main course

Simple, Delicious Chicken Thighs Braised with Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic

October 4, 2019 by Becky Spoon

This recipe of Chicken Thighs Braised with Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic is delicious. “Braising or stewing meat is a long, slow, gentle process of cooking with moist heat in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot. A braise is typically made from larger pieces of meat, frequently still on the bone, while a stew is made from smaller pieces of meat cut into even-size chunks and cooked in a bit more liquid than a braise, almost enough to cover. ” These comments are from Alice Waters from her book “The Art of Simple Food” where I originally got this recipe.

I love to braise meats, especially inexpensive cuts of meat that are a little tough. Because it takes a while to cook, it may seem that a braised dish is difficult. It really is easy. After the initial browning of the meat, sautéing vegetables, garlic and such, then adding herbs and a liquid you’re all set with a dish that you can place a lid on, reduce your heat to a simmer and go about your business as it cooks.

You can simmer this dish on the stovetop or place it in the oven at a low temperature like 325. If you have an Instant Pot, you can brown the meat on your sauté mode, remove and add the vegetables and cook until translucent, return your meat, add your liquid and set for the meat mode and this dish can be complete in 30 minutes!

Something I originally meant to do on my blog was to feature my favorite cookbooks and post recipes from those books. Well, better late than never, I’m going to start doing that occasionally. I love cookbooks. I collect them and I now have quite a collection. I actually have cooked from every one of them and I’m going to share them with you from time to time!

Alice’s book is a fabulous book that every cook needs in their cookbook repertoire. My son gave me this cookbook many years ago for a birthday present. I just love it. Alice Waters is an amazing chef who started the famous restaurant Chez Panisse. Her philosophy is about having the best and tastiest ingredients that you cook very simple that are extraordinary b because they tastes like what it is! Here is a link for Alice Water’s cookbook, The Art of Simple Food: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Simple-Food-Delicious-Revolution/dp/0307336794/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39H3RQ1IQ60KL&keywords=the+art+of+simple+food&qid=1570233098&sprefix=the+art+of+simple+food%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-1.

Simple, Delicious Chicken Thighs Braised with Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic

I served this recipe with a simple risotto that was cooked with a little onion and finished with parmesan cheese. Rice or a pasta would certainly work too. A similar dish is my Chicken Cacciatore. it is also a braised dish but with Italian spices that changes the flavor. Here’s the link for the Chicken Cacciatore: https://the2spoons.com/comfort-food-my-chicken-cacciatore-with-pasta/.

Chicken Thighs Braised with Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic

Alice’s recipe calls for chicken legs, but I wanted to use thighs, but the end result is pretty much the same. Here’s her recipe! Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs Braised with Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic

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Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs or legs
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced thick or diced large
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 bay leaf
1 small rosemary sprig
4 tomatoes, diced coarse, or 1 small (12 oun ce) can organic whole tomatoes, diced (including juice)
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Season the day before if possible the chicken thighs or the chicken legs with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Heat a heavy bottomed pan over mediim heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the chicken into the pan, skin side down and cook until crisp and brown, about 12 minutes.
Turn and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove the chicken.
Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add and cook for about 2 minutes the garlic cloves, bay leaf and rosemary sprig.
Add and cook the tomatoes for 5 minutes, scraping up any rown gits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the chicken back to the pan with the skin side up and pour in any juices that collected. Add the chicken broth. The liquid should reach halfway up the chicken; add more if needed. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook at a bare simmer or in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Return to the pan and serve.

Keyword braising, chicken, chicken thighs, chicken thighs braised, dinner, lunch, main course

Easy, Delicious Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

June 29, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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You know, sometimes you just need some Southern comfort food like this Smothered Cabbage. Sometimes you just want the foods you grew up with like beans and cornbread! I probably should cook like this more because I absolutely love it, but Allen really doesn’t love this food as much as his meat and potatoes, but I sneak it in from time to time and he always thinks its delicious.

Easy, Delicious Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

I cooked this dish with Eckridge Beef Smoked Sausage https://www.heb.com/product-detail/eckrich-beef-smoked-sausage-family-pack/765512. I had this brand on hand, but you can use any good smoked sausage of your choice. I sliced new potatoes with the skin on, I added lots of onions, and cooked this in really very little oil with a little butter in a non stick skillet. You could add squash to this dish, and okra would be a great addition. I served my Macoroni and tomatoes with this and some spicy pinto beans and cornbread! Both of these recipes are also on the blog, but here is the Macaroni and Tomatoes recipe that my mother and grandmother made growing up! Delicious!
https://the2spoons.com/macaroni-with-fresh-tomatoes/.

This is a perfect dish to serve with my Good Luck Blackeyed Peas! Here’s the link: https://the2spoons.com/good-luck-blackeyed-peas/.

