Chicken Fricassee with Morels and Thyme

Its morel mushroom season again! Hip hip hooray!! I was looking for new recipes for our haul of mushrooms this year and came up with this good one. 

Of course, we still made several of Morel Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tarts because that tart is probably the best recipe ever for these mushrooms, but we were pleasantly surprised with this Fricassee. And I'll keep this in my back pocket for future morel seasons to come!


Another great option for morels is the Springtime Quiche, but we seemed to skip this quiche this spring. Maybe we'll come back to it next year. The Springtime Quiche is a good option when you have only a few morels to cook with, as it only uses 6 or 8 mushrooms. 

Fresh morels!

Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chicken-fricassee-with-morel-mushrooms-and-thyme.html


Ingredients:
3/4 lb. fresh morel mushrooms, each halved lengthwise
1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lb.
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1 Tbs. sunflower oil
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 red onion, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs (dried works fine too)
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 Tbs. minced fresh chives

Chicken (or Paneer) Tikka Masala

Rob and I made this for the 2013 Allegan Smack Down. We didn't win (in fact, I think we brought up the rear), but we have been making this again and again. We make both paneer and chicken versions of the recipe. And we serve it with cauliflower rice.

Restaurant Style Paneer Tikka Masala
adapted from: My Fancy Pantry
(serves 6, generously)

Curry Ingredients:

12-16 oz. paneer (homemade is best), diced and marinated (recipe below)
1 red bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
1 tablespoon ghee (sub. veg. oil)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
7 cloves garlic – smashed and diced fine
1 inch ginger – smashed and diced fine
3 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons tomato paste
red chilli powder, to taste –taste as you add!  Sometimes, less is more!!!!!
juice of 1/2 small lemon
3 cups curry gravy base – (recipe under separate post)
1/2 c. half & half
milk, as needed
1-2 tablespoons butter
1  handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Paneer Tikka Marinade Recipe
1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. turmeric
tiny pinch ground nutmeg
tiny pinch ground clove
tiny pinch ground cinnamon
chili powder, to taste
red food dye–optional
1 1/2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. lemon juice

2013 Smack Down - Vietnamese Lemon Grass Chicken Wraps (Erin and Rob)

Lemongrass Chicken
From Howie Chan and Alison Markowitz-Chan
Makes 6 servings

This was also early enough in the night that Erin Fuller was still taking photos!



Ingredients:
1.5 pounds boned chicken thighs

Marinade:
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 shallots, trimmed and peeled
1 stalk lemon grass, tough outer husks removed, ends trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch lengths
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1.5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil (or other light flavor oil)

Vietnamese dressing:
1 teaspoon crushed dried red chilies or dried chili flakes
juice of 5 limes
1.5 tablespoons minced garlic
.25 cup sugar
5 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste

for wraps:
lettuce leaves, sturdy but flexible (we like butter lettuce)
vermicelli rice noodles
carrots
mint
lime
coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts

2013 Smack Down - Burmese Chicken Coconut Soup (Ken and Sherry)

• Burmese Chicken Coconut Soup 
• serves 5
• From: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/seriously-asian-burmese-chicken-coconut-soup-recipe.html?ref=search

   We don't seem to have any photos of the soup, but Erin Fuller took one of the wine! If my memory is right, thats because Ken and Sherry nailed the wine pairing! This was the highest rated wine of the night. 

• For the curry soup
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 medium onions, finely sliced in half-rings
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound chicken thighs, bone-in with skin attached, hacked into 1/2 inch chunks
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chickpea and/or fava flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 
  
• For the noodles
• 12 to 16 ounces lo-mein, rice, or pasta noodles
• 
  
• For the garnishes
• Lime or lemon wedges
• 4 scallions, cut into thin rounds
• 2 hard boiled eggs, cut crosswise into slices
• roasted chili powder

Procedures

1. 1
   Place the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons of water into a blender. Puree until smooth.
2. 2
   Spread the cut-up chicken out on a plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and let sit.
3. 3
   Place the flour in a bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of the chicken broth to mix well.
4. 4
   Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, toss in the chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned. Some of the fat will render from the chicken skin. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon.
5. 5
   Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook slowly, allowing the onions to caramelize over the course of five to seven minutes. Towards the end of that time when the onions are beginning to brown, add the turmeric and paprika.
6. 6
   In a pot suited for soups, add the chicken along with the juices that will have settled, the sautéed onions, the onion and ginger puree, and the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Carefully add the chickpea flour and broth mixture, mixing quickly so that the flour won't clump.
7. 7
   Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Season to taste with more salt, if needed.
8. 8
   Add the coconut milk. Stir to mix and return to a simmer. Serve with noodles and garnishes as desired.

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette on Deviled Egg Layers

To fend off scurvy last night we made a grilled chicken salad that was out of this world. He took a whole chicken, cut it up into quarters, seasoned it with the rub listed below, and grilled it.

Chicken Rub:

1/4 cup paprika

1/8 cup salt

15 peppercorns

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

Grind the paprika, salt, peppercorns, and garlic together in a food processor. Slowly add olive oil until the mixture just holds together.

I made a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. The recipe was modified from a wonderful cookbook called, "from the cooks garden" by Ellen Ecker Ogden.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon spicy mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 large garlic clove

1/2 cup olive oil

Blend all together in the food processor. You really need to use the food processor; I tried to whisk it together by hand and I couldn't get the olive oil to blend it. Plus if you use the food processor, you don't need to chop the garlic up.