Ghanaian jollof rice with smoked turkey

I learned this family recipe from a Ghanaian-American friend’s mother, but she has not given me permission to share the recipe. I found this online recipe, which is fairly close: http://zoesghanakitchen.co.uk/recipe-jollof-rice-with-chicken/. The recipe I made uses smoked turkey wings in lieu of chicken and one package of onion soup mix as additional seasoning. (Mar. 2016)

Japanese-style root vegetable and chicken stew

Recipe by Melissa Clark from http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017935-japanese-chicken-and-root-vegetable-stew. We used carrots, rutabaga, kohlrabi, and celeriac and cooked it with chicken for the first 25 mins. We added sweet potato and purple-topped turnip for the remaining 20 mins. We also used 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and then discarded the skin and bone after shredding the chicken. The… Continue reading Japanese-style root vegetable and chicken stew

Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Heat 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok, add 4 minced garlic cloves. When fragrant, add 3 minced Thai chiles, 1 lb minced chicken, 2 Tbsp each soy sauce and fish sauce, and ½ tsp sugar. Stir-fry on high heat until chicken is cooked, then add 30-40 fresh Thai holy basil leaves (about 1… Continue reading Thai chicken fried rice with holy basil leaves (khao pad krapow gai)

Smoked turkey and andouille sausage gumbo

This is a seafood-free and okra-free gumbo recipe from Saveur: http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/smoked-turkey-and-andouille-gumbo?TmFudDKk9Up4CvyI.03. This recipe has quite a kick, so you may want to reduce the amount of cayenne or white pepper. (Feb. 2016). Note: We followed this recipe except that we made microwave roux to save time: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2010/03/10-minute-microwave-general-purpose.html?m=1. We used a 2 quart covered round baking… Continue reading Smoked turkey and andouille sausage gumbo

Filipino chicken adobo with hard-boiled eggs

We tried a modified version of Classic Chicken Adobo from Marvin Gapultos’ Adobo Road Cookbook: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/05/classic-chicken-adobo-adobo-road-cookbook.html, with the following modifications: (1) slightly over ½ cup soy sauce, (2) 1 cup white vinegar, and (3) two thighs, drumsticks, and wings (each skin-on and bone-in). We also added 6 peeled, hard-boiled eggs to the pot for the… Continue reading Filipino chicken adobo with hard-boiled eggs

Rosemary chicken drumsticks with sweet and hot peppers

Preheat oven to 400. Season 2 ½ lb skinless chicken drumsticks with salt, black pepper, and ½ tsp paprika. Lightly oil a 9x12 baking dish, then place the chicken in the dish. Top with 2 large sliced onions and 4 rosemary sprigs, then cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Reduce oven to 350.… Continue reading Rosemary chicken drumsticks with sweet and hot peppers

Greek chicken stew with cauliflower and olives

Recipe here: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12308-greek-chicken-stew-with-cauliflower-and-olives. Instead of ½ tsp cinnamon, we used ¼ tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg, and we added a bay leaf. We served this with Greek spinach rice with dill (spanakorizo); recipe here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/114321759431/greek-spinach-rice-with-dill-spanakorizo-recipe. (Nov. 2015)

Roast turkey

We followed Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Turkey recipe, the version that included roast vegetables: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-turkey-recipe2.html. For a 14 lb turkey, we made the following modifications: first, for the first part of cooking, we placed the turkey breast side down to increase the likelihood the breast would not dry out. Also, instead of adding two sliced… Continue reading Roast turkey

Cast iron roast chicken with small potatoes

This is a recipe from the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Although I own the cookbook, I found the recipe online here: http://www.pink-parsley.com/2013/10/flat-roasted-chicken-with-tiny-potatoes.html?m=1. We removed the spine from this chicken and tried to cook it flattened, but our 12" cast iron skillet was a bit small for a 3 ½ lb chicken. (Oct. 2015)

Pressure-cooker Middle Eastern style chicken and rice

We garnished with dried cherries instead of raisins. We also browned the chicken, single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, under the broiler on “high” for about 5 mins. Recipe here: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-and-rice-one-pot-meal/ We often reduce the salt from 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) to 1 ½ tsp (½ Tbsp). (Oct. 2015) Note: The recipe recommends 4… Continue reading Pressure-cooker Middle Eastern style chicken and rice