Easy, Delicious Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Smothered Cabbage with Potatoes and Smoked Sausage

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Ingredients

1/2 head large green cabbage or one whole small
1/2 onion, sliced or diced
3-4 new potatoes, skin on and sliced
7 oz Smoked Sausage, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp butter, two for cooking and 1 for finishing
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the cabbage in half, take out the core and slice. Sliced your potatoes in about in little less than 1/2 inch slices, about a quarter inch. Slice your onions or chop them, then slice your smoked sausage in 1/2 inch pieces
Heat your oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add your potatoes and onions and cook on medium high heat until your potatoes begin to brown a little. Turn them and reduce the heat, add a lid and turn your heat to low and cook for a few minutes just until the potatoes start to soften a little, but not done. Increase your heat and add your cabbage and smoked sausage and cook turning as all the ingredients brown a little. After a few minutes, lower the heat, cover and let the cabbage smother a little until soft. Then again, raised your heat, remove the lid, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until the ingredients have browned a little and are fork tender. Add a pat of butter just to bring everything together. Enjoy!!

the best instant pot – pot roast.

June 25, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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We love a pot roast! One of the reasons I made this roast over the weekend was because I knew I could make several meals from one roast for my husband and this is another opportunity to show others struggling with meals during these difficult times, recipes using the leftovers.

I used a chuck roast because I just love that they are well marbled and so tender. Of, course a pot roast of any kind is a slow cook or braised and takes a couple of hours or you can cook in the Instant Pot like I did. Here are other roast you can use:

Chuck roast
Chuck center roast
Chuck eye roast
7-bone chuck roast
Arm roast
Blade roast
Shoulder roast

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, and if you can afford it, here’s a link from Walmart for one of the choices. https://goto.walmart.com/c/2049504/568839/9383?veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&prodsku=696895054&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2F696895054

The good thing is you can order this online! Honestly, my Instant Pot saves me hours!

The Best Instant Pot – Pot Roast

So, we know cooking a delicious tender pot roast can take hours, that’s why I love making my roast in the Instant pot. I do most things the same as I would cooking a roast in the oven or stove top, so I start with salt and peppering my roast, then lightlly coating in flour, then sear in oil on the saute mode on your Instant Pot.

After I brown the roast, I added onions, celery and carrots for aromatics along with a bayleaf, fresh thyme and fresh parsley. To this about 4 pound roast I added a little tomato sauce and beef stock which immediately adds richness to your pot roast.

The vegetables I cooked with the pot roast become part of the gravy, so I cook potatoes and carrots separately. When tender, I remove the roast then strain the broth mashing the very soft carrots, onions and celery through my strainer to help thicken the gravy and add so much flavor.

Usually, depending on the size, you can cook a pot roast in 45 minutes in the Instant Pot.

The Best Instant Pot – Pot Roast

One of my favorite uses of the leftovers is hash! Here’s my link for a delicious hash! https://the2spoons.com/easy-leftover-prime-rib-roast-hash/ This is with prime rib roast, but just substitute the chuck roast.

Also, I love to make a Beef Pot Pie with the leftovers! Delicious! Here’s that link:https://the2spoons.com/easy-beef-pot-pie/

Here’s the recipe for my this roast! Enjoy!

The Best Instant Pot – Pot Roast

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Chuck Roast

3-4 lb chuck roast, marbled well
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for browning the roast
Salt and Pepper
1 bay leaf
a couple of thyme sprigs, rosemary and parsley
a quartered onion, couple of carrots and a celery stick
4 tbsp cups beef broth plus 1 tbsp tomato paste

For the additional potatoes and carrots for serving

6-8 red potatoes, peeled, halfed or quartered if large
enough water to top of potatoes
3-4 carrots, peeled and quartered
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary
salt and pepper

For the Gravy

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp flour
the reserved strained broth

Instructions

For the Pot Roast:

Put your instant pot on sauté. Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and dust each side with flour pressing in so the flour will adhere to the roast. This will help in the browning of your roast. Add the oil and when heated, add the roast and brown on both sides. When browned, toss in the onions, carrots and celery along with the fresh herbs. In a separate bowl, combine the beef broth and tomato paste, then pour over your roast. Set your mode on the instant pot for Meat/Stew for 45 minutes. When the time has lapsed, I unplug the Instant Pot and allow it to release the steam naturally.
Note 1: If you want to get perfectly sliced pot roast, cook the day before and refrigerate. When ready to use, slice and reheat in the microwave or in the oven covered with foil in about a 200 degree oven.
Note 2: If you don't have an instant pot, brown in a heavy pot, follow the other steps and place in a 350 degree oven until tender.
Remove the roast from the pot, cover and set aside. Strain the broth in a large strainer, pressing with a spoon the vegetables though your strainer, scraping the bottom into your bowl. This makes your gravy extra delicious and you won't waste those delicious ingredients.

For the Gravy:

In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the flour to make a roux. Cook for a minute or so, whisking, then add your reserved strained broth, continuing to whisk to keep from having lumps. Cook until the gravy has thickened, and keep warm until ready to serve.

For the potatoes and carrots to serve:

Place your peeled potatoes in the Instant pot along with your quartered carrots. Add about 2 cups of water or so to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil, lightly salt and pepper and add a sprig of rosemary. Set the pressure cook timer to 5 minutes. When time has lapsed, do a quick steam release.
To serve add the pot roast with potatoes and carrots on a plate and drizzle with the gravy. Serve with more gravy for passing. Enjoy!