Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. Here are six recipes to help you through the weekend, including Meat Loaf and Stir-Fried Vegetables. Enjoy!

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Spices lose their flavor over time but few as quickly as paprika, which starts out tasting of pepper and sunshine but deteriorates in but a few months to sawdust and bitterness. For this recipe, get some new at the market: sweet or hot Hungarian paprika is best, but the generic article isn’t terrible and the smoky Spanish varieties known as pimentón de La Vera would not be out of place either, lending a deep, woodsy aroma reminiscent of cooking over an open fire. It’s a dish that pairs beautifully with butter-slicked egg noodles.” Yield: Serves 4 - 6; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “The Fresher the Spice, the Better the Chicken Paprikash” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 to 4 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, or whole chicken legs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow or Spanish onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika, sweet or hot, or a combination

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or 1 large ripe tomato, chopped

1 cup chicken broth, homemade or, if not, low-sodium

1 pound egg noodles

3/4 cup sour cream

Preparation

Heat oven to 400. Season the chicken aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.

Pour off all but a tablespoon or 2 of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then nestle the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up. Slide the pan or pot into the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, and toss them in a bowl with the remaining butter, then toss again to coat.

Place the chicken on top of the noodles, then add the sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over the whole.

FRENCH GREEN BEANS AND SHALLOTS

This is from Jacques Pepin, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Jacques wrote, “These are perfect green beans: simple flavors combined into an elegant dish that goes with almost anything. Mr. Pepin suggests a roast chicken, but they would pair equally well with a celebratory roast.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 21 minutes.

This was featured in “The Chicken Dinner, Both Humble and Noble” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 cups water

1 pound very small, firm green beans, cleaned

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons peeled and chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Bring the water to a boil. Add the beans and cover the pot. Continue cooking the beans, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water.

At serving time, heat the butter in a skillet, add the shallots and saute for about 1 minute, until the shallots start to brown.

Add the beans, salt and pepper, and saute briefly. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with the chicken.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRIES

I’ve always loved brussels sprouts (unlike the first President Bush; sorry!). And onions? Cranberries? Definitely on all of the above.

This recipe comes from Diana Rattray, About.com’s Southern Food expert. Diana wrote, “The combination of ingredients in this dish might make you think fall or winter, but don't wait for a holiday dinner to enjoy these delicious roasted vegetables.

“Change things up a bit by using raisins instead of the cranberries. Toasted walnuts would be great as well. See the tips and variations for more ideas.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound butternut squash

3 to 4 cups Brussels sprouts

1 medium onion

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pecan halves

Preparation

Heat the oven to 425° F.

Oil a large rimmed baking sheet (half-sheet pan) or two smaller jelly roll pans.

Peel the butternut squash and, using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fibers. Cut the squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Put about 4 cups of cubes into a large bowl.

Trim the stem ends off of the Brussels sprouts and removed loose, damaged, and yellow leaves. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise.

Add them to the bowl with the squash cubes.

Peel the onion and cut it into 1-inch chunks or thick slices. Add to the bowl with the squash and Brussels sprouts.

Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and gently toss or stir to coat them thoroughly with the oil.

Arrange the vegetables on the baking sheet and then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes and then turn the vegetables. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are browned around the edges and are tender.

Meanwhile, toast the pecan halves. Heat a large dry skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring, until the pecans begin to brown and smell aromatic.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Add the dried cranberries and pecan halves and toss gently to combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Serve immediately.

Tips and Variations

Replace the butternut squash with the same amount of cubed acorn, Hubbard, or buttercup squash.

Feel free to omit the onion.

Replace about 1 cup of the butternut squash with parsnips sliced into strips about 1/2-inch-by-2-inches.

Drizzle the roasted vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup; add the pecans and cranberries and toss gently to combine.

Replace the toasted pecans with toasted slivered almonds or walnuts.

Use raisins or golden raisins instead of dried cranberries.

STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

This came from an old Weight Watchers email several years ago. 1 point/serving (old value). Serves 4. Adding 1 C each of baby corn & water chestnuts changes recipe to 2 points/serving. (*) foods are filling foods.

1 spray cooking spray

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 C sugar snap peas or pea pods, trimmed (*)

2 C carrots, thinly diagonally sliced (*)

2 scallions, chopped (*)

1 1/2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Coat wok or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray & set over medium-high heat. Add oil & heat. Add garlic & stir-fry 1 minute. Add sugar snap peas, carrots & scallions; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add soy sauce & cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat & stir in cilantro. Yields about 1/2 C per serving.

SALT-AND-PEPPER ROAST CHICKEN

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “Calling for just four ingredients – chicken, salt, pepper and whatever herbs you have around – this is a recipe for roast chicken at its simplest and best. The method is fairly straightforward. You season the bird, then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy. If you have time to season the chicken ahead, you should; it makes a difference in flavor. And bear in mind, if you have the kind of oven that starts smoking at high heat, you can cook your bird at 400 degrees instead of 450, though you’ll need an extra 5 to 20 minutes to get it done.” Yield: 4 servings.

This was featured in “Roast Chicken, the Easy Way” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, patted dry

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

Small bunch mixed herbs, such as rosemary, thyme and sage

Preparation

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. If you have time, refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, for an hour, or overnight.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Stuff cavity with herbs and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. (If you don’t have twine, leave the legs as they are.)

Roast 50 minutes, then baste chicken with pan juices. Continue roasting until chicken's juices run clear when skin is pierced with a knife, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Tips

“Now that you know the basics of roasting a chicken, here are some suggestions for how to serve it:

“Try a side sauce. Aioli, béarnaise sauce, salsa verde, romesco sauce, chimichurri, and make-ahead gravy can be prepared in advance, and transform a simple roast chicken into a something a little more special. Even a dollop of Dijon mustard does wonders here.

“Serve your chicken directly on top of a pile of watercress, baby kale, tatsoi, arugula, or other tender, dark greens that have been sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with salt. The heat of the bird will wilt some of the greens while others remain crisp, and the hot chicken fat makes an instant dressing once it mixes with the lemon juice.

“Substitute hot toasted bread for the watercress or greens, above. The hot chicken fat makes these croutons exquisite.”

MEAT LOAF

This comes from Ina Garten, of The Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa. Total Time: 1 hr 45 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 1 hr 25 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/meat-loaf-recipe.html?oc=linkback.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil

3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)

2 extra-large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meat loaf will be dense. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf, will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot.