What Jah-maican?

Israeli-Style Jerk Chicken

Way back when I was in high school, my mother and father used to take vacations in the US Virgin Islands. Every year they chose a different Island and spent a week snorkeling, hiking, exploring, and resting on the warm sand in tropical beaches. According to my mother, the smell of jerk ( a collection of Caribbean spices) pervaded these islands so in an attempt to recapture some of the spirit of these vacations my mother started using Jerk. A lot. 

She bought the book Jerk from Jamaica and from then on always has had a container of homemade jerk spice on hand, which is used most often during barbecues but makes it's way into chicken and coleslaws as well. 

Thus, jerk spice is a fixture of my childhood and I love the taste and using it in cooking. This chicken recipe from Joy of Kosher Magazine takes jerk to the next level. Instead of using dry jerk seasoning (which, like my mother, I always have on hand) it uses very fresh ingredients pureed into a marinade to make a chicken dish that is truly awesome. 

The Attempt

4 lb boneless baby chicken or chicken cutlets

1 small onion, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

6 cloves garlic

2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers 

1 2-inch piece of ginger, chopped

1/4 cup fresh thyme

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

2 tsp salt

3 tsps brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Place all ingredients (besides for the chicken) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it, making sure the marinade is well-distributed on the chicken. Refrigerate overnight. 

Fire up your charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Place chicken on grill over direct heat and cook until nice and brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Notes:

1. I only used 1 1/2 lbs of chicken so I halved the recipe. 
2. Charming and I have this thing where whenever a recipe calls for something spicy (like scotch bonnet or habanero peppers) and I use the recommended amount, it usually winds up too spicy for us. In the interest of preserving our taste buds, I chose to use jalapeno peppers instead because they are less spicy than their close relatives, scotch bonnet and habanero. 
3. PC+Vinegar= No go. I've mentioned this multiple times. Instead of using cider vinegar I used white wine. 
4. I forgot that the chicken needed to marinate overnight so I started making it after putting the princess to bed. To make sure that the marinade really got into the chicken I scored lines into the cutlets so that the marinade could penetrate. 
5. I made this on the stovetop in a well-greased frying pan because, sadly, I do not have a grill. 

The Verdict

This was really good. The flavor was subtle but flavorful. And the best news was that Charming who isn't actually a fan of coconut didn't even notice that coconut was in the recipe. Score!! 

The fact that the flavor was very subtle might have had to do with the minimal marinating time, so the next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I'm going to have to marinade it overnight and see what happens. 

Who Says Commercials Are Lying?

Mayonnaise Schnitzel 

The story of this supper is rather roundabout. It started when my wonderful neighbor saw this commercial for mayonnaise. While she knows that the commercial was obviously trying to sell Hellmann's mayonnaise, the chicken in the commercial looked so good she had to try it. So she made her regular schnitzel recipe using mayonnaise instead of eggs. 

Just like in the commercial, the chicken came out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. As she told me about her experiment, my mouth began to water, so for supper last week, I tried it out. 

The Attempt

1/2 lb chicken cutlets 

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 cups cornflake crumbs

1 Tbs taco seasoning + Salt, pepper, garlic powder and caynne pepper to taste

Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place mayonnaise and cornflake crumbs into two different shallow plates. Mix the spices into the cornflake crumbs and adjust  seasoning to desired spiciness. Dip chicken into mayonnaise and using a knife or a spoon, spread in a think layer over the cutlet. Dip cutlet in crumb mixture until fully coated with crumbs (no mayonnaise should be showing.) Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cutlets. 

Bake on 375 for half an hour to 45 minutes or until cutlets are no longer pink inside. 

Notes:

1. I didn't really monitor the cooking time. I just kept on checking until I felt like the cutlets were done. It was somewhere between 30-45 minutes, though, if I estimate correctly. 
2. I used taco seasoning because that was what I had on hand, but feel free to use any spice mixture that strikes your fancy. 
3. I feel like panko or regular breadcrumbs or a mixture of the two would work just as well, but I liked the crunchiness of the cornflakes. 

The Verdict

Um, wow. It was hands-down the best breaded cutlet I have tasted. Ever. There was not one cutlet left over for lunch the next day. I loved it. Charming loved it. Basically, a winner all around. 

We had it in a sandwich with the works (lettuce, ketchup, tomatoes, bbq sauce ext) but it would taste equally great by itself with a side of rice, potatoes, or orzo. 

I don't think I'll ever be making another schnitzel recipe again. 

Loverly Leftover Chicken

Moo Shu Chicken Salad

Leaving aside how awesome Moo Shu sounds, I was really exited to try this one (This one is also from Family Circle.) It looked so yummy and easy. As it turns out, I was right. 

