Spicy Coleslaw

Let me preface this post by saying that this recipe is part of a bigger project that I've been working on with one of my colleagues. Coleslaw is the quintessential side dish of southern cuisine. It comes in different varieties from creamy and made with mayonnaise, to simple and made with vinegar, and with a variety of ingredients like shredded cabbage, carrots, vinegar, salt and pepper and sometimes onions, jalapeños, apples, mustard or even ketchup. 

Even though I never tried coleslaw until I was in my twenties, I consider myself a big fan. I often times find myself judging barbecue joints based on the coleslaw they serve. I know that the main focus of a barbecue place should obviously be the meat they smoke, yet still I can't help but take the coleslaw into consideration when rating them. For me coleslaw was love at first sight. I remember eating it on the first day I moved to Austin four years ago. My hotel was really close by Rudy's BBQ so I decided to eat my first lunch there in the sizzling heat of the legendary summer of 2011.

In my book a good coleslaw has to be crispy but not raw, tangy but not sour, spicy but not too hot, and with just the right about of mayo to give it a subtle hint of creaminess. A coleslaw also should never be a soggy soup-like concoction with the mayonnaise overwhelming all the freshness of the cabbage and carrots. So how do you do all of that? First, use a mandolin to shred the cabbage really thin. Then purge it. Purging essentially is the process of brining the cabbage in salt, to get some of the water and that raw bitter flavor out of the cabbage. 

I used kewpie mayo because I find it less heavy with a nice piquant aftertaste. I also choose to add leeks for a subtle hint of onion-like flavor. If finding leeks is challenging where you live, just use scallions or chives. Experiment with the flavors and ratios until you reach the combination that makes you happy. Enjoy!

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Spicy Coleslaw

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Yields about 1-2 quarts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Inactive time: 90 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1/2 lb red cabbage, shredded
• 1 lb white cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup leek, thinly sliced (about 1/2 large leek)
• 1 TBS table salt
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 large jalapeño, halved, deseeded and finely sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tsp dried chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 cup kewpie mayonnaise 
• 2 TBS white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine red cabbage, white cabbage and leeks. Sprinkle with salt and toss well. Set bowl aside and let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes. This process is called purging the cabbage and it's essential for the texture of the coleslaw. 
2. After the cabbage has been rested, you'll see a lot of juice in the bowl. Dispose it and transfer the cabbage to a colander. Run it under cold tap water to get rid of the excess salt. 
3. Rinse the big mixing bowl and transfer the cabbage from the colander back into the bowl. Squeeze, handful by handful, the salty juice out of the mixture. 
4. Add carrots, jalapeño, white pepper and chili flakes. Mix to combine and add the mayonnaise and vinegar. Stir until the coleslaw is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Cover with a plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Notes

• Use the white part of the leek. For instruction on how to clean leek check out my Creamy Leeks with Pan Roasted Chicken recipe
• The green part of the leeks can be used for making stock.

Fondant Potatoes

Let me start this blog post by saying that potatoes are my favorite vegetable. They are delicious, filling, versatile and easy to cook. Both in Hungarian and Romanian cuisine the potato is sacred and it's used a lot, either as a side dish, or as a dish of its own (most often a casserole). Ask any of your friends that has been to Eastern Europe what was the side dish for that amazing gulyás, pörkölt or snițel.

As a teenager, I ate a lot. Even though my mom and grandma always found joy in cooking for me, there were times when they ran out of ideas for meals. During the summer it was easy as they would make me grab vegetables from the garden and prepare myself a salad with olive oil and a lots of bread. During the winter though it was harder to get a hold of fresh vegetables so they had to rely on my grandpa who preserved his vegetables in his cellar. Even though it wasn't well-lit, warm or even paved, the cellar was where my grandpa spent a lot of time during the winter. The main reason was that he stored barrels of wine and ţuică  (Romanian brandy made out of plums) there, as well as a lot of root vegetables that he harvested during the fall. He filled up a corner of the basement with a foot of sand where he kept the carrot, parsley, potato, kohlrabi and celery roots covered during the winter. The sand kept the vegetables from freezing during the winter, and also kept them hydrated because the sand absorbed the moisture from the ground.

