Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings

 

This is as simple as it gets. You just need 2 ingredients....chicken wings and Frank's Hot Sauce. And then just 2 hours of low and slow in the smoker. For smoking, I recommend either cherry or apple wood  to impart a nice sweet taste. If you don't have a smoker, no problem. Just skip the wood and cook 'em in your oven.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds chicken wings

1-1/2 cups Frank's Original Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove wings from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Place wings in a ziplock bag and add hot sauce. Toss to mix thoroughly. Place bag in refrigerator and let wings marinate for 4 hours.
3. Preheat smoker to 225º.
4. Place wings into the smoker and cook for 2 hours, flipping the wings at the 1 hour mark.
5. After the 2 hours, remove wings and serve with either ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Pairing: An Ice Cold Pilsner

Little Bites

 

Kirkland Caesar Salad: Becky and I love our caesar salads...we usually have 2 to 3  each week. While my favorite caesar dressing is the original one: (https://terrygruggen.blogspot.com/2024/07/happy-100th-birthday-caesar-salad.html), it takes quite awhile to make that. During the week, I like my prep time to be minimized, so I often reach for a store-bought caesar dressing. Until last week, Briannas Home Style Creamy Caesar was our favorite.

Last Thursday, we bought the Kirkland Caesar Salad at Costco. For $8 and change, you get all the fixings and enough salad for 4 entree portions (or 2 nights of salads for empty nesters). We were discussing how their salad had the best dressing.....and so I decided to do a little online sleuthing. A few keystrokes later, I uncovered that Costco contracts with Ken's Salad Dressing for their dressing packets in the Kirkland Salad.

If you have enjoyed the Kirkland Caesar Salad as much as we have, the cat is now out of the bag. Costco's dressing is actually "Ken's Creamy Caesar with Roasted Garlic". Hands down, it's the best bottled dressing I have ever tasted. I checked with the 3 grocery stores I frequent, but none of them carried it. Amazon has it for about $7 a bottle. But go to Stockup Express, an online grocery wholesaler , and you can score 9 bottles for less than $18....bringing the cost per bottle down to $1.94. That's a pretty small price for the biggest tasting caesar dressing in a bottle.

Really Great Coffee on the Cheap: For years, Becky and I have been Keurig K-Cup fans. Our coffee of choice is a really hearty dark roast.... Barista Prima Italian Roast. We love that each cup is fresh, piping hot and ready in less than a minute.

While we were on vacation last February, we ordered 2 French Press coffees on our last day. Damn....those were tasty! (thanks Bigs) A French Press makes incredible tasting coffee through immersion (letting the boiling water commingle with the ground beans) and air pressure (forcing the water through the grounds and a micro-filter).

When we got back, I started researching what kind of French Presses were available for home use. One name kept jumping to the forefront....AeroPress. Unlike the competition that were married to the classic coffee pot design, AeroPress kind of resembles a big test tube. I could describe how it works, but watching it in action is much more fulfilling: https://youtu.be/3rHj76QLSe0?si=KXrTFVaszo-LEFWw

I think it makes the best cup of coffee around. And it grabs 3 of my brass rings: it's delicious; it's easy to use/clean; and it's dirt cheap. In a world of outrageously priced espresso machines, this leaves them all in the dust. I got mine at Amazon for just $34.99. We still use our K-Cups, but the AeroPress is our go-to when we want that special cup of coffee.

Pork Bulgogi with Spring Vegetables

 

Where did the Korean concept of bulgogi come from?

Imagine, if you will, ancient Korea. We're talking way, way back, before K-Pop and even before Gangnam Style. Picture a time when people weren't scrolling through TikTok, but probably, like, trying to figure out how to keep their food from running away.

We can trace its delicious lineage back to the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC – 668 AD). Back then, they had something called "maekjeok". And what was maekjeok, you ask? Well, it was essentially skewered meat, grilled over an open flame. Think of it as the great-great-great-grandpappy of bulgogi, a bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but with good, honest intentions. These were likely nomadic warriors, who, after a long day of, you know, being nomadic warriors, probably just wanted some sizzling meat on a stick. No fancy marinades, probably just "Meat. Fire. Eat."