I made this recipe using leftover barbecue chicken from Shabbos. Now, the recipe actually calls for pre shredded carrot, and bagged coleslaw mix. That plus shredded pre-made chicken, and bottled moo shu sauce, cinch right? Of course, being  me, I have to complicate things. 

Firstly, I never get shredded carrots, because getting a whole carrot and shredding it myself is cheaper. It only takes about three minutes, so while the little Princess was gleefully spreading ziplock bags all over the kitchen floor  I took a nice medium sized carrot, peeled it... and kept on peeling. After I had a pile of carrot peels I took a knife and coarsely chopped the peeled carrot. Super easy- but the effort kind of defeats the purpose of using shredded carrot. 

Ditto for the coleslaw mix. Prince Charming hates cabbage, so that was automatically out, the good news is that I had a bunch of wilting peppers that were begging to be used, so I cut them into super thin slices while Princess tired of the ziplock bags and started climbing up me. Again, it only took about 3 minutes and then the Princess and I were off to play with blocks, but the whole point of using the coleslaw mix is that there is zilcho effort involved as opposed to minimal effort. 

That being said, I actually don't mind minimal effort, especially if the results taste like this. 

The Attempt: 

2 tsp canola oil

1 bag (10 oz) coleslaw mix

3/4 cup shredded carrot

3/4 cup moo shu stir fry sauce (such as Iron Chef or China Bowl)

4 cups shredded rotisserie (or leftover) chicken

8 cups Asian salad blend (such as Earthbound Farms Zen Blend)

3 Scallions, sliced

1/3 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add coleslaw mix and carrot; cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until partially wilted. Stir in 1/2 cup of the sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in chicken.

To serve place greens on a large serving platter. Spoon Chicken mixture over greens and sprinkle with scallions and peanuts. (Serve remaining 1/4 cup stir fry sauce for drizzling over salad)

Notes: 

1. As I mentioned above, I switched out the coleslaw for 2 large thinly sliced green bell peppers,  and a thinly sliced onion. Because in the end that meant more vegetables than in the original recipe, I added more sauce. In the end I used close to a cup of the sauce, but I didn't reserve for drizzling over the salad later because it didn't need it. 
2. PC doesn't like nuts (I'm nuts about them though-Groan for bad pun.) so I left them out altogether. I do, however, think that they complement the salad wonderfully. According to the recipe, if there is a question of peanut allergies, soy nuts substitute nicely. 

The Verdict:

So I could tell PC wasn't thrilled with this one, on account of the shredded COTB (chicken-on-the-bone) but he did concede that it tastes really good and is a great way to use leftovers. He even had it for lunch the next day! 

As for me, I'm obsessed. I think I would have it once a week if I could, but I would probably get sick of it- you know, shredding the chicken.... 

:) 

Mama Mia!! It's a Meat Pizza!!

Chicken "Facon" Pizza

My name is Esti and I am a pizza-holic. I don't mean I am addicted to eating pizza, though I do like it. What I mean is that I am addicted to making pizza, or to be more exact, using fresh or frozen pizza dough in recipes. With pizza dough I make italian breadsticks, garlic knots, and these awesome meat pockets that we call pizza pockets just to confuse everyone else on the planet. It got me to wondering,  'why can't I use pizza dough to make pizza?"

Good question. Of course I can't make regular cheese pizza because our oven is strictly meat-only and my tiny toaster oven that I use for dairy isn't quite big enough to accommodate a pizza. There is also the minor fact that my dear Prince Charming doesn't consider pizza an adequately filling dinner, so the next logical conclusion was to make a meat pizza. But without the fake cheese, because, well, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of it. (I think it tastes nasty...)

My first attempt at meat pizza involved chopped meat that I browned with some spices (don't ask me which, I don't remember.) I put some pasta sauce on, threw on the meat, added some veggies and voila! meat pizza...

It was ok. But the recipe needed improvement. That's when I found a recipe for chicken bacon pizza in one of my cookbooks that are devoted exclusively to chicken. "I can kosherize that," thought I. So I set  about doing so.

The Attempt

1 ball of frozen pizza dough (about 1 lb)(defrosted)

Jar of salsa (as intense as you desire it)

Approxiately 2 cups of chopped onions and peppers

1/2 lb of grilled chicken shredded

1/2 lb of pastrami shredded

Using your hands spread out the pizza dough into a circle or square, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the salsa on the dough and spread using a pastry brush or your fingers, your choice. Sprinkle shredded chicken, pastrami and vegetables on the pizza. 

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes (or until crust is golden-brown/looks done)

The Verdict

I would give it a B-. For some reason the recipe just didn't gel together, both in the literal and figurative sense. Without cheese to hold it together, the toppings just kind of fell off. Also, for some reason the flavors of the salsa, chicken, pastrami, and veggies felt weird together. 

