Chicken Ghiveci

I honestly had never heard of Moldovian food before reading Innochka's Kitchen.  This recipe looked very interesting and full of vegetables that I love.  Sadly, C did not agree.  He picked out all the chicken, took two bites of zucchini and deemed the bell pepper to be overcooked.  Oh well, more leftovers for me.  He asked that I make "chicken seasoned with salt and pepper" and possibly "some plain vegetables."  No way is that ever going to happen.  I did use fresh thyme and rosemary from my happy herb bushes on our front stoop.  They are holding up well so far, but I do need to get to re-planting them.

Chicken Ghiveci

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ mild onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
6 tablespoons tomato paste
2 potatoes, diced
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
½ small celeriac, cut into chunks
¾ cup dry white wine
1 zucchini, sliced
salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the onion and red peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes, until soft. Add the chicken, and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add the tomato paste, potatoes, herbs, carrots, celeriac and white wine; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, covered for another 40-50 min. Add zucchini slices 5 min before end of cooking. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

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Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

I am not a huge fan of enchiladas, they are okay, but I would probably prefer anything else on a TexMex menu.  Except for tamales...hate tamales.  Anyhow, if I were to have a dream enchilada, these would be it.  Once I made the deluxe tomatillo sauce, I knew I needed to try it on enchiladas.  And I needed them to be enchiladas that I would actually enjoy.  I came up with this on my own and I was really pleased with the result.  C wasn't as thrilled, his plate was cleaned, but he thought the tortillas were too soggy.  This could easily be corrected by using corn tortillas, but I much prefer flour.

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ jalapeno, minced
juice from ½ lime
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
½ cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 avocado, pitted and diced

1 cup deluxe tomatillo sauce, recipe follows
6 flour tortillas
¼ cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an oven proof dish with 2 tablespoons of the deluxe tomatillo sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic powder, cumin, jalapeno, lime juice, chicken and ½ cup of the cheese. Stir well to combine. Add the avocado and toss gently to combine. Microwave the tortillas for ~30 seconds to soften. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll each up and place seam side down in the prepared dish. After all the tortillas have been rolled, pour the remaining tomatillo sauce over top. Top with ¼ cup cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve.

Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce

1 can (28 ounces) tomatillos, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ jalapeno, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 cup sour cream

In a saucepan, combine tomatillos, broth, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Return to heat, stir in the sour cream and cook 3 minutes more until heated through.

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Bread Machine Bagels

I grew up loving Chesapeake Bagel Bakery. Imagine my surprise when I moved to Houston, they had a Chesapeake Bagel Bakery here in town. It changed into an Einsteins years ago, so it has been awhile since I have had a good bagel.  Baking a bagel seemed really intimidating, but this recipe looked like something I could handle.  It was incredibly easy to put together and the results were phenomonal.  The only issue is that the bagel holes weren't as large I would have liked them to be.  These will go into regular rotation around here, so much better than my normal breakfast English muffin.  I also made a batch of whole wheat bagels, swapping out one cup of the flour for whole wheat flour. They were equally delicious.

Bread Machine Bagels

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour (swap out one cup of flour for whole wheat flour as pictured)
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle. When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

Adapted from AllRecipes

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