What's for Dinner, Fri., Jan. 29, 2016

[NJCher]

A little sushi as an appetizer.

For a drink, my brother made cucumber water.

With my fresh asparagus and tomatoes that I just got from the tomato farm, I am making a salad with vinaigrette and sprinkled with feta cheese.

Using Trader Joe's cornbread mix, I'm making a pan of that, but adding jalopeno peppers and a little cheddar cheese.

My brother's in charge of the entree. Not sure what that will be yet.



Cher

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

1. Fried chicken.

Creamed white corn. Really revisiting childhood this week

[littlewolf]

2. Pizza and salad easy peasy .. been a long week .. nt

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Smothered pork chop with lots of onions.

Baked potato.

[retrowire]

4. I HAVE NO IDEA

Please help?!

[SheilaT]

5. Chicken of muchness.

It's a recipe I adapted many years ago from a middle eastern one.

Here's the recipe, in my own idiosyncratic style:

Chicken of Muchness

Bring 2 chicken leg quarters to a boil in just enough water to cover. Reduce to a simmer and skim until no more crud comes to the surface. Toss in three or so bay leaves, and three or four good-sized carrots, peeled and cut in half. Let simmer for an hour.
Take out carrots and chicken. While the chicken and carrots are cooling, open a can or two of diced tomatoes (alternatively substitute chopped tomatoes or Rotillo for additional kick) and pour into pot. Cut up one green pepper and a medium onion. Sauté them in a little olive oil. You want the onions to get a little brown, but not carmelized. Probably about six or seven minutes. Dump the onion and pepper into the pot.
Make a roux with a couple of tablespoons of butter and flour in the pan you did the onion and pepper in. Get the roux nicely browned, about three or four minutes, then add a cup or more of chicken broth. Cook, while continuing to stir until you have a nice thick gravy. Pour into pot.
By this time the carrots and chicken will be cool enough. Slice the carrots, dump into pot. Strip the chicken from the bones. This last will be messy, I know. Just do it. Put chicken into pot as you go.
Seasoning: three cinnamon sticks, marjoram, basil, thyme, celery seed, and tarragon. Use your own judgment about amounts here. You will probably also want to add more chicken broth at this point to get it all to the right consistency and amount of liquid to make a proper soup. Cover and simmer for an hour or more.
About twenty minutes before you want to eat, cook the rice. Real rice. Not minute rice. Plus, cooking rice is amazingly easy. I have no idea where the belief that it’s hard ever came from. When that’s done, put some rice in a bowl, then add the chicken of muchness. Do it in whatever proportions you prefer. I happen to like a lot of rice.
Additional note: this will probably need ground pepper and salt added in the individual serving. Notice I don’t put either in during the cooking process, but do so when I’m eating.
It freezes like a dream. This recipe, starting with the 2 chicken leg quarters, probably makes about ten servings.

Earlier today I bought a loaf of rosemary olive bread, and it was a wonderful accompaniment to the soup.