I remember the nights when my whole family would just sit around the kitchen table and eat baked potatoes with fresh butter. My mom would just toss a few whole potatoes in the oven, roast them then serve them with butter, salt and pepper. It was delicious and to this day, every time I eat potatoes with butter, I remember the aroma that filled our kitchen on those cold winter nights.

Fondant potatoes may sound fancy and complicated to a lot of people. If you take a look at the recipe though, you soon realize that they are actually browned potatoes slowly roasted in butter and stock. You probably find them on the side dish menu at French restaurants as Pommes Fondantes. I made this for the first time a few years ago after watching an episode of Essential Pepin. I experimented with different combination of aromatics, but the ultimate winner is the garlic and thyme combo. You can try using rosemary instead of thyme, or pearl onions instead of garlic. Don't be afraid to experiment with this dish, as it's almost impossible to mess up. Have fun!

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Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes, halved (peeled or unpeeled)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 TBS peanut oil (canola or sunflower seed)
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 TBS butter, unsalted
• 3/4 cup stock (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• coarse sea salt, to taste
• 1 TBS parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 415F (210C) degrees.
2. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper.
3. In a heavy bottomed skillet heat up oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is sizzling hot, gently place the potatoes in the pan with the cut size down. It is important that the oil be hot, otherwise the potatoes will stick to the skillet.
4. Roast for about 4-5 minutes until they get a nice golden brown sear. Turn them over and repeat the procedure for another 4-5 minutes or until the other side becomes golden brown as well.
5. Add thyme, garlic and butter. Toss to coat the potatoes with melted butter and cook for about 2 minutes. 
6. Carefully pour in stock and season with salt and pepper. The hot grease may splatter when it gets in contact with the stock, so pay extra attention. 
7. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender and easy to pierce with a knife. 
8. Remove from the oven, sprinkle more black pepper, salt and parmesan cheese if you'd like and toss. Serve hot.

Sicilian Caponata with Garlic Toast

If you're familiar with my blog, you know that I have a soft spot for stews. I grew up eating them almost weekly. Although most of the times in Romania people will eat meat-based stews it is not unheard of  to make stews out of vegetables. Since I'm still sticking to my plan of eating clean in my attempt to get rid of a few extra pounds I decided to try my hand at a vegan dish.

The good news for those who love eggplant as much as I do, is that they are in season. I'm signed up for a bi-weekly delivery of fresh local vegetables from Farmhouse Delivery and the latest vegetable bushel contained these cute baby eggplants that I had no clue what to do with. They were too small for my eggplant lasagna or for my mom's eggplant spread, but too big to pickle them whole. So I looked through my notes on my phone and I found one that said "Make Caponata next time you come across fresh and cheap eggplants". I can't remember exactly where I got the idea from, but it must've been from one of the cooking shows that I've been watching lately.

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Caponata is a fragrant Mediterranean eggplant dish that comes from Southern Italy- the island of Sicily to be more specific. It is a versatile summertime classic in Italy. While eggplant, celery, onions, olives, capers, tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar are main ingredients, some Sicilians will add anchovies, artichokes, peppers, potatoes, mushrooms and even chocolate to it. Depending on the region, city or household, opinions are split regarding what goes into the perfect caponata. For me the perfect caponata is one that includes the main ingredients plus a few aromatic herbs for extra flavor.

Caponata can be served warm as a side dish with grilled fish and meats or at room temperature as an antipasto. I found that a nice balance between the sweetness of the vegetables and raisins and the sourness of the vinegar is achieved at room temperature. I went as far as adding a couple of spoons in my scrambled eggs and let me tell you that it was rather delicious. Buon appetito!

