The 2 Spoons

Chicken Agrodolce with Creamy Polenta

December 24, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Need a last minute, inexpensive recipe for Christmas Eve? or Christmas Day? Or any day….This is a very simple, fast recipe that looks elegant and will look beautiful on your table for any occasion. Add a side dish, a salad, some crusty bread to sop of the gravy and your are all set!

I love this with polenta, because I just love polenta, but you can use grits or even mashed potatoes, which the other Spoon prefers.

And I love chicken thighs! They are juicy and just delicious. Hope you enjoy this recipe and something quick and inexpensive you can throw together in minutes and everyone will think you slaved away in the kitchen.

Chicken Agrodolce with Creamy Polenta

Print Recipe

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Polenta

2 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
2 cups polenta, not instant

For the Chicken

4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 oz pitted green olives and kalamata olives
1 tbsp chopped fresh italian parsley

Method

For the Polenta

Bring 2 cups chicken stock to a boil with the salt, pepper and butter. Mix polenta and parmesan with the milk and gradually whisk the mixture into the boiling chicken stock.
Whisk constantly until it returns to a boil, then lower heat and cook about 30 minutes, whisking frequently to prevent lumps.

For the Chicken

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan, skin side down; cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add 2 cups stock, raisins, vinegar, and olives to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 12 minutes or until chicken is done. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until liquid is slightly thickened. Divide polenta evenly among 4 plates; top with chicken thighs and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

If you don’t have Polenta, you can use grits.

New Mexico Red Chile Tamales

December 23, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Little packages of masa, red chile sauce, slow cooked seasoned pork… just a few ingredients for a tamale.

Mexican food is a favorite cuisine in Texas to have at Christmas and that includes tamales. We love them! The other Spoon of the 2 Spoon’s really loves the pork tamales, I consider him an expert at how tamales should taste 😃 and he says these are delicious!

Making tamales does take a little practice, but after you get the hang of it, they come together quickly.

I find getting all of my ingredients before me speeds up the process whether making them alone or with others.

I steam them in an Asian bamboo dumpling steamer that I place over a pot of boiling water, but you can use a large pot with a little water in the bottom, a grate or steamer basket to set them above the water and stack them lengthwise in the pot.

Serve them with your favorite salsa, guacamole, queso, with rice or beans, however you desire but you will love these!

New Mexico Red Chile Tamales

Print Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the filling

3-4 cups Pork Butt Roast (See below)
1 cup New Mexico Red Chile (See below)

For the Masa Dough

2 cups Mesca Tamal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup lard or shortening
3-4 tbsp New Mexico Red Chile Sauce
1 1/2 cup broth from the pork butt roast, water, or chicken broth, warmed

Method

For the Filling

Chop the cooled pork butt roast into small pieces. Add the red chile and combine. I add jalapeno which is optional.

For the Masa Dough

Combine the Mesca Tamal or Masa with the salt and baking powder.
Add the lard, the warmed broth, the red chile sauce and combine with the dry ingredients. You want a soft dough that will be easy to spread.

For building the tamales

Place corn husk in a bowl of water to soften.
Remove a husk from the water, pat a little dry with a paper towel and spread about 1/4 cup of the dough, starting from the broad end and working down, leaving about 2 inches at the bottom that you will fold over to seal the tamales later. I use my hands to press the dough down.
Add a tablespoon or two of the filling to the dough.
Take one side of the corn husk and press over the filling, leaving the masa on the filling.
Do the same on the other side, then take one side of the husk and place over the filling, tucking in and rolling. When rolled, fold that bottom portion over to form a little package. It takes a little, but you will get the hang of it.
Layer the tamales in a steamer basket, like I have, or you can get a large pot, add a little water to the bottom, maybe an inch or so, add a steamer plate or basket and stand up the tamales in the pot until full.
Heat the water to a simmer, put a lid on the steamer or pot and cook for about 1 1/2 hour. Remove and enjoy with your favorite topping!

Pork Butt Roast

I love a roasted pork butt roast. It is great as a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots and a pan dripping gravy, or in this case I’m using it for posole, tacos, and tamales.