Fast forward a few hundred years, and we enter the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). This is where things get a bit more refined, a touch more sophisticated and definitely more saucy. During this period, the dish evolved into something called "neobiani", which literally means "thinly sliced." And that's where the magic really starts to happen.

Imagine a royal chef, perhaps tired of the King complaining about chewy, tough meat, deciding to thin-slice the pork. And then, perhaps, someone accidentally (or brilliantly) dropped it into a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and who knows what else. "Oops! My bad! ...Wait a minute, this is actually amazing!" And thus, the tender, flavorful, marinated meat we know and love began to take shape. It was the VIP meal, the dish for royalty, so you know it had to be good. 

From these noble beginnings, bulgogi slowly but surely made its way from the royal palace to us common folk, adapting and evolving with local ingredients and preferences. It wasn't always called bulgogi, mind you. "Bulgogi" itself is a more modern term, literally meaning "fire meat" – which, let's be honest, is a pretty accurate and badass name for something so frigging delicious. 

This Melissa Clark recipe from The New York Times serves four.

INGREDIENTS




For the Marinade and Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup gochujang

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

2 tablespoons neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado or sunflower)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1, 2-inch piece of ginger, minced

2 scallions, thinly sliced







For the Pork and Vegetables

1 pound boneless pork chops, sliced thin  

1 tablespoon of neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado or sunflower)

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced

8 ounces snow peas, stems removed and each cut in half 

6 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Cooked white rice for serving







DIRECTIONS

1. Make the marinade: Add marinade ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. In a small bowl, reserve half the marinade at room temperature for serving.
2. Add pork to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. 
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add mushrooms. Let sear, stirring once or twice, until just tender and caramelized, 4 to 7 minutes.
4. Raise heat to high. Add pork along with its marinade, radishes, snow peas and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions (reserve for garnish) to pan. Let cook, stirring often, until the pork is just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Take care not to overcook it; it won’t brown, and it may still look slightly pink inside).
5. Garnish with reserved scallions and sesame seeds, and serve hot over rice with reserved marinade for drizzling.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Korean BBQ Meatballs with Spicy Mayo Sauce

 

I

I'm a huge Stanley Tucci fan. Love his acting and love his passion for food even more. Watched every single second of his CNN culinary hit "Searching for Italy" in 2021 and 2022. Now he has a brand new show airing on National Geographic (and streaming on Hulu) called "Tucci in Italy".....and it's even better than the first show!

When it comes to his food shows and cookbooks...he expresses his deep love for all things Italian. But I stumbled across his recipe for Korean BBQ Meatballs with Spicy Mayo Sauce. I could tell from the ingredients I would love it, so I made it for Becky and I last Tuesday night. While the meatballs were outstanding....his recipe for the sauce knocked me over. It really makes this dish and I would drink it by the effin' barrel if I could.

INGREDIENTS

For the Meatballs

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 tablespoon green onions, chopped

1 large egg, beaten (shell discarded)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Spicy Mayo Sauce

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sriracha

1 tablespoon  rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until fully blended. Then roll the mixture into small, evenly sized meatballs (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter). Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes until they are golden brown.
4. While meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until the sauce is smooth.
5. Serve. Plate the cooked meatballs and drizzle with the spicy mayo or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Tortellini Pasta Salad

 

Love a big bowl of pasta but worry about the carb load? What if your favorite comfort food could get a healthy makeover with one simple trick? It turns out, today's leftover pasta might be better for you than yesterday's freshly cooked dish.

When you first cook starchy foods like pasta or rice, the starch molecules are open and easy for your body to break down quickly into sugar. But let that pasta cool down in the fridge and something fascinating happens. The starch molecules huddle together, transforming into "resistant starch." Think of it as the pasta's starch going into a defensive, harder-to-digest mode.