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SICILIAN CAPONATA WITH GARLIC TOAST

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Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45-50 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs eggplant, diced into large 1" chunks
• 1 TBS kosher salt
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, roughly diced
• 1/2 cup parsley stems, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped (or 1 cup celery root finely chopped)
• 1 cup green olives, pitted
• 3 TBS capers, soaked and rinsed
• 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 TBS black pepper, freshly ground
• kosher salt, to taste
• 2 TBS slivered almond, toasted
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1 fresh baguette
• 1 clove garlic

Tomato Sauce

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 4 big ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6-8 fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Salt the eggplant chunks generously. Use about one tablespoon kosher salt and toss well to make sure all chunks are evenly coated. Let them sit in a colander for about 20 minutes. This will help get rid of the bitterness of the eggplant and will also make it less soggy and more tender when cooked.
2. While the eggplant is resting prepare the tomato sauce. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil slides easily across the skillet, add shallots, scallions and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Toss in garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil. When it boils, reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, taste and season with salt and pepper and give it another stir. Set aside.
3. Rinse eggplant under running water to wash off the excess salt. Drain eggplant and place chunks on a tray lined with paper towels. Pat them dry. This is very important because you'll fry them next and you don't want to oil to splatter everywhere.
4. Once dry, sprinkle coriander and dry oregano coating the eggplant evenly. In a large non stick pan, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Work in batches if you think that the eggplant won't comfortably fit in the skillet. When the oil is shimmering, add eggplant and toss to coat evenly with oil. When the eggplant chunks are golden brown on each side, about 5-7 minutes, transfer to a paper towel lined tray or wire rack. 
5. In a large and deep stainless steel skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it easily slides across the pan), add onions, peppers and parsley stems, stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
6. Toss in garlic next, stir and cook for another 2 minutes, then add raisins, eggplant, celery, olives and capers. Toss and cook for another 5 minutes then pour in vinegar and sugar. When the vinegar evaporates, about 5 minute, add tomato sauce. Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. When done remove from the heat.
7. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and toasted almonds. 
8. To toast the almonds, heat a small skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add almonds, toast and stir for 2-3 minutes until they become golden brown. 
9. Cut a baguette in half lengthwise (or slice of bread), toast it and then rub one side with garlic. Top toast with caponata. You can serve it cold or warm, whichever you prefer. 

NOTES

• When frying the eggplant, don't overload the pan, as it will reduce the heat too drastically and the eggplant chunks will absorb all the oil making them soggy and greasy. Instead work in batches if you have to. Split the amount of oil into the number of batches that you'll cook.
• Don't use a cast iron pan as tomatoes and vinegar will be used in this recipe. The acidic reaction between the metal (cast iron) and acid (vinegar and tomatoes) will not only alter the color of the tomatoes, but also may damage your pan if it's not seasoned properly. 
• When toasting the almonds, make sure you toss and stir often as almond shavings burn fast. When done, remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the almonds immediately to a plate as they'll keep toasting even after you removed the skillet from the heat.
• Store caponata in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will keep well for over a week. 

Slow Cooked Oxtail and Short Rib Ragù With Homemade Gnocchi

Today is my favorite day of the year- it's my birthday! I'm turning 32 which feels great, but scary at the same time. I'm getting old. It feels like it was not long ago that I left my hometown of Satu Mare, Romania to move to college to Timisoara. The first year was perhaps the best year out of the five that I spent there. I lived with three of my best friends from high school: Ovi, George and Cristi. We were a crazy bunch, but somehow we always stayed out of trouble even thought we often towed the line.

Ovi and Cristi played backgammon (Table in Romanian) every single night. Sometimes I would wake up in the morning and they would still be in the kitchen playing. They kept a running score and after a year, the score of the sets was something ridiculous like four hundred and something to four hundred and something. This may not seem to be a lot at first glance, but let me clarify that each set consisted of a best-of-eleven series. The funniest part wasn't even that, but the amount that they bet: 5 RON (less than 50¢).

George and I weren't into board games or gambling, but we were obsessed with this computer game called Football Manager. We'd spend most of our free time playing it. I think the most we played in one sitting was twenty-something hours. The boys didn't really know how to cook so I was responsible for feeding our crew. In exchange, they would wash the dishes (dishwashers are not common in Romania), clean the house and run errands. It was a pretty sweet deal for me, because I loved cooking. 

