Turkey Wings a la Helin
February 9, 2010 | Filed Under Honduran recipes, Poultry, Sofrito, Turkey | 7 Comments
Chopped cilantro and onions — part of the ingredients to make sofrito.
I’m not so crazy about turkey. The only part of the turkey I like LOVE is the wings. Yeah, I love turkey wings and that’s it. For a long time, I’d just sprinkle salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil on the wings before putting them in the oven. That was it for me. Then family friend, Helin mentioned how she usually prepares her turkey. Intrigued, I decided to try her method on my wings. It sounded so easy and the added enticement was that I could use the same recipe when preparing chicken, too.
First she made her version (Honduran) of sofrito. For those new to sofrito, it’s basically a flavorful sauce, freshly made and added to meats, poultry (in this case turkey), stews and sauces. It’s used in different types of cuisines, such as Latin, Spanish, Mediterranean and more. Ever since I made my first sofrito a few years ago, I’ve learned that there are different types of sofrito.
Helin’s sofrito was simple and consisted of 5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of culantro, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, water and apple cider vinegar, which was then mixed in the blender.
Sofrito prepared in the blender
Next, she carefully cleaned and washed the turkey, making sure to remove stray feathers. I confess that I was never that thorough when preparing any type of poultry. Then Helin rinsed the wings with fresh lemon juice and water. I’d never seen it done that way before but she said that’s what she does to help get rid of the bacteria. Another confession: I normally just wash with cold water and call it a day. Well, I’ve learned something new now.
Next we seasoned the turkey with Adobo, Sazón with coriander and annatto and covered the wings with the freshly-made sofrito (The wings could also be marinated a few hours in the sofrito.). Helin said that when she prepares a whole turkey, she pokes holes into it so the the sofrito seeps into the turkey and flavors it more.
Turkey wings covered with sofrito before going into the oven.
We covered the wings with foil and place them in the oven. After 40 minutes, we removed the foil and left the wings in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Uncovered, we spooned the juices/gravy over the wings.
When ready, the turkey came out full of flavor and very tasty.
A few days later, I tried the same method with chicken pieces. Again, I wasn’t disappointed. Delicious.
Paz (very happy)
Three remaining pieces of turkey wings after everyone served themselves.
Orzo Paella
January 27, 2010 | Filed Under Orzo, Paella, Pasta, Poultry | 8 Comments
Orzo! I love this rice-shaped pasta and jumped at the opportunity to make Orzo Paella when I saw the recipe on Haalo’s blog, Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once. Orzo Paella? Never heard of it before. Gotta try it, I thought to myself. Try it I did. And did I like it? Did everyone else at home like it? Yup. Like it we did.
One of the things I liked about this recipe was that it’s quick and easy to make. The ingredients are very simple. I didn’t have to go to Timbuktu in search of anything special or exotic. I had almost all the ingredients right there in my kitchen. The only ingredient I didn’t have was the chorizo. I could only get it in a store a couple of blocks away. But I was feeling too lazy to walk down there. So I called another store closer to me (about a block away) and had them deliver Italian sausage since they didn’t carry chorizos.
Haalo suggests topping the orzo paella with shards of manchego or grated Mizithra/Myzithra. I didn’t have that either, so good ole Parmesan cheese substituted. I’ve never tasted Manchego or Mizithra cheese. I’ll have to go buy some one of these days because I’ll definitely make Orzo Paella again. Thanks, Haalo!
Paz
Orzo Paella
Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once
2 red onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced thickly
4 skinless chicken thighs, sliced thickly
1 chorizo, diced
green peas
chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
Heat a little oil and butter in a large pan and saute the chicken in batches until browned. Set to one side and in the same pan, saute the onions and garlic until softened.
Add the diced chorizo and cook until golden. Add the sliced capsicum and continue to saute for 5 minutes before adding the tomatoes, peas and chicken. Stir through and add enough water or stock to just cover the mixture. Simmer until reduced.
The orzo will only take about 5 minutes to cook so make sure that this chicken mixture is cooked and seasoned to your liking.
