Recipe | Adventures in Thyme

Apple Chicken Tagine

November 12, 2014 by Dan Leave a Comment

Apple Chicken Tagine

An old proverb suggests that a man’s affection is most quickly gained thru food, undoubtedly good food being the key. I would add the caveat that creating good food is easily attained by using a tagine! You might remember a few recipes back that we got one – and love it! (If you do not yet own one, you can still create the yumminess with a large skillet and well fitting cover.)

This delicious recipe uses apples, so bountiful right now, and chicken thighs making it a low cost meal with big flavor – enjoy!

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Chicken Thighs, boneless
4 large tart Apples (6 to 8 small)
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped Dates
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh Mint
Slivered Almonds
Sprigs of Mint

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in your tagine and heat over medium heat.

While the oil is heating, cut your chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. (You could substitute lamb if you prefer.) When the oil is hot, place the chicken into the tagine and lightly brown, cooking off most of the extra liquid from the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, peel and core your apples. Cut them into bite sized pieces. Once the chicken is browned, add the apple to the chicken, then add the chopped dates. Stir. Now add 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint and a half teaspoon each of allspice and nutmeg. Stir. Bring to a simmer and then turn down to low to medium low and let simmer for an hour.

Serve over rice and garnish with sliced almonds and mint sprigs.

Apple Custard Pie

November 5, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Apple Custard Pie

Can there be too many apple pie variations? We think not, so here’s another spin on this all American dish. This time we use almond milk custard and tart Granny Smith apples to make an apple custard pie.

4 to 5 cups sliced green, tart Apples (Granny Smith work well)
2 cups plain, unsweetened Almond Milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 table spoons Corn Starch
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
9 inch Pie Shell

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place your pie dough into a 9 inch pie pan, line with parchment and something to weigh it all down as it bakes. We used a bags worth of kidney beans that we had in the cupboard. Bake the pie shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and let cool (and throw out the beans if you use some too – although edible, they’ve lost their yummy factor in the baking process).

Peel, core and slice your apples.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, mixing completely.

Put the almond milk in a 6 to 8 quart pan. Beat your eggs and add them to the almond milk. Add your dry ingredients and mix until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add your apples. Cook over medium heat until it just begins to bubble. Turn down to low and cook, stirring frequently until well thickened and the apple slices are soft (about 20 minutes or so).

Pour the apple custard mixture into your pie shell and refrigerate until cool. Serve with whipped topping and a dusting of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Wild Rice & Chicken Casserole

October 30, 2014 by Ginger Leave a Comment

Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

The holidays loom before us; many are already planning the meals that will be shared with friends and family. So today we’re offering a very customizable recipe that will benefit from holiday leftovers. Tonight we’re using store bought ingredients, but I’ll notate where you can use those yummy leftovers to your advantage and the relief of your refrigerator. Our best advice is as you stand in your kitchen channel your favorite Iron Chef and go for it!

Wild Rice & Chicken Casserole

Leg & Thigh meat from Roasted Chicken cut or pulled into small bite sized pieces (substitute: Turkey)
1 6 oz box Wild Rice mix, cooked (substitute: any rice with seasoning to taste)
1 10 oz package of broccoli florets (substitute: leftover crudité)
1 heaping teaspoon flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup almond milk (substitute: rice milk, milk, cream)
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 cup grated pecorino cheese (substitute: parmesan)
~3 pats of butter
optional: nuts (we used almonds but if you have walnuts that would work too)

We used a small convection oven set to 350 degrees and a casserole dish. Use some of your butter to coat the inside of the casserole dish. I use a sandwich sized zip baggie to hold a pat of butter and swirl around inside. Whatever is left of the pat will be added to your dish later – no waste!

While the oven is warming up, into a small saucepan add the remaining butter pats, stock, milk, rosemary, thyme and poultry seasoning, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in flour. Set aside.

In your casserole dish gently combine the chicken pieces, cooked rice and the broccoli, then pour the stock mixture over the top. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese over the top and add some nuts. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 mins. Then remove the foil and bake an additional ~10 mins or until the top is browned.

Serve with a little extra cheese on the top. Enjoy!