So simple and so good!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 6-8 lb pork butt roast
salt and pepper
granulated garlic

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously salt, pepper and add granulated garlic to all sides of the roast. Place the roast in a roasting pan fat side up, slightly scoring the fat so the spices will penetrate. Place in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the fat has browned on top. Turn the oven to 325, cover with plastic wrap and foil and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 195-200. Since I’m using this pork in tamales and other dishes, I want it to be falling off the bone tender.
When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes reserving the broth and drippings. Use in your favorite recipes.
****If you are cooking this pork butt for pozole I think cooking it in a crockpot is best because you want all the delicious broth. To do that brown the roast on all sides, add a generous portion of salt and pepper on all sides and lots of garlic. Place in crock pot with chicken stock or water to 2/3 cover the roast. Cook on low or high whichever you prefer. When finished remove the roast and reserve the drippings.

New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the chile pods

25 Dried Red chile pods with stems and seeds removed
Water to cover the chile pods

For the Purée to make the final sauce

1/2 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Mexican oregano, crushed
1 Tsp Granulated garlic
Salt to taste

Method

For the Chile pods

Wash and remove stems and seeds from New Mexico dried chile pods.
Cover the chile pods with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool a little.
Transfer the chile pods and water to a food processor and purée until smooth. Pour the mixture into a colander and strain seperating the pulp from the skin.
To finish the sauce. In a sauce pan add the strained chile and the spices. Heat and simmer a few minutes adding water if too thick and checking for salt.
Use in your favorite recipes like enchiladas, posole, on pork, tacos….It is so good!

Essential Roasted Lemon, Spinach and Artichoke Dip

December 22, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Jump to Recipe

Nothing says entertaining and even Holiday entertaining more than Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Everyone has a spinach and artichoke dip recipe, but this with Roasted Lemon is a notch above! I honestly am one of those people that did not have a Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe until this one. This is perfect for your football parties, Christmas Eve present unwrapping, cocktail party….the possibilities are endless.

I love spinach and I love artichokes and I love all the gooey cheese in a spinach artichoke dip. I was looking at another recipe on Half Baked Harvest website, Tiegen always has beautiful photography, and I noticed her new post of a spinach artichoke dip that had roasted lemon.

So I can’t take credit for the creation of this dip and afterall isn’t that kind of like immitating, which is the biggest form of flattery? Her recipe looked so delicious I just had to make and now I’m passing her receipe on to you because it is delicious! Tiegen’s recipe calls for Meyer lemons which I could not find at my rural stores, so I used a regular lemon.

The cheeses are Fotina and Mozzerella. If you aren’t familiar with Fotina, it is an Italian cow’s milk cheese. You should be able to find it at your local grocery store, but here’s a link if you cannot: https://www.amazon.com/Fontina-Wisconsin-Cheese-8-oz/dp/B00HYMWB5O/ref=sr_1_3?hvadid=78065379506726&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=fontina+cheese&qid=1576607802&s=grocery&sr=1-3. You can usually find it in the better cheese section by the deli.

Essential Roasted Lemon, Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Here’s the recipe! I think you will keep this and make again year after year! Need another recipe for an appetizer? Try these ever so easy Pigs In A Blanket: https://the2spoons.com/still-a-favorite-retro-pigs-in-a-blanket/ the

Roasted Lemon, Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 small Meyer lemon I could not find Meyer so I used a regular lemon
1 jalapeno, halved
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup fotina cheese, cubed
1 cup mozzerella cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 10 oz bag frozen chopped spinach thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 12 oz jar marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts, raw
fresh dill for topping

Method

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F.
2. Slice 1/3 of the lemon into thin slices and set aside. Quarter the remaining lemon and remove the seeds.
3. In a small baking dish, combine the quartered lemon, jalapeño, garlic, olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the lemon is golden and caramelized. Remove and let cool. If desired, de-seed the jalapeño. Finely chop the lemon, jalapeño, and garlic into a rough paste.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, fontina, 1/2 of the mozzarella, the paprika, spinach, and artichokes. Stir in the the roasted lemon paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to an 8-inch greased baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella and remaining lemon slices. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve warm, topped with pine nuts. Serve with fresh bread or crackers. Enjoy

Mushroom, Pancetta and Shallot Quiche

December 20, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Mushroom, Pancetta and Shallot Quiche

I love a quiche and this is so good with the mushrooms and pancetta. I like to make the individual in small tart tins, but you can make this recipe the same in a regular size pie plate.