Over a very low flame, stir in the orzo and top with enough water to just cover the mixture. Place a lid on the pot and let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
After this, stir the mixture and taste — check that the orzo is cooked through and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve at once. Top with shards of manchego or grated Mizithra/Myzithra.
Archives: (Christine’s) Sunday Night Whole Roasted Chicken
November 25, 2009 | Filed Under From the Archives, Poultry, Roasted Chicken | 12 Comments
**I haven’t been cooking or food blogging lately. So, I’ve decided to go through my archives and repost some of my earlier posts, from the days when I started learning to cook and bake (I’m still learning). It certainly brings back good memories.
It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. and part of the customary meal as everyone one knows is a turkey. I’m not so crazy about turkey. I’ll eat it, but I’m not crazy about it. The only part of the turkey I seriously like is the wings. I love turkey wings but that’s it. I’m also not crazy about turkey leftovers after the Thanksgiving meal is over. It’s like turkey overload to me.
If I were to prepare this year’s Thanksgiving meal, I’d include a roasted chicken in my menu — Christine’s Sunday Night Whole Roasted Chicken. I’ve made the chicken several times but have never been able to take a photo. One of these days… 
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m thankful for all of you who stop by here.
Paz
* * * * *
First posted March 10, 2008
I swear! There was a succulent chicken (a cornish hen) with deliciously cooked onions and portabella mushrooms swimming in the seasoned roasted chicken juices in the pan above. Really. Oh, my goodness! It was too delicious for words.
Christine of Christine Cooks made roasted chicken and one look at her chicken had my mouth watering. I finally had a chance to make it. So, where is the chicken in the photo, you ask? Well, after preparing this easy roasted chicken dish, we were starved. I didn’t have time to pick up the camera — I didn’t want to pick up the camera. "Food first, photograph later," my stomach commanded. When I finally did get the camera, there was nothing to photograph.
Oh, and Christine, my dogs have asked me to relay their thanks. You suggested frying the gibblets and feeding it to the kitties. Since I have dogs instead of cats, I fed it to my dogs. Oh, they were so happy.
Perhaps next time I’ll be able to take a photo of my roasted chicken. In the meantime, look here to see what Christine’s tasty roasted chicken looked like. Mmm Mmm good!
Paz
Sunday Night Whole Roasted Chicken
Christine’s original recipe
Ingredients:
1 whole fryer chicken, 3-4 pounds
1 large Meyer lemon
1 heaping tablespoon Italian herb seasoning
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, I used sweet but if you like it spicy, go for it
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and left whole
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil
Preparation:
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken. (Reserve the giblets for another use or cook them with the chicken. Or fry ‘em up, chop ‘em and give ‘em to your kitties.)
Wash the chicken thoroughly with cold water then pat dry both inside and out.
Rub olive oil over the entire chicken then rub the Italian herbs and the paprika all over the outside.
Slice the lemon in half and squeeze over the chicken. Put the lemons halves inside the cavity.
Sprinkle the chicken body with kosher salt and black pepper.
Truss the chicken by cutting a slit in each side of the vent, then bring a leg across and push the end through the opposite slit. Repeat with the other leg.
Scatter the garlic cloves and the mushrooms around the chicken. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top of the vegetables, cover with a tight fitting lid and place in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
To serve, slice the chicken and place on warmed plates. Be generous with the garlic and onions, as well as the delicious pan juices. A medley of roasted winter vegetables makes a well rounded meal.
Christine’s Notes:
No potatoes, polenta or pasta accompanied our meal but if I were to serve this to company, oven roasted potatoes, creamy polenta or pappardelle pasta would be a nice touch.
Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
February 15, 2009 | Filed Under Ecuadorian Recipes, Poultry, Rice | 20 Comments
We all know that there are different variations of Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken) and depending on the country or region, it is made a little differently.
Ever since I discovered this particular rice recipe below, I’ve been making it at least once a week. Each time, my rice becomes better and better. I HEART it. Actually, I PUFFY HEART it. This Ecuadorian-style rice with chicken recipe has become my favorite rice recipe. When I first saw it, some of its ingredients, like beer or wine, intrigued me. Rice cooked with beer or wine? I used the wine and found that worked really well. The rice had an extra special taste.