This resistant starch acts more like fiber. That means your body digests it slower, leading to a more gradual rise in blood sugar and keeping you feeling full longer – a big plus for anyone, especially those managing diabetes.

 So, by simply chilling your pasta you're unlocking benefits like improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels, better gut health and even a slight boost in calorie burning because your body works harder to process it. Who knew...but pasta night just got a lot healthier! This New York Times recipe makes four entree servings.

INGREDIENTS

20 ounces of tortellini (4-cheese or other flavors)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1, 12-ounce jar sliced, roasted red peppers, drained

4 ounces of salami, cut into bite size pieces

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Crushed red pepper 

3 handfuls baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. In a pot of heavily salted water, cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain into a colander, rinse with cold water until it is all cool to the touch. Shake dry, then place pasta in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
2. When the pasta has chilled, place a large bowl on the counter. To the bowl, add pasta, red onion, peppers, salami, oil and vinegar and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper until the salad is flavorful. Stir in the arugula. Serve.

Wine pairing: Chianti

Old Bay Chicken Thighs

 

These air-fried chicken thighs make for a great weeknight dinner. The prep will take you less than two minutes....then you just toss the thighs in your air fryer for a quick 20 minute session. I sure prefer chicken thighs over breast meat.  The dark meat and fat ensure that that every bite will be moist and tender....and the crisp, air-fried chicken skin is one of the greatest pleasures you can gift your palate.  

For this recipe, it's not necessary to use Old Bay Seasoning. In fact, 4 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning will work just as well. Lawry's, Famous Dave's, dry ranch dressing, Montreal Steak Seasoning....anything that pleases you will fit the bill. And if you have no seasoned salt on hand, make your own. I suggest mixing 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.

INGREDIENTS

4 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

4 chicken thighs (about 6-ounces each)

DIRECTIONS

1. Poke skin side of each thigh 10 times with a metal skewer. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning.
2. Spray a small amount of oil in the bottom of the basket. Arrange chicken thighs skin-side up in the air fryer basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set air fryer temp to 375º (no pre-heating required). Cook until skin is well-browned and crisp,  20 minutes (chicken should be at 185º). Do not flip chicken during your cook.
3. Transfer chicken to a large plate, tent with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then serve.

Pairing: An oaky Chardonnay

Easiest Easter Ham

 

 

It's Easter next weekend. Time for another family meal. You better have a Costco membership card in your wallet...otherwise you will miss out on one of the greatest epicurean delights known to modern man. Kirkland Ham. Bone-in and spiral sliced. Pre-cooked. Hickory smoked. I'm here to tell you it is the greatest ham you will ever taste.

Not only is the taste of this ham astounding, the price will absolutely blow you away. It's just $3.59 a pound. Cheaper than ground beef. Cheaper than wieners. Cheaper than that 47-week supply of Kirkland toilet paper. You've gotta be plum crazy not to take advantage of this. The world's greatest ham at the world's greatest price.

The ham also comes with a package of glaze. My advice.....throw the glaze away the minute you get home. The pit master has put the absolutely perfect amount of hickory smoke in this ham. The glaze is over-the-top sweet and detracts from hickory greatness. Plain ham and Potato Kugel for my Easter dinner, please.

So let's tick off the boxes. World's best tasting ham. World's cheapest ham. And now for the trifecta...world's easiest ham recipe! 

Ingredients
One Kirkland spiral sliced ham (7-14 pounds)
Aluminum foil
1 cup water


Directions

1. Remove ham from store packaging and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
2. Add water to bottom of slow cooker, then add ham and cover.
3. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. When done, remove foil and serve.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Grilled Ribeye with Jalapeño Horseradish Butter

 

Now that  the cooking with charcoal season has started, I've become obsessed with compound butters to dress my freshly grilled steaks. This butter brings two big hits of heat to my very favorite cut of steak... a well-marbled ribeye.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of butter (8 ounces) at room temperature*

2 medium jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced

3 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish

1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley 

4 ribeye steaks, 16 ounces each and 1-1/2" thick

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

*A note on butter. Choose a European butter if possible (me loves Kerrygold).  European butters have a higher butter fat content...which makes them both creamier and tastier than their American counterparts.