Guess this one isn't a repeat. Back to the drawing board!! 

Continued Experiments with Chicken Cutlets

All in One Ducksauce Dinner

As mentioned before, Chicken-On-The-Bone (COTB) is not so appreciated 'round these parts (Shout out to Prince Charming) and attempts at replacing it with boneless chicken breasts have not been successful either. For my dear Prince Charming, it's cutlets or bust, so, despite the fact that I find them to be more tasteless and dry than their infinitely more admirable relative, COTB, I find myself making cutlets, rather often. 

It is my general philosophy that any recipe that one has for COTB could probably be adapted for regular cutlets as well. Enter my new neighbors. They moved into our apartment building a few weeks back and due to an oven snafu found themselves oven-less for the first few days. They discovered this the first time my neighbor attempted to make supper in their brand new stove (which the management probably forgot to look up or something.) Once they realized supper (COTB) wasn't cooking they used my other neighbor's oven. 

Fast forward a week or so, I'm standing around talking to my other neighbor (not the new neighbor) and she mentions that the chicken new neighbor sent over smelled truly heavenly. So like a good neighbor, I asked for the recipe, and lo! it contained duck sauce, a condiment that I knew existed, but recently rediscovered. I had to try it- with cutlets of course! 

The Attempt:

All-in-one Ducksauce Dinner

3 chicken cutlets (about 1/4-1/2 lb)

Flour

5 small potatoes

1 onion

1 1/4 cups of duck sauce

3/4 cup of water

about 1/4+  tsp garlic powder

about 1/4+ tsp onion powder

dash or two of chili powder

a few turns of a pepper grinder

Chop potatoes into small pieces, chop up onion. Place on bottom of pan or a pyrex oven to table dish. Dredge cutlets in flour and place on top of potatoes and onions. Mix all the rest of the ingredients (duck sauce, water, & spices) and pour on top of everything else in the pan. 

Cover and bake on 350 Fahrenheit for 1 1/2-3/4 hours until potatoes are very tender, basting periodically throughout cooking. 

Makes: 2 servings

The Verdict:

Oh. My. Goodness! This might just be the first time I really, truly, and absolutely enjoyed eating a cutlet. The potatoes melted in your mouth. The chicken was bursting with flavor, and was buttery and succulent. The entire dish was awash with subtle spiciness. It was heaven. 

It just took a long time to cook. A VERY long time to cook. By the time it was done, Prince Charming and I were so hungry that all our best laid plans to leave some over, or take pictures of it first were dashed. We ate it all up, and enjoyed every bite. But I'm not too concerned about the lack of pictures. Armed with the knowledge that this dish takes a while, I can plan in advance and make it WAAY  before we plan to eat and take pictures then. Because this dish is making its way into the regular dinner rotation, and not a lot of dishes  get that compliment. 

The Thing With the Crockpot

Chicken Taco Soup

For those of us religious jews, crockpots invariably conjure up images of Shabbos (Sabbath) in which we thow a whole bunch of awesome ingredients into a crockpot and cook them together to make Chulent. 

Chulent is a goulash type dish that most Jewish men adore. Many Jewish women adore it too. But here was a kitchen gadget sitting in my tiny kitchen taking up space, unused, for most of the week. 

The thing about Crockpots is that they are no-brainer supper machines. Just put in all the ingredients leave them for a whole bunch of hours and come home to a steamy hot comfort dinner with minimal effort. I have a recipe for slow cooker pulled beef sandwiches that earns a 10+ in Prince Charming's book. It's amazing and super easy. Well, I'm starting school again in a month and the need for easy and yummy no-brainer suppers is rather pressing. So I'm on a quest to find as many good crockpot recipes as I can over the next few weeks. 

The Attempt:

Yesterday I tried a recipe for Chicken Taco Soup that I found on allrecipes.com. I made a couple of changes, naturally. 

1. I swapped out the beer for ginger ale. In my experience ginger ale stands in nicely for beer in most recipes that call for it. We usually don't have beer in our house, but we always have ginger ale. 
2. Swapped out the corn for more vegetables(shredded carrots and mixed peppers). 
• I like more vegetables. In everything.
• Prince Charming doesn't like corn. 

The Verdict:

Eh, Ok. It was good, but lacked oomph. 

• Maybe if I had used actual beer it would have had the oomph factor.

 Also, Charming wasn't a huge fan of the shredded chicken. 

• If I make it again, I'll cut the chicken into chunks, that might be better.

But on the whole, it's a good recipe for every once in a while, but not exactly one that's going to make it into our weekly rotation.