Not only is this good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s a great recipe for the holidays for brunch. Serve with fresh fruit, your favorite juice, a side of hashbrowns, and you are all set.

Cowboys really do love quiche!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 oz pancetta, diced (you could use 3-4 slices bacon)
1 tbsp butter
4 shallots sliced, 1 reserved for topping after the quiche is out of the oven
8 oz button mushrooms (you could use baby bella)
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh sage, optional
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cup Bella Capra goat cheese or other goat cheese you could use gruyere or other swiss

For the crust

1 prepared pie crust, store bought or your favorite recipe

Method

For the pie crust

Preheat the oven to 425 degress F. In a deep dish pie pan, add your crust. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork. Line with foil or parchment and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Par bake for 10-12 minutes until it’s lightly browned.

For the Filling

Cook the pancetta in a skillet on medium low allowing it to render and cook to almost crisp. Remove and set aside. Keep the rendered oil.
Increase the heat to medium and add butter to the oil left in the pan. Add the shallots and stir frequently until caramelized, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside with the pancetta.
Add olive oil to the same pan and cook the mushrooms until soft. Turn off the heat and toss with the pancetta, shallots and herbs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Layer the bottom of the par baked crust with about half of the cheese and then half of the mushroom mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and dairy and seasoning until frothy. Pour the custard about 3/4 of the way up the shell and add the remaining filling, top with cheese and place in the oven.
Bake at 325 degrees F for about and hour and 15 minutes. The top should be golden, firm to the touch with the slightest giggle. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Top the quiche with the remaining shallots and slice into 8 serving pieces.
Bon Appetite!

Famous Candlelite Inn Guacamole

December 18, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Famous Candlelite Inn Guacamole

If you are some of the folks I grew up with, lived in the same area, lived in the Arlington area, or the DFW area you know about the guacamole at the Candlelite Inn.

Who didn’t love the Candlelite? Yes it is still a favorite place to go even today full of memories.

Red and white table cloths cover the tables with privacy booths that we all remember sitting in during dates after Homecoming or football games.

At the Candlelite they serve their guacamole as a topping for a salad of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. Topping it all off is a couple of fresh onion rings and olives. Yes olives!

Ok, so here it is, the recipe for that famous guacamole or hopefully close to it as they keep the original recipe under lock and key! This recipe uses tomatillos, maybe they use green tomatoes, but I hope it brings back memories as it does with me.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2-3 Haas Avocados
3-5 tomatillos to measure 1 cup or 2 green tomatoes to make 1 cup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp plain white vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 tbsp water

Method

If the tomatillos still have the papery husky remove it and wash them. Roughly chop them and put them in a food processor or blender.
Process the tomatillos until they are a puree. Measure out enough puree to 1 c. Discard the rest. It should be very close to 1 cup.
Remove the avocados from their skins and place them in the bowl of the food processor or blender.
Pulse just until smooth along with the tomatillo puree, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 T plain white vinegar, 1 T fresh lemon juice, 2 T. water and 1 T. oil. Make sure not to pulse it too long or it will become mousse-like from whipping so much air into the avocados!
Top on a salad or just serve with some chips!! Hope you love this as we have bringing back memories of a childhood favorite restaurant.

Pork Butt Roast

December 18, 2018 by Becky Spoon

Please follow and like us:

Pork Butt Roast

I love a roasted pork butt roast. It is great as a Sunday pot roast with potatoes, carrots and a pan dripping gravy, or in this case I’m using it for posole, tacos, and tamales.

So simple and so good!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 6-8 lb pork butt roast
salt and pepper
granulated garlic

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously salt, pepper and add granulated garlic to all sides of the roast. Place the roast in a roasting pan fat side up, slightly scoring the fat so the spices will penetrate. Place in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the fat has browned on top. Turn the oven to 325, cover with plastic wrap and foil and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 195-200. Since I’m using this pork in tamales and other dishes, I want it to be falling off the bone tender.
When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes reserving the broth and drippings. Use in your favorite recipes.
****If you are cooking this pork butt for pozole I think cooking it in a crockpot is best because you want all the delicious broth. To do that brown the roast on all sides, add a generous portion of salt and pepper on all sides and lots of garlic. Place in crock pot with chicken stock or water to 2/3 cover the roast. Cook on low or high whichever you prefer. When finished remove the roast and reserve the drippings.