parchment paper lets the some of the steam escape, but prevents the vegetables from drying out.  For a more complete description of "sweating vegetables," see Food Snob's January 5, 2012 Posting.)  Add:

1 Tablespoon minced or crushed garlic

Cook vegetables for about a minute longer - but do not allow the garlic to brown.   Add:

2 cups red wine

Cook the wine and vegetables until the wine is reduced by about half.  Then add:

1 cup tomato puree
2 cups low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Allow the mixture to return to simmer, then add the chicken back to the Dutch oven.  Cover and bake for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Remove the chicken from the oven. If you want to eat the chicken right away, remove the chicken from the sauce and place it in a casserole or serving dish. Keep warm (you can place the chicken in a 180 degree oven).  Put the Dutch oven and sauce back on the stove and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, to reduce the liquids to a sauce consistency.  Stir in:

1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar (do NOT skip this ingredient - if you don't have sherry vinegar, use  wine vinegar)
16 green olives, cut in half

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta. Cool any leftovers and refrigerate for another meal.

If you decide you don't want to eat the chicken stew right away and you decide to finish the sauce later, you can refrigerate the chicken and sauce after you remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. When ready to eat, reheat the chicken and sauce in the Dutch oven and when the chicken is hot, remove it to a casserole or serving dish and keep warm.  Finish the sauce as described above.

Next Week:  Don't miss the results of Food Snob's Brownie Competition - just in time for Valentine's Day!

Pancakes for Breakfast! The Saturday Morning Comfort Food

It's been freezing here in Denver in January and Food Snob has eaten her way through pot after pot of soup - check out her previous recipes for Red Lentil Soup (February 2, 2012) and Chicken and Barley Soup with Dill and Lemon (March 8, 2012) - she's made both of these in the past two weeks.

Even though the weather has warmed up a bit the past few days, January is the month for comfort food.  Comfort food is especially important in Denver right now, since we are all suffering depression from the Bronco's recent playoff defeat and we need all of the comforting we can get.  "Eating healthy" also tops the list of New Year's Resolutions for many of us, so not just "any" comfort food will suffice; comfort food in January must also be made from healthy ingredients and be low in calories and fat.

Pancakes for breakfast - made from scratch - are one of Food Snob's favorite comfort foods.    Pancakes, which can be healthy and are quick to fix, are served at Food Snob's house every Saturday morning.  Saturday breakfast without pancakes on the table earns glares from Food Snob's family members, who are disappointed with any alternative.  And, what question does Food Snob's husband ask when he wakes up every Saturday morning, guaranteed?   Without exception, he wants to know what kind of pancakes we are having this morning.

Although Food Snob loves to go out for breakfast, she typically stays away from pancakes served at even the best breakfast restaurants.  Pancakes in restaurants are heavy on white carbohydrates and sugar, and portions are too large.  When Food Snob wants pancakes she makes her own.

To boost both the taste and nutrition value of her pancakes, Food Snob has developed recipes that are 100 percent whole-grain, high in protein, and low in sugar and fat.  To do so, she has adopted the following pancake-making rules:

• Eliminate all fat from the recipe (trust me - your pancakes will not stick if you have a good griddle - you can coat the griddle lightly with cooking spray).
• Add protein to your pancake batter - protein helps the pancakes to "stick with you" longer. Eggs, fat-free greek yogurt, and fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese increase the protein and help level out the "insulin spike" you may have when you eat food heavy with carbohydrates and sugar.  Family members who think they don't like yogurt or cottage cheese will never know that they are eating it - and let's just keep that OUR secret (unless the family member is allergic or cannot tolerate dairy products - then eliminating dairy is essential).  Adding a small amount of nuts to the pancakes provides healthy fats, crunch, protein, and great flavor.
• Use whole grains in your batter.  For example, by substituting white flour with whole wheat pastry flour, you can create pancakes that are 100 percent whole grain.
• Top your pancakes with fruit and use syrup sparingly.  Warming the fruit, adding lemon juice, sweetening with a small amount of agave nectar and a bit of no-calorie sweetener such as Splenda or Truvia, if you need it, can create a delicious topping that minimizes the need for syrup.
• Splurge on real maple syrup, and use it sparingly.
• Limit portion size.  Two six-inch pancakes (three or more if you are my son, who can eat more pancakes than anyone I've ever seen) will fill you up and keep you full for hours.