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the Jalapeño Horseradish butter. Put the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to combine all the ingredients until the compound butter is completely smooth.
2. Set a piece of parchment or wax paper next to the bowl. Scrape the bowl clean onto the parchment/wax paper. Form the butter mixture into a log by rolling it up in the shape of a tootsie roll. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before use.
3. Prepare your grill for a 2-zone fire: High heat on one zone and no heat on the other. Season the steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper.
4. When your grill is hot, place the steaks over the high heat zone and grill the steaks for 4 minutes (grill covered). Then flip the steaks and grill for 4 more minutes (grill covered)
5. Move steaks to the indirect zone and cook for 5 minutes (grill covered). (Note: This timing will yield medium rare steaks when cooked over charcoal. Your mileage may vary.)
6. Place steaks on a platter. Cut the butter log into coins about 1-inch thick. Put a butter coin on each steak, then cover steaks loosely with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then serve.

Wine pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon

French Onion Butter Rice

 

Here's a dish that needs no explanation beyond the name. What's not to love about a mash-up of French Onion Soup and Basmati Rice? Words are insufficient to describe this dish, so let's move along smartly and jump right into the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/4 cups of basmati rice

1, 14.5 ounce can of beef consommé or beef broth (former preferred)

1, 10.5 ounce can of French Onion Soup

1 stick (8 ounces) of butter

Optional: French fried onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Spread the rice evenly in an 8" X 8" pan.
3. Pour consommé and French Onion Soup over the rice.
4. Cut butter into pats and layer it evenly over the rice and soup mixture.
5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. 
6. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
7. Serve, topping with French fried onions if desired.

Grilled T-bone Steak with Anchovy Butter

 

The only thing I like better than a grilled steak is a grilled steak with anchovy butter. The fat in the butter makes each bite silky smooth. And talk about umami! This compound butter boasts the perfect flavor trifecta...anchovies, garlic and lemon juice. Try this butter recipe once...and you will spend the rest of your life making sure there is always a fresh slab of it in your fridge.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of butter (8 ounces) at room temperature*

10 anchovy filets, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

4 T-bone steaks, 16 ounces each and 1-1/2" thick

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

*A note on butter. Always choose butter from cows that have been grass-fed. The taste of the butter is so much better than cows that have been grain-fed. If you buy your butter at Costco, like I do, rest assured that all the butter they carry comes from grass-fed cows. As an aside, I always prefer salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted for this recipe.

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the anchovy butter. Put the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Use an immersion blender to combine all the ingredients until the compound butter is completely smooth.
2. Set a piece of parchment or wax paper next to the bowl. Scrape the bowl clean onto the parchment/wax paper. Form the butter mixture into a log by rolling it up in the shape of a tootsie roll. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours before use.
3. Prepare your grill for a 2-zone fire: High heat on one zone and no heat on the other. Season the steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper.
4. When your grill is hot, place the steaks over the high heat zone and grill the steaks for 4 minutes (grill covered). Then flip the steaks and grill for 4 more minutes (grill covered)
5. Move steaks to the indirect zone and cook for 5 minutes (grill covered). (Note: This timing will yield medium rare steaks when cooked over charcoal. Your mileage may vary.)
6. Place steaks on a platter. Cut the butter log into coins about 1-inch thick. Put a butter coin on each steak, then cover steaks with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then serve.

Wine pairing: Barolo

2-zone fire on a Weber

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

  

Beef. It's what's for supper. Actually, it's corned beef and it's what's for St. Patrick's Day supper. This is my very favorite corned beef recipe. While it calls for a 10-hour cook, it will only take up 6 minutes of your time. 