The all-time favorite dish in our house was a bolognese pasta that I made with fresh vegetables, ground meat, and lots of cheese. Not parmesan though because it was way too expensive for our broke-college-student taste. We always served this with cheap wine that we either bought from Recaș, a winery close to Timisoara, or from the tiny convenience store next to our apartment for the equivalent of $1 for 2 liters.

This oxtail and short rib recipe is a lot different though. It is without a doubt the most time consuming of all of my recipes. I make it only once or twice a year and that's not because of the time it takes to cook, but mostly because it yields so much ragù that we stock up our freezer with leftovers. 

Next week, I'll go on a three-week long business trip. First, I'll head to Hungary for a conference where I will be presenting, and then to Singapore to help a customer get a system up and running. Although very exhausting I love these kinds of trips. I enjoy traveling to new places, and even though I've been to both Hungary and Singapore before, I managed to get the return ticket with a two-day layover in Tokyo. I've never been there before, but based on what Anthony Bourdain keeps mentioning in his shows, Tokyo is the food mecca where chefs want to retire and die.

One of the reasons I decided to make this hearty dish now, in the middle of the summer, is this trip. I wanted to stock up the freezer for Roni for when I'm gone. She hardly ever cooks, but now with my blog up and running, she does it even less often. When I'm not at home to make food she will eat tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Although I don't mind her eating tacos, I don't want the crew at El Tacorrido to get false hopes that she was back to eating there every day only to get heartbroken again when I return. 

This is a recipe you must try. I know it's a lot of time that you will need to sacrifice in order to make it, but it's worth it. Once you taste it you'll understand what I'm talking about. Words can't describe how delicious this dish is. It's a hearty piece of heaven, the perfect dish for a dinner with friends and family. Open a bottle of good red wine, share stories about your old college shenanigans, and have great laugh. After all that is what food should be about: love, friendship and joy.

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Slow Cooked Oxtail and Short Rib Ragù With Homemade Gnocchi

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Serves over 20
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 7 hours
Inactive time: 6 hours

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Ingredients

Ragù

• 3 TBS unsalted butter
• 1 lb oxtail
• 2 lbs beef short rib, bone in
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 big yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, cleaned and finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 4-5 carrots, finely chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 1/2 TBS black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 1/2 TBS dried oregano
• 1 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 1 star anise, whole
• 3 dried bay leaves, whole
• 3 big cans (32 oz) San Marzano tomatoes 
• 1 cups beef stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 inches of parmesan rind
• 7 anchovy fillets
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• salt, to taste

Gnocchi

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 1/2 TBS salt
• 1 1/2 cups "00" flour
• 2 egg yolks

Instructions

Ragù

1. In a large-heavy bottomed deep skillet melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. When the butter starts foaming (don't wait any longer otherwise it will brown and then burn) place the short ribs and oxtail in the pan and brown the meat for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not overload the skillet with the short ribs and oxtail. You risk reducing the heat in the pan to the point where the meat will not brown and will become greasy. Instead, work in batches if you have to.
2. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add olive oil to the same skillet and scrape off the burnt pieces of meat. Toss in chopped onions, leeks, celery and carrots (mirepoix) and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 10-12 minutes. Add crushed garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. In the meantime take a large cast-iron dutch oven and melt the rest of the butter over medium heat. Add the browned meat and season with half tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper. Add milk and let it cook while you take care of the mirepoix and wine reduction.
4. When the mirepoix is tender pour it over the meat and milk mixture. In the same skillet that you used to brown the meat and sauté the mirepoix add wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add oregano, nutmeg, black pepper, anise and bay leaves and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
5. Pour the wine mixture into the dutch oven and add one cup beef stock. The milk, mirepoix, wine and beef broth mixture should cover the meat by 1-2 inches. If not add more stock to completely cover the meat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the dutch oven and simmer for an hour. 
6. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and pour in the San Marzano tomatoes. Set the heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Add the rest of the beef stock, thyme, basil and Parmesan rind, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce gently simmer (it will bubble very slowly). Cover the dutch oven and cook for about 4-5 hours. Every half an hour or so check the sauce, gently stir and make sure nothing is burned and stuck to the bottom. It shouldn't be the case if you're simmering it on low heat and using a cast-iron dutch oven, but check it just in case. You don't want to burn your sauce after spending so much time and money on the ingredients. 
7. After 4-5 hours the meat should already be falling off the bones. Remove the bones and discard them. Add the anchovy fillets. You're almost there. Set the burner to minimum heat, stir in the parmesan cheese and simmer uncovered for another hour. If you're making the gnocchi, now it's the right time to start preparing it.
8. Add olive oil to a medium size skillet, add gnocchi and sauce to your liking, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Gnocchi

