I never knew peas were controversial until I served these. My guests were overwhelmed with how good they were and many professed they never liked peas. I was stunned. What’s there not to like abut a simple pea? Anyway, these peas took center stage and pushed the rest of the dinner, which was terrific, to supporting players.
I always have to stop myself from beginning every story with “I love this recipe.”. If I didn’t love a recipe, I wouldn’t be sharing it with you. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love a delicious dinner that can be cooked in one skillet, tastes fresh and wholesome and has a variety of colors and textures?
Every day the New York Times sends me a recipe or two. This one caught my eye because we love shrimp, enchiladas and verde sauce and it looked like I could make it pretty quickly. It has all the flavors of enchiladas without taking the time stuffing and rolling tortillas.
I happen to have a bowl of cooked yellow rice in my fridge. I’m not recommending that as part of the menu. Any tpe of rice or potatoes and a green veggie are great accompaniments to this tasty chicken
This may be the easiest chicken you’ve ever made. Alright, maybe not the easiest, if you are used to throwing chicken breasts in the oven with a jar of marinara sauce on it. But for a fancy, very delicious dinner, this chicken is really quite simple to make. You only need to open several spice jars and marinate the chicken in those spices for as long as convenient. I like to do it overnight, but all day works too.
It works beautifully with chicken breasts, but I prefer tenders. As their name implies, they are more tender, although that really has nothing to do with their name. Tenders are cuts of chicken removed from the breast, but I like them for their size and tender meat.
Part of the ease of this chicken is that half the spice mixture is used on the chicken and the other half flavors the sauce. Although I call this Cajun because it was invented in New Orleans by a famous chef in Brennan’s, it is not very spicy. You can control the spices by using more cayenne. One-quarter teaspoon
quite mild
The sauce goes together very quickly. After the chicken is sautéed the remaining spices are added to the skillet., then the lemon juice, water and cream are added. Simmer this for a minute or two and then return the chicken to the pan. Baste it with the sauce and continue cooking until it is cooked throough. If you are cooking tenders, they should be done by now. Chicken breasts will take a few minutes longer. If you prefer the sauce thicker, simmer a little longer.
That’s it. You’re done and the chicken is ready to serve.
Creamy Cajun-Spiced Chicken
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 1 lb. chicken tenders
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon cold butter, cubed
1.Mix chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl; set aside. Half will be used for the chicken rub and half for the sauce.
2.Season chicken on both sides with salt. Sprinkle half the spice mixture over both sides of chicken. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to overnight), or until ready to cook.
3.Heat oil in a heavy-duty nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sear chicken, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; chicken will be about 75% cooked at this point, and will finish cooking in the sauce. Turn off heat; transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
4.Add remaining spice mixture to the pan and stir around in the hot oil for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice, cream, and water. Stir in a pinch of salt.
5.Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to medium-low and return chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Simmer gently, turning occasionally to coat with sauce, until chicken is no longer pink at the center and juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes. Time will vary based on size of chicken breasts. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the center will read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
6.Reduce heat to low and add green onions and butter. Stir into the sauce, while also basting chicken with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from All recipes Chicken Lazone
Searching through my files, I found this recipe I’ve had it since it first appeared in the NY Time in 1990. I was so excited to retry it that I decided to make it again. The only problem was it calls for 2 cups of blueberries and I only had one cup. But I had a bowl full of cherries. I pitted one cup, (see photo below for simple pitting) added them with the blueberries and was thrilled with the end result.
I think of this as one of my favorite easy week night meals. It takes less than 10 minutes to throw the marinade ingredients together, pour it over the steak the night before and let it do its thing in the fridge. Marinating in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white and rice wine is called velveting.
This cake is ethereal.
During the forty years I’ve been collecting, teaching and writing recipes, I’ve made dozens of lemon cakes. This one has a fun story behind it.
Shrimp cocktail is one of the most beloved pre-dinner dishes. Although I am the first to admit there is nothing better than a large shrimp dipped into a tangy cocktail sauce, I find it fun to experiment with ways to vary it. I created this version to go with a Mexican meal.
I think by now you’ve caught on to why cooking in parchment or foil or sealed in any kind of packet is so desirable. For starters, there is little or no clean up (you all know how high that is on my list), it seals in all the juices so nothing ever comes out dry and it lends itself to lots of creativity. You can also prepare the packets ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to cook.
I wanted to call this Mystery Soup because if I hadn’t made it myself, I would never have guessed it had cauliflower in it. Whether you love cauliflower or not, this fabulous soup defies discerning its ingredients.
Muhammara is a Syrian dip that is made with roasted red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. It’s savory, sweet, slightly smoky, with just enough spice. The Pomegranate molasses in the dip is a flavor powerhouse.
The photo of these stuffed poblanos in Bon Appetit pulled me in and I felt compelled to try them. (Admittedly their photo was more glamorous than mine.) They are more work than I usually go to for one dish, but after tasting, I wasn’t disappointed. They are absolutely delicious.
Quinoa, the world’s oldest grain, makes a dynamite pilaf that goes with any roasted entree. Or almost any entree for that matter. It is a gluten-free, whole-grain carbohydrate, as well as a whole protein (meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids). You’ll find it in various colors of red, yellow and white.
Dear Friends,
You are probably surprised to be receiving an email from me telling you about a live class in my home in Palm Desert. I realize that most of you live around the country, but perhaps you have friends near me in Palm Springs or live here yourself and may be interested in joining my class next week.
The classes are small, only 12 people, and I demo for about 1 1/2 hours, then we go to the bar for a cocktail before we sit down around my dining room table for lunch. The class begins at 10:30 AM and you can sit and visit with friends for as long as you like.
Please email me if you are interested in joining this class.
I’d love to hear from you.
Warmly,
Marlene
Peanut sauces are the rage. In almost every supermarket ethnic section you will find some kind of peanut sauce from any where in the world. Every country has some version of it— including Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Mexico, China, India, Vietnam, Philipines. Although Thailand is probably most famous for it, it doesn’t claim to have peanut sauce at all. Their famous peant sauce for chicken satays is made of ground peanuts.
This a lovely coffee cake, It is tender, moist with a surprise of lemon curd sandwiched in the middle. For me, any cake with streusel is an automatic hit. I love texture, so the crunchy topping is important. Olive oil guarantees a very tender crumb. I use California Ranch Organic Olive oil, see photo. It imparts a slight olive flavor, which is perfect for a coffee cake.
This recipe comes from my Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays cookbook and I serve it often. It is a great salad for a buffet or when you are looking for something unusual to complete a meal. Whenever I bring it to a pot luck, everyone wants to know who made it. I assume that is because they liked it so much.
I wouldn’t say this is superior to all my candied nut recipes, but it is right up there. Plus it is the easiest. All my other candied nut recipes call for boiling the sugar syrup, where with this one all you need to do is measure out the ingredients and stir them together. And since I don’t like doing dishes, all I have left to wash is one bowl. The nuts bake on parchment so no washing needed.
Oftentimes my best recipes get buried in my files and forgotten. This is just such a recipe. I pulled it out to teach to my Foster City Village senior class and when my assistants and I tasted it, we were blown away with how good it is. When the class finally got around to making it, they wrote me glowing reports.
David Lebovitz is one of my favorite pastry chefs because he writes the most precise recipes and has exquisite taste. He was the pastry chef at Chez Panisse for many years and has written a couple of excellent cookbooks. His recipes always work and taste wonderful. This cookie is no exception.