The first 5 minutes of the time commitment requires you to simply dump all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and walk away. The last 1 minute is reserved for simply slicing and serving the corned beef. I guarantee you it will be one of the best St. Patrick's Day corned beef briskets you have ever tasted.

INGREDIENTS
1 corned beef brisket, 3-4 pounds
2 medium onions, cut into quarters (no peeling required)
5 ribs celery, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon prepared stone ground mustard 
2 cups chicken stock
12-ounces of beer (lager or pilsner)



DIRECTIONS

1. Place onions and celery on the bottom of your slow cooker. Add stock, beer and mustard.
2. Set brisket on top of onions and celery, fat-side up. Sprinkle meat with seasoning packet (which comes packed in your brisket). Put lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
3. Remove brisket. Slice and serve.

Pairing: You knew this

Arugula Salad with Fennel, Radish and Mustard

 

Bold and audacious are two perfect words to describe this salad. You've got peppery arugula..licorice undertones thanks to the fennel...the snap of radish...and the sharp, pungent joy of mustard. Then you top it all of with some fresh grated horseradish. 

This salad is a masterpiece all on its own. If you want to serve it as an entree, grill up a ribeye with a well-seared crust and add the slices to the salad. Steak is really the only choice, because any other protein will fail miserably when it comes to complementing bold and audacious.

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing

1 shallot, finely diced

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced very thin

5 ounces of arugula

8 small red radishes, trimmed and sliced very thin

1-inch chunk of peeled horseradish

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the dressing: Put the shallot in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, zest and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add mustards and stir to dissolve. Add olive oil and whisk to blend.
2. Prepare the salad: Put sliced fennel in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dress lightly with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Add arugula and toss well, keeping some of the slices on top. Add more dressing to taste, but don’t overdress. Add a pinch of salt and toss again. Garnish with red radishes and grate the horseradish over the salad. Serve.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes

 

One of the joys of aging is that certain functions diminish over time. Of course, the path you take also helps diminish your functions....like hearing. Such is the case with me. I started shooting at the age of 6 and went on my first pheasant hunt at the age of 8. That led to a lifelong love of waterfowl and upland game hunting and frequent practice sessions at the gun range. I have easily fired tens of thousands of rounds with shotguns and pistols in my 66 years of shooting.

Back in the 50's and 60's, no one wore ear protection (or seatbelts or bike helmets). If you were out hunting, you needed to be able to hear the sound of pheasants flushing in the field. If you were duck hunting, you needed to hear the jet-like swoosh of ducks diving into your decoys. Likewise, when I was duck hunting in the swamps of Louisiana, you had to be able to hear the sounds of alligators cruising along the water's surface...to ensure a dog did not get released to retrieve a downed duck when those apex predators were in the vicinity.

So I got to forego "age-related" hearing loss. But I certainly got nailed by "cause-related" hearing loss. Becky got tired of me asking to hear everything twice, so I went and got a hearing check. Both ears were compromised and I got fitted for hearing aids. Oh, how I hate them. They are uncomfortable and the sound of them I find most disturbing. They convert all sounds to a digital signal that gets played on a tiny little speaker that rests in your ear. So instead of the warm, analog sounds I was used to, my world became a tinny, metallic version of ones and zeros.

I have always had a pair of Apple's AirPods Pro. So I was quite excited when they announced that they could be used to assist with mild hearing loss. I tried them and sure enough, they worked. The sound was warm and clear, but they have two drawbacks. If you wear them out in the wild, you look like Howard Hughes insomuch that no one will engage with you because you appear as a hermit who does not want to talk to anybody.

But the biggest drawback is that those stupid AirPods will never stay in my ears. They fall right out of the ear at the slightest movement. Well, on February 13, Apple solved that problem. They introduced Powerbeats Pro 2. The earbuds use the same H2 chip that is in the AirPods Pro and have pretty much the identical capabilities as the Apple earbuds, but Apple is positioning Beats differently than AirPods. 