1. Put potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Add a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer (medium heat) and cook potatoes for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. When pierced with a fork the potatoes should feel very tender.
2. Drain potatoes and run them under cold tap water. Remove peel (they should slip off easily) and pass them through a potato ricer, food mill or grater. I don't have the first two kitchen tools so I grated the potatoes on a small hole cheese grater.
3. Sprinkle potatoes with the flour, add the egg yolks and half tablespoon salt. Knead well until the ingredients are mixed well and the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Cut the dough into 5 pieces, sprinkle flour on the rolling surface and roll them out into long ropes (about 3/4 on an inch thick). Cut dough into thumb size pieces (or smaller if that's what you prefer) and place them on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle with flour and let them rest. 
4. To cook, bring a large pot of generously-salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi to the pot making sure you don't over fill it. Work in batches if you have to. Stir gnocchi and let them cook for about 1 minute until they float to the top. Remove them from the water using a sieve.

NOTES

If using a non-stick dutch oven for the ragù, the cooking times may reduce a bit. I prefer the cast-iron though because the heat is distributed evenly and the temperature swing is minimal.

Creamy Leeks with Pan Roasted Chicken

When I started this blog I made a calendar where I mapped out the posts for the next few months. Although I'm not quite a planner, I really wanted to make this blog happen, so I had to set myself up for success.

I knew that cooking would not be a problem- that's how I relax after a long day at work and I'd do it anyway. What was scary was the commitment itself- the commitment of taking pictures while cooking, writing down the recipes and following them (instead of just winging it like I usually do), processing the pictures and last but not least, the scariest of all, writing. No matter how confident you feel about understanding and speaking a foreign language, the idea that you're committing to writing in it is intimidating.

Fortunately, I've always loved challenges and I'm adventurous and stubborn enough to think that it is indeed a good idea. Truth to be told, I do have an amazing editor/taste tester to help me.

I post two recipes a week: a simple one, like a breakfast, a brunch or a quick bite, and a second one that's more elaborate and time-consuming. There is a logic to the order in which I post as well, but the problem is that, more often than not, I derail from my own masterplan. I always find good reasons to- let it be my mood, the weather or the delivered veggie box from my the local CSA. 

The ice cubes are homemade chicken stock that I freeze in an ice maker tray. Whenever I need some stock I just pop a few out.

This week was the weather. Initially, I wanted to transition to less hearty meals and more seasonal, lighter dishes like pastas, salads and such. Then the weather started playing tricks on me. Usually May in Austin is already unbearably hot, but for some reason this year it's been very mild and rainy. It’s been raining seemingly nonstop for weeks now. The flash flood alerts on my phone won't stop giving me a heart attack when they go off at random times.

The weather, combined with the leeks that I found in the weekly delivery, made me choose this recipe. I've done this dish several times before, but somehow it always manages to surprise me with its taste. 

When you're roasting the chicken you can go with different aromatic herbs if rosemary doesn't cut it for you. I personally would have used tarragon had my neighbor grown that instead of rosemary. Sometimes I take my dog on a walk with the intention of picking a few branches just to keep the otherwise invasive rosemary population under control. I may be renting, but I care about our neighborhood!

