“40” Garlic Chicken

FALL OFF THE BONE…

When you hear those words, you know you are eating something delicious! As this chicken made its way to the plate and people started to take their first bites, I heard the comments “how long did this cook” “it melts in my mouth” “I don’t even need my knife” just brought a smile to my face and is what a cook wants to hear about their chicken which has been simmering on the stove! Add that with some (40 cloves worth) garlic that has been browned & simmering for more than an hour and I don’t know how you can go wrong…. Ok – I take that back: make Oven Baked Latkes the same way that I did, then you can go wrong! (good thing this chicken was so good or the meal, and all of Hanukkah, would have been ruined, in my mind at least!)

Recipe

(as adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures – as she adapted it from Ina Garten… but check out Joelen’s photos – hers give this dish the “wow” appearance that mine did not, although the flavor was all there!!)

• about 40 cloves of garlic (we buy the pre-peeled whole-clove stuff in a big plastic container
• 4 chicken leg quarters [separated & cut into legs & thighs] & 2 chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• N/A in my version [3 tablespoons Bourbon, divided]
• 1 1/2 cups [dry] white wine
• 1 tablespoon [fresh] thyme leaves
• skipped [2 tablespoons all-purpose flour]
• skipped [2 tablespoons milk]

Dry  the chicken & season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the butter AND oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken, [skin side down first], until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn – being careful not to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches until complete.

Add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add [2 tablespoons of the bourbon and] the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for at least 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

[I cooked for about an hour here and skipped the rest of the recipe & just plated right from the pan with some sauce right over top] Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of bourbon and the milk (cream), and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

* Serve this with some kind of starch. I tried to make oven-baked latkes which needed (A) to be [much!]  thinner (B) to have more spices (C) to have not used vegetable oil spray on the tin foil (D) to have been fried the way latkes should have been! My family does not allow me to give up though, and mom thinks I should give it another shot in the oven making them thinner.

And I leave you with this: “Love may make the world go ’round… but garlic (& chocolate) is what creates love!”

French Onion Soup

I have really had a craving for French Onion Soup – and in all honesty, I figured since I have become a better chef over the past few months (years) – why not just create it myself! I was amazed when I found this recipe online which gave a great easy to follow recipe using some of the most pure & simple ingredients!

What better time to make this comforting soup than for the last night of Hanukkah where I would be surrounded by some of my favorite people (and last minute one more – so the bowls are slightly less full than they should have been – guess I will just have to make this again to see if I can get that “overflowing” look to my soup that we all love).

French Onion Soup (RECIPE)

(according to “An Edible Mosaic” – this is for 2 larger/4 small servings – I stretched it to 5 servings, but using my mom’s Soup Crocks, which were re-gifted to me when I moved into my house – they were a wedding present that she had used approximately once, THANKS MOM!)

Ingredients (as adapted from “Edible Mosaic”)

• 2 TB olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot)
• 4 medium-sized cooking onions, thinly sliced (about 4 c sliced)
• 2 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 3 c beef stock
• [1 bay leaf]
• Salt and pepper to taste
• baguette (or whatever), trimmed to fit inside the bowls
• About 4 oz Gruyère or Emmental cheese
• [2-4] oven-safe individual-sized serving bowls

Thinly slice the onion into rings/half-rings.  In a medium, thick-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion, thyme and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the onion with oil.  Cook for [5 to] 10 minutes until onions start to soften and turn color (stirring occasionally).  Lower heat to medium-low and cook for about [15 to] 20 more minutes (stirring occasionally) until the onions are a rich caramel color.  Add a splash of water at any point if the onions start to stick to the pan too much.

Add beef stock [and bay leaf] – use wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom.  Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes.  Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler.  Broil the bread on both sides until it’s light golden brown.  Ladle the soup into broiler-safe bowls, place the toasted bread on top of the soup, and divide the cheese on top of the bread.  Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and starting to brown.

* I have some oven issues & in addition to the bowls not being filled enough, my dinner guests were worried with the flames with my broiler & I had to turn off the oven earlier than I would have like… just another reason to try making these [after my oven gets checked].

Happy Hanukkah 2010 – coming soon to a blog/table near you: dinner (and my unsuccessful attempt at oven baked latkes!)