Click photo to enlarge

Powerbeats Pro 2 are positioned as the ultimate workout earbuds. They are the most comfortable earbuds I have ever owned. And I'm here to tell you that there is no way on earth for the earbuds to fall out of your ear. The International Space Station could come crashing down on my head...and the rescuers will find my body with my PowerBeats Pro 2 still in my ears. Because not only do they fit my ears perfectly (they come with 5 different sizes of tips...XS, S, M, L, XL)), they also have a very comfortable silicone loop that slides over the top of your ear. The ear tip plus the loop means you have two points of contact to keep the buds connected to your head.

Now Apple makes no mention of hearing aid functions when it comes to the Powerbeats Pro 2...because they are for extreme workouts. But the Powerbeats have the same H2 chip and the same capabilities as the AirPods Pros (plus a few extras). Plus, they are compatible with the entire Apple ecosystem. So now I have a fantastic set of earbuds that help my hearing and will never fall out of my ears. But there is still the Howard Hughes stigma if you wear them out in public. So I plan on growing my fingernails out about four inches and I will learn to live with the hermit moniker.

So what does Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes have to do with this discussion of hearing loss? Well, this recipe will actually improve your hearing. Bell peppers and tomatoes are considered good for hearing health because they are a rich source Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can help protect the delicate tissues in the inner ear and may reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss. Bell peppers also contain folate (vitamin B9), another nutrient linked to better  hearing health. 

I made this meal for Becky and I last Tuesday. It is an amazing recipe with a sauce that has so much complexity and flavor that it kind of shocked both of us. You have the acidity of the tomatoes combined with tart (vinegar), sweet (honey) and heat (red pepper flakes). So you end up with perfectly braised chicken thighs in a bed of onions, peppers and tomatoes. Per the top photo, Becky recommends this dish be served with white rice. It mitigates the heat and serves as the perfect medium to soak up the sauce. This recipe serves four.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (4 to 8 thighs depending on size)

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 small onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced (mix colors to amaze your friends)

5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

DIRECTIONS

1. Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until just starting to soften, 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until just beginning to soften, 1 minute. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are beginning to brown slightly, 2 minutes. Move the cooked vegetables to a plate.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear without moving until the skin is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. 
4. Add ½ cup water to the skillet and stir and scrape to loosen any stuck bits. Stir in the sherry vinegar and honey. Cover with a lid or foil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and burst, 3 to 4 minutes, smashing open if needed. Return the onion-pepper mixture to the skillet, stir to coat in the pan sauce and cook, uncovered, until warmed through. Taste and add more salt if needed and remove from heat. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and serve.

Wine pairing: Petite Sirah

Crunchy Vietnamese Chicken Salad

 

I put this salad (called Goi Ga in Vietnam) together in less than 5 minutes. You will be able to do the same if you follow my lead. I accomplished this feat by buying the ingredients rather than cooking. While I normally love cooking, I came down with a nasty cold and wanted to eliminate any unnecessary labor. 

So I bought a rotisserie chicken to avoid cooking. The recipe also calls for fried shallots...so I just bought a can of them from Amazon rather than cooking delicate little shallots in oil. But if you are feeling lazy, go ahead and substitute fried onion rings.

I suppose I could have bought a head of cabbage to cut up. But again, I went the lazy route. I just bought a bag of shredded cabbage normally used to make cole slaw. Ditto for the carrots...I simply bought a bag of matchstick carrots.

So the mantra for this meal is simple: "No prep. Just eat." 

INGREDIENTS

For the Dressing

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of fish sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad

4 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon red chili flakes

For the Toppings

3 tablespoons fried shallots

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped, unsalted roasted peanuts

Limę wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well until sugar dissolves and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add the dressing and toss to mix thoroughly.
3. Place the salad on serving plates and top with the fried shallots and peanuts. Put lime wedges on each plate. Chow down!

Wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc