Chicken-Catch-a-Tory

This is Chicken-Kauia. We were told they are very tough. It's the only reason we don't move there.

So I used to use a recipe for chicken cacciatore that would probably no longer be recognized by the author but you, my children, recognize it by the "gunk" at the bottom of the pan that Dad keeps stealing.

 And personally I think it would make even this guy tender:

The essential ingredients are chicken pieces (I like thighs best),  fresh garlic cloves, olive oil, celery and some form of mushroom (dried gives a richer flavor), calamata (or close) pitted olives, and some leftover red wine. Optional: cooked salty bacon, fresh herbs, esp. rosemary and parsley, sundried tomatoes. Quantities vary.

 Sautee garlic and finely chopped celery (the leafier the better) in olive oil. I'm guessing a couple cloves garlic to 1/2 cup of celery. When it's getting translucent add some red wine -say 1/2 a cup and let it cook off. Then add the mushrooms, olives  and more olive oil and more wine depending on your mood. Dried mushrooms will take more liquid (even if soaked first). Add whatever else you've got,  chopped herbs, and the chicken. -browning it on both sides. Now be sure the chicken has stuff all around it and almost (but not quite) covering it. The "stuff" should itself be surrounded with juices (from the grape, the vegetables themselves, chicken et al) but not swimmingly. Is that clear?

Turn the heat down (oh it was medium high to sautee stuff and then brown the chicken).Cover the pan and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Serve over rice or bulgur (cooked by adding boiling water  in a 2:1 ratio to coarse bulgur + some olive oil and salt).

A good bread to mop up the pan is a plus and any vegetable but peas (I'm just kidding Carolyn).

Note: if using thigh you can leave on the some skin but you really have to remove all that extra and especially fattybits on the sides. Unless it's Kauia chickens because they don't have any extra fat...

baby potatoes

OK, so they cost like 3 or 4 times as much as regular old potatoes but if you get a bag of these little "pee wee" potatoes (that's what they are called at Wegman's at least)  all you have to do is toss them in some olive oil, sprinkle some salt (coarse salt if you've got it -from the sea or not) and bake for 30 minutes (ish) at 350 (my go to temp.) And everybody thinks I'm a genious - or if you do it they'll think you are a genius. So you saved time, clean-up and get a major ego boost. This is what cooking for your family and friends is all about.

Also this picture has nothing to do with the food tip but I like to think of myself as looking kinda angelic as I bring the potatoes to the table.

Note: The pee wees are smaller than even baby potatoes, averaging about 1" in diameter. I did not measure the variance.

Slow cooker pork shoulder and the joy of roasts

Yes dear children I am trying to catch up... As you know last summer I discovered (what everyone else knew) about how much easier a big roast can make your life. And when I say "roast" I really mean any big chunk of meat you cook. Because once you've cooked it then all week it is there for sandwiches, salads, fried rice, sauces, soups and just plain leftovers. Why did it take so long for me to figure this out?

 And one of our favorites was the pork shoulder roast so here is how I did it (more or less):

Put big pork shoulder roast (bone in or out, but the netting with the bone out is possibly more of a nuisance than the bone, so take it off) in a big crock pot in the MORNING.

Pour on several cups of white wine. It should be surrounded but not drowned. A sweetish one is good but keep it cheap.
Then a tablespoon or so of whole peppercorns. White or black -I prefer the white ones but both work.

Salt the top of the roast (oh, fat side up if it's not too late) and add some sprigs of rosemary.

Turn the crock pot to high, switch it to low when things start to smell really good. Or just low all day. It kinda depends on the crockpot I guess, but honestly I've been very inexact about this and have found little difference.

In the EVENING serve the pulled pork with potatoes etc etc etc. Keep your dad under control if you have big plans for more meals. If you can put all that's leftover and juices together in the fridge the next day you can scoop off the fat. This is why I love my crockpot with the removable"crock" part. Never really thought I'd be a slow cooker fan but I totally am now.

The pigs in the picture are Hawaiian and we fed them but they still looked rather tough to me.