Simple By Cindy

Caramel Chicken

May. 13
2016

This chicken recipe is finger-licking good! How can I possibly describe the awesomeness of this main dish?

The chicken is browned to perfection in the skillet and is tender and juicy. Browning the chicken this way gives it a beautiful brown crust on the outside that pairs incredibly with the caramel sauce.

The sweet caramel-soy glaze thickens up perfectly. The vinegar and soy sauce create a sweet, spicy and delicious accompaniment to the chicken.

You can also add some red pepper flakes, light brown sugar or oyster or fish sauce in place of the vinegar.

Whatever you do, make this chicken tonight. It is amazing, flavorful and quick. You will be craving the leftovers!

This recipe is courtesy of Bon Appetite and serves 4.

Ingredients for the Caramel Chicken

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
Kosher salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar
2 1/4 inch slices peeled ginger
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and, working in 2 batches, cook until golden brown and crisp, about 7 minutes each side; transfer to a plate.

Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to a plate with chicken.

Pour off fat from pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup of water, scraping up browned bits.

Add brown sugar; stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes.

Carefully add vinegar (it may bubble up; sugar will crystallize); stir to dissolve sugar.

Add ginger, broth and soy sauce, then add chicken, skin side up and garlic.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 20- 25 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a plate.

Bring cooking liquid to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 8-10 minutes.

Return chicken to pot; turn to coat.

Top with scallions and serve.

It’s that simple!

Brussels Sprouts Hash with Crispy Sage and Walnuts

May. 11
2016

This recipe appealed to me (as many do) because of the combination of ingredients.

The brussels sprouts, sautéed with butter, onion and pancetta, topped with walnuts and fried sage leaves sounded too good to pass up. It was a fantastic, flavorful dish which exceeded my expectations!

This is not a “simple” recipe. You have to be vigilant with the cooking time while preparing it or you will have a soggy mess of brussels sprouts. Although I was very careful, my sprouts did not look nearly as appetizing as the one in the picture accompanying the recipe!

I know the brussels sprouts in that picture had to be close to raw to be that beautiful shade of green!

So when you make this recipe (and you should), just follow the instructions carefully and I am sure you will be as happy with the results as I was. It is a delicious, savory side dish that I will definitely make again!

You can also substitute apples in place of the pancetta if you keep kosher (which sounds delish as well!).

This recipe is courtesy of thekitchn.com. It serves 6.

Ingredients for the Brussels Sprouts

3 tbsp. butter, or margarine, divided
6 large fresh sage leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup of walnut halves, closely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced pancetta or bacon
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly
1/4 cup of chicken broth
2 tsp. sherry or cider vinegar

Heat 2 tbsp. of the butter in a small (8 inch) skillet over medium heat. As soon as the foam subsides, add the sage leaves to the skillet and fry for about two minutes, turning once with a fork or tongs. Don’t let the leaves get brown-they are done when they stop sizzling and water is no longer bubbling to the surface.

Transfer the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and set aside. Do not wipe out the skillet.

Turn the heat to down to medium-low, then add the chopped walnuts to the skillet. Cook the walnuts in the butter until they are aromatic and a bit toasted, about 3 minutes. The butter will be well-browned. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.

In a large (12 inch) skillet or sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter over medium heat.

Add the diced onion and the pancetta. Sauté until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the Brussels sprouts, stirring to mix evenly with the onions and pancetta.

Pour in the broth, cover the pan, and let cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high.

Sauté until all of the liquid is evaporated and the hash is beginning to sizzle, about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat.

Pour in the vinegar and stir everything one last time, using a spoon to nudge down the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the hash to a serving bowl and top with the walnuts and sage, crumbling the sage leaves evenly over the top. Serve hot.

It’s that simple!

Haricots Verts with Mustard Vinaigrette

May. 9
2016

It does not get any easier than this.

Haricot verts, french green beans, are a smaller variety of green beans that are thinner, longer and crisper than the “standard” green bean. They are more delicate than a regular green bean and cook more quickly. If you have trouble finding haricot verts, you can use regular greens beans; just cook them a minute or two longer.

This takes just minutes to prepare. You do have to be careful about the length of time you cook the haricot verts. Make sure to stop the cooking process when they are bright green. The cold water and ice bath are essential to this recipe. This will ensure you get a tender, more flavorful outcome!

The vinaigrette dressing whips up in no time and is a delicious accompaniment to the beans. You can also substitute creamy Dijon mustard if you prefer.

This recipe is perfect in every way and an easy go-to side for any weeknight meal.

This recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart and serves 2.

You are going to love this one!

Ingredients for Haricots Verts with Mustard Vinaigrette

1/2 pound haricots verts
1/2 tsp. finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 tsp. red-wine vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Prepare a bowl with ice and water.

Add salt to the boiling water.

Add haricot verts: cook until beans are bright green all over, 1 to 2 minutes.

Drain beans; immediately rinse with cold water and transfer to ice-bath. When chilled completely, drain and pat dry.

Put shallot and vinegar in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk in mustard.

Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.

Set aside until ready to dress beans with vinaigrette. Whisk vinaigrette until just before using.

It’s that simple!

Lemon Bars

May. 6
2016

What is there do on a rainy, cold, miserable Sunday? Why bake something of course!

I have loved lemon bars for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to try to bake them myself. When I found this recipe, it looked simple enough, so I finally decided to whip up a batch of my own.

This recipe was perfect. As a lemon lover, these delicious bars did not disappoint. Each bite was a divine taste of lemony goodness and left your tongue tingling with happiness.

So what started out as a a gloomy day turned out to be pretty good! As they say, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or better yet, lemon bars!

This recipes is courtesy of Ina Garten and makes about 20 large squares. She cuts the squares into triangles to make 40 pieces (I kept my pieces square).

Do not wait for a rainy day to make these. They are just that heavenly!

Ingredients for the Lemon Bars

For the crust:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp. salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (about 4-6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Combine the flour and salt.

Turn the mixer to low and add to the butter and sugar until just mixed.

Transfer the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball.

Flatten the dough with floured hands and then press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up 1/2-inch edge on all sides.

Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.

Let cool on wire rack.

Leave oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour.

Pour over the crust.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set.

Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

It’s that simple!

Charred Eggplant with Chermoula

May. 4
2016

Chermoula is a Moroccan condiment that is frequently used in Middle Eastern cuisine.

It is a sophisticated sauce that is spicy in every bite. It is a delightful mix of cilantro, parsley, lemon, cumin and coriander.

Of course you may delete any ingredient you do not like. I chose to use half the amount of cilantro the recipe called for, as I am not a huge fan. It was still delicious.

This recipe may sound effortful, but it really did not take much prep time. If you prepare the ingredients before you begin, you will be much more efficient.

This recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light and serves 6. You can always cut it half if you need to. I had way too much eggplant leftover. I have to figure out who I will be giving it to!

Ingredients for Charred Eggplant with Chermoula

2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. grated lemon rind (about 2 lemons)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Cooking spray
2 medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch slices

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add cumin and coriander seeds. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat.

Crush seeds with a mortar and pestle or a small heavy skillet.

Add the rind, salt, paprika, red pepper and garlic. Mash to form a paste.

Place spicy mixture, cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl as needed.

With processor on, slowly pour olive oil through the food chute, processing just until blended. Set aside.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.

Arrange one-fourth of eggplant slices in pan. Cook 3-5 minutes each side until browned and tender (slightly charred is even better).

Repeat until all of the eggplant has been cooked.

Drizzle cilantro mixture over eggplant.

It’s that simple!