The situation with the green couscous was completely different, though. I had parsley from the CSA and my little herb garden started producing herbs to my surprise. They have to survive the weather and hurricane Popsi (a.k.a. the dog). The mint, sage, oregano and chives all came from there.

The inspiration for this side dish was Jacques Pepin's green couscous. Roni did the mistake of getting me the full edition DVD of Essential Pepin as a birthday gift last year. Ever since, I don't cook with 90's Euro techno music blasting in the background, but with Pepin telling stories with his cute French accent. Aww, I guess I'm getting softer as I grow older.

If you won't be able to get a hold of the same herbs as mentioned in the recipe, worry not! Replace them with what you like or what you have on hand. Whether it's thyme, basil, spinach or kale, it makes no difference. The point is to make the couscous more interesting and pleasant aesthetically by adding extra flavor to the rather bland semolina. Enjoy!

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Creamy Leeks with Pan Roasted Chicken

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Serves 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients

Creamy Leeks and Pan Roasted Chicken

• 4 large leeks
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, oregano or tarragon
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 lbs chicken with skin and bones (thighs and drums)
• 1/2 black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 TBS peanut oil (or canola, or sunflower seed oil)
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, oregano or tarragon
• 1 sprigs rosemary
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 black pepper, freshly ground
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream

Green Couscous

• 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
• 6 mint leaves
• 1 sprig oregano
• 3-4 sage leaves
• 1/4 cup chives
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup stock, saved from the braised leeks (or 2-3 TBS hot water)
• 1 cup instant couscous
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• salt, to taste
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 TBS butter

Instructions

Creamy Leeks and Pan Roasted Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 425F (220C).
2. Clean each leek by cutting off the dark green woody leaves and the root end. Using a pairing knife slice the leek lengthwise starting from about 1/4 of inch from the root up to the leaves. Rotate the leek, and slice it again starting from the root. Fan the leeks open and place them under cold running water. Rinse out any dirt or sand until the leeks are clean.
3. Place leeks,  garlic cloves, thyme, oregano or tarragon, two sprigs of rosemary and chicken broth in a deep oven proof skillet. Season with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt.
4. When the oven heated up, put the skillet in and cook for 30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and stir leeks so that the ones that aren't completely covered by the stock don't burn.
5. In the meantime, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
6. Heat up oil in a heavy cast iron skillet at medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, place the chicken pieces in the pan with the skin side down and brown for about 6-8 minutes. Flip the chicken on the other side and repeat the browning process. 
7. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the chicken on the un-browned sides for about 5 minutes total.
8. Add butter, crushed garlic and aromatic herbs (rosemary, thyme or tarragon) and baste occasionally for 3-5 minutes on each side. Check the temperature of the chicken. At this point it should be at around 130-140F (55-60C). 
9. Remove the chicken from the skillet and cover with aluminum foil until the leeks are ready.
10. Deglaze the pan in which you roasted the chicken by pouring in white wine. Sprinkle with a pinch of fresh ground pepper an cook for about 3 minutes. Add the cream and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens.
11. Remove pan of leeks from the oven. Remove half of the stock that is left. Make sure you're not discarding it as you're going to use it for the couscous.
12. Mix in the chicken with its juices and the cream sauce. Stir well until the meat is covered in leeks and the white sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
13. Put the chicken back in the oven for about 10 minutes. 
14. While the chicken is in the oven prepare the couscous. 

Green Couscous

1. Put herbs, garlic and the stock you saved from the braised leeks in a food processor. If you don't have it just, add 2-3 TBS hot water. Puree the herbs until the paste becomes smooth.
2. Pour the herb paste into a medium bowl then add couscous, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix well until the couscous is well coated. 
3. Add hot water, mix and cover for about 10 minutes. 
4. Remove cover and add in butter while the couscous is still hot, mixing it thoroughly. Season with more salt to your liking.
5. Serve couscous with the leeks, chicken and french baguette (for dipping). 

Notes

• Do not overload the skillet with chicken. You risk reducing the heat in the pan to the point where the chicken will not brown and will become greasy. Instead, work in batches if you have to.