Bobby Flay's Throwdown: Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice

...or as I like to call it, arroz con pollo.

I adore Bobby Flay. I will eat anything he makes/suggests/writes about. I have been faithfully watching Throwdown! for many years now and it is still hard to watch without salivating. I think I must have seen every single episode at this point---including the one where he wins the biscuit throwdown against the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, TN. The Loveless is the only restaurant featured on Throwdown! that I've even been to, and I have to say that those biscuits are made of butter and crack. I think I might have also had fried chicken there, but I don't remember---those biscuits steal away any other memory of that meal. I know this is off topic, but I have been hoarding a bag of that biscuit mix in my pantry for maybe a year now, and I think today might be the day to make those damned biscuits. Anyway, I digress. The biscuit episode also cemented in my mind the greatness of Bobby Flay. If he can win against those biscuits, then he can also probably cure cancer.

Since it's still cold here, I am still yearning for nice hot dishes that warm you up from the inside. I've only actually had arroz con pollo once when my neighbor made it for me (it was delicious), and since then, I have been itching to make it myself. For some reason, we never eat chicken on the bone in our house, and I'm not sure why. It has a totally different, savory sweet taste that cannot be compared to the crappy boneless skinless breasts that seem to be the cornerstone of our eating life in this house. Plus, there are few things tastier than crisp and salty skin. Mmm. Anyway, this recipe was relatively easy, but wow, it makes A LOT of arroz. SO MUCH RICE! I may make this again, but maybe with two---NOT THREE---cups of rice. Also, don't get freaked out by the ingredients list. This was easy and probably only took me a half and hour. PS, he lost this throwdown, but I thought this was still really good.

Bobby Flay's Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice
Serves 4
Adobo Seasoning
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp granulated onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika (ha, I used my hungarian stuff)
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
Yeah, so I made a special purchase of the garlic and onion only to realize when I came home that I ALREADY HAD a little bottle of Adobo Seasoning from Penzey's. I find it infuriating to buy spices or herbs anywhere else BUT Penzey's, as the crap in the grocery store is so expensive and, well, crap. Anyway, I mixed this all up, and since I only made two drumsticks and two thighs, I have more than enough for next time.

Chicken and Rice
4 bone-in, skin-on thighs
4 bone-in, skin-on breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped (I used a regular white one)
2 medium red bell betters, finely diced (I used one)
1 serrano pepper, finely diced (I used two. I make my own rules when it comes to chiles)
4 cloves of garlic, chopped (or, in my case, pressed)
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cups long grain rice
5 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock (sorry, Bobby, I was working all day, so I made due with the stuff in the box)
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup pitted picholine olives (I added these, but I'm not sure I would next time)
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
Grated zest and juice of one fresh lime

1) Mix all the spices at the top. Season the chicken with pepper and salt, then rub the mix on the chicken parts.
2) Heat your oven to 375.
3) In a dutch oven, heat enough oil to fry the chicken, skin side down. You are basically going to get these parts nice and brown. After you do that, throw them in a baking vessel and put it in the oven for about 12 minutes.
4) Remove all the oil except for about 2tbs. Put heat on high. Add the onion, bell peppers and serrano pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the garlic and cook for one minute.
5) Add the rice to the pan and coat in the mixture. Cook for one minute. Add the chicken stock and the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes uncovered. Reduce heat to medium and cook until stock is absorbed and rice is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. During the last few minutes, stir in peas, cover, and continue cooking.
6) Remove pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Then remove the lid, fluff the rice, and gently fold in the olives, cilantro, oregano, lime zest, and juice. Add the chicken and stir to combine.

Black Bean Burgers

Eating clean is challenging enough without taking into consideration the needs of the two pickiest eaters in the Philadelphia area. I try to find recipes that have something for everyone (for him: not spicy at all; no eggplant; no mushrooms; no zucchini; no broccoli; no eggs; no fish... I could go on, but it's frustrating to see it all in "print". For her: no beans; no goat cheese; nothing stringy; no fish.) As you can imagine, finding a recipe that will satisfy all three of our appetites is quite time-consuming. I wish I could say that I found the holy grail with this recipe, but I didn't. The child wouldn't even try it because she knew there were black beans in it. I wasn't going to tell her, I was just going to feed it to her, but she saw me prepping the recipe. *sigh*
Anyhow, I found this to be a satisfying and delicious burger! It had a good bite, and in a sandwich prepared with a thick tomato slice, some iceberg lettuce (I know, it has no nutritional value, but I heart it in a sandwich!), a dollop (always feel like Martha when I use that word!) of light sour cream, and some homemade salsa (no spice for the husband), it was fantastic! A really good (almost vegan except for the sour cream) burger. I'm looking forward to lunch leftovers! I'll make it again for me and the husband, while I reheat a frozen Boca burger for the child.


Black Bean Burgers
(makes 6)
2 cups cooked or 1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup pain whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. tomato paste (or ketchup) --- I used tomato paste
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional) --- I used it
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
About 2 tbsp. olive oil plus olive oil spray
Whole wheat buns



Mash the beans with a fork in a mixing bowl. You don't want to puree them; just get them mashed so that no whole beans are left, but you should leave some half beans.
Add the wheat gluten, bread crumbs, child powder, cumin, water, tomato paste, and cilantro if using, but don't mix yet. Use a microplane grater to the grate the garlic in. (A garlic press or very well minced garlic words, too.)Use the large holes on a box grater to grate in the onion.

Mix everything together with a fork, and then proceed to knead with your hands, until the mixture is firm and uniformly mixed (about a minute).

Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Divide the burger mixture into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a firm ball. Use your palm to press the ball down on a clean surface to form a patty that is about 1 1/2" thick. Press so that the patty is flat on both sides. Make six patties.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the pan. Cook the patties three at a time for five minutes on each side, gently but firmly pressing down on then with a spatula. Spray with olive oil before turning over, for uniform browning. Once cooked, the patties should be very firm when you press down on them.

Serve warm on burger buns.

Creamy Tomato Soup

For the past week or so I've been reading about "eating clean." I'm intrigued and inspired to do it. It's challenging, especially when eating out, but I've decided not to kill myself trying to do it, just to do it as best as I can. Eat clean at home, and make the best food decisions when I'm out. Fair enough.

Tonight I made Creamy Tomato Soup from Veganomicon. Yes, this is a book of vegan recipes. And don't roll your eyes. This soup is delicious. Well, at least I think so. My daughter didn't like it, and my husband declared it "OK," of course, he has a cold and can't taste anything, so his opinion has no weight. (nose in air).

I substituted yucca for the potatoes just because I wanted to. I think it may have made it too thick, and the thickness was a turnoff for the offspring.

I may make it again, just make it a bit thinner.


Creamy Tomato Soup
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coursely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (crushed between fingers)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. waxy potatoes (2-4 averaged-size potatoes) peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 c. sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed!!!)
6 c. water or vegetable broth
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (the fire-roasted are especially worth it here)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Saute for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the water. Cover and bring to a a boil. Once the soup is boiling, lower the heath to medium, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sun-dried tomatoes are soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. If you have an immersion blender, you're in luck! Puree the living hell out of it until it is very smooth. If you don't have one, just transfer the whole shebang to a food processor or blender, in cooled batches, then transfer back to the pot. Add the lemon juice and adjust the salt if you need to.

Serve!

Jamie's Dinners: Tagliatelle with Spinach, Marscarpone and Parmesan

I know, it's been ages since I've posted. I never do well with February, generally speaking. I just want to hole up and not speak to anyone until it's over. I want to watch bad tv and change into my pjs as soon as I come home from work. Worse yet, all I want to eat is noodles and cheese. Or not cook at all, which pretty much sums up the last few weeks. Also, I'm not sure how this happened, but we have not been to the grocery store since the middle of January. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it to March!

In anticipation of our trip yesterday, I busted out Jamie's Dinners and Bobby Flay's Throwdown so I could stock up on some ingredients. Paging through Jaime's Dinners, Tagliatelle with Spinach, Marscarpone and Parmesan caught my eye. It was delicious! Next time I might add some sauteed mushrooms and possibly some chicken.

Tagliatelle with Spinach, Marscarpone and Parmesan
Serves 4---or two with a bit extra if you only had breakfast that day. I don't judge!

1 lb tagliatte or spaghetti (I bought some fresh pasta at the store---makes a huge difference)
olive oil
2 teaspoons of butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced (I pressed mine)
1/2 a nutmeg, freshly grated
14 oz fresh spinach, washed and sliced (yeah---I just washed it)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 oz marscarpone cheese
2 handfuls freshly grated parmesan

Jamie says:
Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, add the pasta, and cook according to instructions. Meanwhile, get a frying pan or wok warm, add a drizzle of olive oil, the butter, the garlic, and the nutmeg. When the butter melts, add the spinach. after five minutes, it will have wilted down and be nice and dark. A lot of the liquid will have cooked away and you'll have a wonderful intensely flavored spinach. At the point season with salt and petter until it tastes good, then, add the cream, marscarpone and a little ladle of the cooking water from the pasta. Let this come to a simmer then season again.

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, then stir it into the spinach sauce. Add the parmesan and toss everything together. Loosen to a nice silky consistency with some of the reserved cooking water, so it doesn't become too dry. Check once more for seasoning and serve straight away.