I enjoyed everything in the rice — the seasoned chicken, the carrots, the tomatoes…. Thankfully, I didn’t have much trouble with the amount of water in relation to the amount of rice. Normally when I make these chicken rice dishes (see my jollof rice), I usually end up with too much water or too little water, making my rice soggy or dry. Uggh! Fortunately my rice turned out very well with this recipe and the more I made it, the better it turned out.
As suggested, I served the chicken rice with ripe fried plantains and pickled onions. Other times, I served it with a side salad, avocado slices and aji criollo (Ecuadorian hot sauce). It depended on what I had in the kitchen.
When one of my brothers stops by and I prepare this rice, he makes sure to take some home in some tupperware. The boy never brings back the tupperware. *sigh*
Now. I have a confession about the Arroz con Pollo photo above. While I’ve made rice and chicken several times, in this particular instance, you are looking at rice with turkey wings (the only part of the turkey that I like). I can happily write that the rice with turkey turned out just fine. The photo is of my leftovers, which I took to work the next day. Thanks, Laylita for the recipe.
Paz (the riceaholic)
Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken, assorted pieces
1 tbs achiote powder
½ tbs ground coriander
10 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tbs oil or butter1 white onion, diced, about 2 cups
2 celery stalks, finely diced
4 roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup beer or white wine
1 to 1 ½ cup water or broth
2 medium carrots, diced
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
3 tbs finely chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Sides – ripe fried plantains, pickled onions or side salad, avocado slices and aji criollo
Preparation:
- Mix the crushed garlic, achiote, cumin, coriander and salt together.
- Rub the garlic seasoning on the chicken pieces.
- Heat the oil or butter on medium high heat in large sauté pan, add the chicken pieces (skin side down) and cook until browned on each side.
- Add the diced onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, and celery, mix well and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 cup of beer or white wine, cook for about 20-25 minutes over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half, stir frequently.
- Add the broth or water, rice, peas and carrots, mix well.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the rice is tender but still slightly firm.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve with ripe fried plantains, a small salad, pickled onions, avocado slices, and hot sauce on the side.
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup: Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2008 | Filed Under Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once blog, Corn, Eggs, Fellow Bloggers, Green Onions, Scallions, Spring Onions, Holidays, Poultry, Soups/Chowders/Gumbos, Thanksgiving, Vegetables | 16 Comments
Yes, more soup. 
It’s still cold here and I’m still tired and stressed. So, I decided to make more soup, using a recipe I found on Hallo’s blog.
Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in the States. I never had Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup before as part of a Thanksgiving meal, but this is what I wanted to eat. It was definitely a good soup for a weary body and soul like mine. I felt much better after eating it.
What am I thankful for this holiday season? Many things. I’m especially thankful for all of you who stop by my blog with your very kind and encouraging comments. Without you, it would be no fun here.
Paz
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
1 litre chicken stock
4 slices ginger
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
4 chicken thigh fillets, skinless, sliced finely
420 grams canned creamed corn
2 cups corn kernels
salt and freshly ground pepper
sesame oil
2 tablespoons corn flour mixed with a little water, optional, to thicken soup
1 egg white, lightly whisked with 1 tablespoon water
Place the chicken stock and sliced ginger into a pot and bring to a simmer so to allow the ginger to infuse into the stock.
Separate the white from the green parts of the spring onions. Slice both finely.
Heat a little neutral oil in a large pot and when it’s come to temperature, add the sliced white part of the spring onion and the ginger. Let this gently sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the chicken pieces – just add a quarter of the chicken at a time. When the chicken has changed colour, add the creamed corn and corn kernels.
Turn the heat up a little and stir this well before adding the stock (strain off the ginger slices). Add half the sliced green parts of the spring onion and let the soup simmer until the corn has cooked through.
Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.
If you prefer a thicker soup, then at this stage, stir in the mix of corn flour and water.
Just before serving add in the remaining sliced spring onion greens and while stirring the soup, drizzle in the lightly whisked egg white – this sets as soon as you add it to the soup so it’s important to keep stirring to break it up and get a speckled finish.
