Housewife MacGyver: Spicy Wisdom from Ginny of Cooking with Chopin

Hey, everyone!  I'm Ginny from Cooking with Chopin, Living with Elmo.  I've been blogging for almost a year and I'm hooked.  I still can't believe having this much fun is free. 

There were three TV men I had crushes on in the 80s (when I was all of 12 years old...):  Richard Dean Anderson in MacGyver, David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider, and John Ritter in Three's Company (don't ask!).

Becoming comfortable with flavors in the kitchen is like opening my PJ drawer and pulling out my favorite jammie pants.  I know they will be comfortable.  And how do I know this?  Through experience.  I put them on almost every night, and I have confidence that they will not ride up my rear, cut into my muffin top, or squeeze me like a corset.  The same goes when I'm cooking.  I know, through experience, that certain combinations of flavors will yield comforting results:  lemon + garlic, wine + cheese, Nutella + a spoon on a direct path to my mouth.  Which may be why I have a muffin top.  But I digress.

Experimenting with flavors and getting comfortable with different combinations and strengths will create a very firm foundation for your cooking experience.

Getting the Most Flavor from Basic Ingredients

So, what are basic ingredients?

They are the things you can easily pick up at the store and/or items that are part of your regularly stocked pantry.  (Here's more information on basic pantry staples or a well-stocked pantry.)

Basic stuff like: 
Pasta
Olive Oil
Lemons
Parsley (fresh or dried)
Roasted Garlic (so easy to make at home)
Red Pepper Flakes
Parmesan Cheese
Freshly Ground Black Pepper*
Kosher Salt

How about we cook up a little dish that easily employs these {flavorful} ingredients?

Or how about making a DELICIOUS sauce to pour over sauteed chicken breasts...from...SCRATCH.  Don't freak out on me here if you're not a regular "from-scratch" person.  You will be dancing a little jig in the kitchen when you sample this delectable delight.

Orange-Rosemary Sauce, will you be mine?

Sauteed Chicken with Orange-Rosemary Sauce

Click here for the tutorial, or scroll down for the recipe.

A healthy, flavorful dinner.

(Here's the tutorial.)

Switching It Out:  You can successfully substitute dried spices (or herbs) for fresh ones.  Just reduce the amount by about half when applicable.  (Example:  If you're to add two teaspoons of fresh parsley, add about 1 teaspoon of dried parsley.)

And It's How Old?  Herbs and spices do expire, but not necessarily to the point of becoming rotten and rancid.  They will just lose their flavor punch over time.  Do a smell test.  If something that is normally pungent, like cumin, smells rather weak, it might be time to toss it.  Dried herbs, if exposed to moisture, can get moldy, which is really gross.  But generally speaking, I do not switch out my spices every six months as I've heard recommended. 

When To Add It?  To preserve the flavor (and not over-cook it),  I usually add fresh herbs to the pot near the end of the cooking time. 

Freshly Ground Black Pepper:  I'm a huge believer in the noticeable difference between "regular" black pepper and the pepper that is freshly ground.  I use this grinder every single day. 

Kosher Salt:  I use Kosher salt because I love it's texture and it's easy to pinch and toss into my pots as I'm cooking. Chemically, it's the same as finely ground salt.  It's near the regular salt sold at the store.  

Cumin:  I use cumin at least once a week.  We eat a lot of chicken around here, and a generous dash or two always adds just the right umpf to the dish.  I even "doctor" up the boys' mac-n-cheese with it because I want them to get used to different flavors.  No complaints have been lodged to date.

(Feel free to ask me any specific questions by emailing me at cookingwithchopin@yahoo.com.  Also, it would tickle me pink if you would stop by my blog for a visit.) 

Here are a few of the recipes I mentioned above.

2 heads roasted garlic (this is about 15-20 cloves)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of half a lemon (about 2-3  teaspoons)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (that's a small handful of leaves); substitute 1 tablespoon dried

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more or less if desired)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place prepared pasta in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4

3 boneless chicken breasts, skin removed and sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1 large shallot, chopped into thin slices and separated into rings

1 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced (or substitute dried rosemary)

2 teaspoons zested orange peel

salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken breasts in half.  Pound lightly with a mallet and then pat dry with a paper towel.  Mix salt and pepper with the flour.  Place flour mixture on a large plate.  Dredge the meat in the flour (just lightly pat the meat into the flour, coating it on all sides).  Discard flour and set meat aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Carefully sprinkle a drop of water in the oil.  If/when it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. 

Add the chicken to the skillet, being mindful to not crowd the pan.  Saute the chicken in two batches if you need to.  But use the same pan to cook both batches of chicken if you will make the sauce.  

Saute chicken about 3-5 minutes on one side.  Then gently "pry" it up from the pan with a large spatula, flip it, and saute it for another 3-5 minutes.  (Don't flip the chicken too soon.)  If you are concerned that the chicken isn't done, cut into a piece.  Once chicken is done, remove it to a clean plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet.  (DO NOT WASH THE PAN OUT AFTER YOU SAUTE THE CHICKEN.)  Saute the shallot over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn brown, about 4-5 minutes. 

To deglaze the pan, pour in the orange juice.  Then add the mustard, brown sugar, and rosemary.  Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk very well, intentionally scraping up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Cook and whisk for 5-7 minutes or so, until the sauce begins to "reduce" and darken in color.  (It will be thick and bubbly.)  Add in the orange peel and cook for a minute more.  Add salt and pepper to taste (be sure to use that tasting spoon!). 

Pour sauce over chicken breasts and serve. 

Recipe adapted from here.


Curried Chicken Salad Wrapped in Swiss Chard
Serves 4-5 as an entree

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sauteed and diced
4-5 dried apricots, diced (that's about 1/4 cup diced)
1 scallion (green onion), sliced (some of the white part, all of the green part)
1 small firm apple (Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith), cored and diced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can substitute regular plain yogurt)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2-3 teaspoons curry powder (to taste)
2-3 tablespoons cup dry white wine


**You can start with a smaller amount of the curry powder.  Add it a little at a time until you are happy with the taste.

Thanks, Ginny! I'll have to try the cumin in the mac and cheese, both for my son AND for my husband! :) Yum, yum, yum!


This post is part of the Housewife MacGyver series on just Lu. Read more about Housewife MacGyver and see all the posts in the series here.