Peeres in Confyt

October 22, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Pear in Wine Sauce

This week it’s another trip through time. Dan was asked to shoot a cover for the Society for Creative Anachronism’s quarterly magazine, Tournaments Illuminated. The nice people at Medieval Cookery very kindly allowed us to use the Peeres in Confyt recipe for the cover photo and have given us permission to post it here. You can find this and many other fun historical recipes on their web site at medievalcookery.com

The original recipe is from Forme of Cury, S. Pegge (ed.):

PEERES IN CONFYT. XX.VI. XII. Take peeres and pare hem clene. take gode rede wyne & mulberes oþer saundres and seeþ þe peeres þerin & whan þei buth ysode, take hem up, make a syryp of wyne greke. oþer vernage with blaunche powdour oþer white sugur and powdour gyngur & do the peres þerin. seeþ it a lytel & messe it forth.

The redaction we used is:

4 pears
3 cups red wine
water (for poaching)
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger

Peel pears, leaving the stems on, and cut a small amount off the bottoms so they will stand upright. Poach in water flavored with one cup of wine. Remove pears from water when they are just tender and place upright in a serving bowl. If desired, slice each pear in halves or quarters leaving about a half inch from the top uncut so the parts will remain attached. Make a syrup of remaining wine, sugar, and ginger. Bring syrup to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer. Pour syrup over pears and serve hot.

This is really a very easy recipe and is quite good. It would be perfectly at home on the table for your holiday parties, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Explore history through food and have a little adventure in time!

Pasta with Lamb

October 15, 2014 by Ginger 1 Comment

Lamb Meatballs

Today’s dish was actually difficult to name. When one mentions “balls” these days, the conversation can quickly disintegrate into snickering akin to Beavis and Butthead, or be misinterpreted to a recipe involving lamb testicles, better known in Nevada as “lamb fries”. So we will simply say that this dish involves Pasta with Lamb (tho you are in fact making round balls, let’s be clear – and let the giggling begin). If you don’t like lamb, turkey would be a good substitute. Use your imagination! This is exactly what it’s for, and where our adventure begins…

Ingredients:

1lb ground lamb
1lb broccoli florets – cut into small “heads” or flowers
1 clove of garlic finely minced
1 small shallot finely minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup panko (or you could use breadcrumbs)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/3 cup almond milk (or you could use cream)
1 cup shredded pecorino (or parmesan)
crumbled goat cheese
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb cooked pasta (we used gluten free rotini, but any small noodle will do)
Optional: red pepper flakes

To a large skilled add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and shallot, stirring continually until the shallot begins to be translucent (6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and empty the skillet into a large mixing bowl (save this skillet for later, you’ll use it again). While this mixture is cooling, add the salt, rosemary, thyme and basil. Stir well. Next add the lamb, one egg and panko to the bowl. With clean hands mix this well, incorporating all the ingredients together, then begin rolling your balls. Ours are slightly bigger than bite size, whatever size you prefer is what you should aim for. Smaller will cook faster, fyi. I roll the balls and place them back into my mixing bowl. Yes, I have a large bowl and prefer fewer dirty dishes to clean up!

This next phase will require some forethought and a bit of juggling. If you have larger balls, you’ll need to finish them off in a 450 degree oven for about 20 mins, if you have smaller balls, you won’t. Depending on how you answered that question, will determine when you should begin cooking your pasta! If you are going to use the oven, have your pot boiling when you place the balls into the oven; if you aren’t using the oven, time the cooking of the lamb, with the cooking pasta. Make sense? You want everything done at the same time. So cook your pasta when you’re good n’tooting ready!

Once your balls are ready to be cooked (and with clean hands), add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to you skillet. When it’s hot (and the balls will sizzle) carefully add them to your pan. Depending on the size, you’ll need to turn them every 5-6 mins to get them uniformly brown. *If* you made larger balls, now it’s time to put them into the prepared oven, (450 degree oven for about 20 mins. I place mine into a parchment lined pan and cover with aluminum foil).

When the balls are done, return them to your original skillet (or just leave them in there) and add your broccoli. As the broccoli cooks it will turn a beautiful deep green. While this cooks whisk your egg and almond milk together in a small bowl. You don’t want to fry them crispy, just about 8 mins or so, if they begin to turn brown, it’s time to move on. Add your drained pasta, mix well remove from the heat; quickly add your egg mixture and mix constantly (yes, you will get some cooked eggie bits), then add the shredded cheese. Serve hot with crumbled goat cheese on the top and French bread with balsamic vinegar to dip in.

If you enjoy a little heat with your meal, sprinkle on red pepper flakes to taste.