Food Snob uses different pancake recipes depending on the season - a winter favorite is Organic Spelt Pancakes with Berry Compote.  Spelt is an ancient cousin of wheat that is higher in fiber and lower in gluten.  Spelt pancakes are fast, easy, and delicious - you can make these pancakes in about the same time as pancake mix (which, by the way, is not allowed in Food Snob's kitchen).  You can purchase organic spelt flour at your local grocery store and whole wheat pastry flour at Sprouts, Vitamin Cottage, or Whole Foods.  Food Snob serves her pancakes with low-fat organic turkey sausage, meatless sausage patties, or turkey bacon.  One sausage link or patty, or one slice of bacon, provides great satisfaction without overdoing it.  

Here are a few rules on making pancakes from scratch, if you aren't used to doing this:

• Pancakes are a quick bread, so don't over-stir your batter once you add the wet ingredients, all at one time, to the dry ingredients.  Stir gently just until all dry ingredients are moistened and don't worry if the batter isn't perfectly smooth.
• Use an electric griddle, if you have one, set at 375 degrees.  Electric griddles allow you to cook a lot of pancakes at one time and create a consistent, even heat.  If you don't have an electric griddle, you can use a large frying pan.  Heat it on medium heat.  
• Test the griddle by sprinkling with a few drops of cold water before adding your batter.  The drops will spatter and jump if the griddle is hot enough.
• Pour the batter onto the griddle with a measuring cup (Food Snob uses about 1/3 cup to make a 6-inch pancake).  The pancakes will spread out into a six-inch circle if the batter is the right consistency. Top the pancakes with a few nuts, and wait for bubbles to appear on top of the batter.  Flip the pancakes before the bubbles start bursting.  If you wait until the bubbles burst, you will have cooked the pancakes too long. Do not smash the pancakes with the spatula, once you flip them.  A family member, who shall remain unnamed, did this once, to Food Snob's horror!

Food Snob's recipe for Organic Spelt Pancakes was modified from one she found in Bon Appetit magazine.  She reduced the fat and sodium in the recipe and added pecans for crunch.  Here's her recipe:

Organic Spelt Pancakes with Berry Compote - makes 8 to 10 six-inch pancakes

To prepare Berry Compote, place in a medium, microwave safe bowl:

one-half of a 16-ounce bag of frozen triple berry medley (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)

Microwave on high for about two minutes.  Stir the mixture and add:

one 6-ounce container of fresh blackberries, washed

juice from 1/4 of a lemon, freshly squeezed

1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar (may substitute maple syrup)
ground cinnamon, to taste

Taste, and if more sweetness is needed, add a small amount of Splenda, Truvia, sugar, or more agave nectar, depending on your preference.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Set mixture aside while preparing pancake batter.  

To prepare Organic Spelt Pancakes, preheat electric griddle to 375 degrees. Stir together with a whisk in a large bowl:

1 cup organic spelt flour

2 Tablespoons yellow corn meal

1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar (packed)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together:

3 organic, high omega-3 eggs

1 cup rice milk, soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, or skim milk

1/2 cup fat-free greek yogurt

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir together until all dry ingredients are moistened; mixture will not be perfectly smooth.  Do not over mix!

Test griddle with drops of cold water as described above.  Spray griddle lightly with cooking spray.  Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. Pour slowly and allow batter to spread evenly. Immediately top each pancake with:

a few pecans, broken into large pieces

When small bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over. Do not wait until the bubbles break.  Cook until brown on the underside. Remove pancakes to individual serving plates, top each pancake with warm berry compote. Serve with warm maple syrup or agave nectar, applied sparingly!  Prepare to be comforted!

Watch for Food Snob's comfort food recipe for next week:  The Best Chicken Stew - perfect for cold January days and equally delicious when served as a leftover meal on another day!