Easy Braised Chicken

I brought leftovers of this into work and my coworkers oohed and ahhed about my “gourmet” cooking. One of them had chicken and white rice for his lunch and commented that he was embarrassed to eat it next to me and my fancy dinner. Really, my dish was probably easier than his since everything is just thrown into one pot!

My mom used to make this for us when we were kids. She would throw chicken legs and chunks of potatoes, onions and ton of fresh herbs together for a quick, easy dinner. She didn't even brown the chicken first! She'd slosh some olive oil in a cold pot with a pat of butter and put everything else in on top of that and simmer it. I like to brown my chicken and add a little more liquid to mine than she did, and I'll sub out the potatoes for other root veggies that look good. This week, I used some cute little golden beets I picked up at the farmer's market. I also really like onions, so I probably add more than is strictly necessary. I'll slice an onion and saute it and eat it as a side dish, so I may be a little extreme with the onion love. I'm also a big fan of carrot greens. They taste like if parsley and carrots made a baby and worked really well in this dish. The only reason I didn't also add the carrots was I thought it might be too sweet with the beets. If I'd used potatoes, I would have cut up and added the carrots in there, too.

When I asked my mom about this dish the first time I decided to make it, she said the key was to use “a ton” of fresh herbs. “Like more than you think you should use.” As with most family recipes, there aren't exact measures, so put in what you have and what you like.

Look how pretty those beets are! I kept a part of the stem attached because beet greens are also delicious.

Easy Braised Chicken and Vegetables

1 chicken cut into leg quarters and breast. Save the wings and back for stock

1 bunch of beets peeled and cut in half or quartered, depending on size (you can also use 4-6 small potatoes, quartered)

Greens from the beets, coarsely chopped

1 large onion, sliced (I like irregular slices so some melts into the sauce and others still have some texture)

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ a bunch of parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

tops from 2 carrots, coarsely chopped

handful of fresh sage

several sprigs of thyme

1 sprig of rosemary (I'm not a huge rosemary fan, so I used maybe half a sprig, add more if you like it.)

1 cup of beer, tomato juice or sauce, chicken stock or white wine

If you're not using tomato juice, you'll want to add a tablespoon or so of tomato paste.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown over medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. 

If you're using tomato paste, add it to the skillet and let it cook for a 30 seconds or so. Add in the onions, garlic, beets. Nestle the chicken into the onions. Top with your parsley and herbs and cooking liquid. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover but leave it vented so the liquid can reduce. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until chicken registers 165 on a cooking thermometer, or until the juices run clear. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in your beet greens. Enjoy!

Excessive Lettuce Soup

I found myself with an absurd about of lettuce and greens recently. I had a gallon sized zipper bag stuffed full with mixed young green and red leaf lettuces. A 14 cup tupperware container filled with spinach. Half of a head of romaine. A half of a bunch of Swiss chard. A half of a bunch of dinosaur kale. A couple of leaves of butter lettuce. Basil. Parsley.

One of the biggest complaints I'd heard about participating in a CSA was that you get too much lettuce. I scoffed. I love salads. I'll make lettuce wraps! It's fine.

Holy fuck, I had a lot of lettuce. I have a giant salad nearly every day for lunch and sometimes for dinner as well. I make really good salads, too, with every vegetable in my fridge! However, one can only eat so many salads before the sight of salad makes one want to scream. So, I Googled too much lettuce and found a lot of suggestions for lettuce soup. I admit, that didn't sound particularly appetizing, but people on all of these websites were saying how amazing it was. I cobbled together a recipe and figured if it wasn't good, I'd toss it. It was amazing.

Lettuce takes on a much different texture while it cooks. It wilts down, but doesn't get soggy. It seems to take on some of the cooking liquid and develops a soft, toothy crunch. It made what seemed like a relatively bland recipe into a hearty, flavorful bowl of soup.

The key is a good, rick stock. I am so terrible at making stock but I'm trying. I cheated and used store bought stuff. In one serving, I drizzled olive oil and sprinkled Parmesan cheese. In another, I added slices of smoked beef roast I had left over from one of the boy's smoking sessions. Another time, I stirred in some beaten egg while it simmered. All of these meals were lovely.

The great thing is that it doesn't have to be a set recipe. Use whatever greens are hanging out in your fridge getting yellow or wilting. Use more or less broth depending on how much foliage you have. If I'd had celery, I would have added some stalks with its leaves. If your carrots have tops, throw those in there, too!

Excessive Lettuce Soup

8 cups of a luscious stock, veggie or chicken

1 small to medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic

2 carrots, shredded

A handful of fresh parsley, coarsely chopped.

A handful of fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

Fresh thyme, pulled from two or three sprigs

What seems like too much green, leafy vegetables (I added all of the stuff that I listed at the beginning.) Chop them coarsely.

Sweat the garlic, carrots and onion. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add the greens that take longer to cook first. I added the kale and chard and let it simmer for two or three minutes, then I added the spinach and thyme for a minute or two, then all of the more tender lettuces along with the parley and basil. Simmer it for about 5 – 10 minutes, until it reaches a consistency you like.

Some people suggest pureeing it with a little cream. I thought it was great as is, but I may try the creamed suggestion one day. Should you one day find yourself with too much lettuce, you should give a soup a try.