Take Two: Chicken, Leeks and Tomatoes

When the local Harris Teeter restocked after the blizzard, the first thing I went for was chicken thighs. The second was the bunches of leeks that had been waiting patiently in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.

2 T olive oil
2.5 c leeks, chopped (about 5 small-to-medium ones)
2 t anchovy paste
2 t tomato paste
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained - reserve juice
2 pinches salt, plus more to taste
1/2 c juice from can of tomatoes
1/2 c hot water
2 small bunches thyme (maybe 5-10 stalks each)

In a flat-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken till the skin colors slightly, turning once. Remove from pan and reserve on plate. (As you can see from the pic above, I was a bit lazy with this step.)

Add the leeks, sauteing till they begin to soften.

Add the anchovy paste and tomato paste, then stir till they coat the leeks thoroughly.

Add the tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes, then add the salt, juice, and water. Return the chicken to the pot. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, then lower to simmering and cook till the chicken is done (25-30 minutes).

Remove thyme stalks. Serve with rice.

The Wonderful Winter Leek

One of the things I love about winter is that it's prime leek season. The gorgeous specimen pictured above was nearly two feet long, and so wonderfully sweet. This basic recipe went perfectly with a cup of rice and some sardines in tomato sauce.

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large, lovely leek, trimmed, washed and cut into 3-4 in. sections
• salt and pepper
• 1 T vermouth, more if needed
• 1 T water, more if needed
• lemon juice to taste

In a pan, heat oil over medium. Add the leeks. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Brown, turning occasionally (5 or so minutes).

Add liquid. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low. Cover and cook till easily pierced by a fork, about 20-25 minutes.

Drizzle with lemon juice and enjoy!

Quick Chicken Soup, v2

John was feeling poorly and the leeks were on their last legs - time for chicken soup! Sauteeing the aromatics in a couple of tablespoons of butter gave the broth some richness, but not enough to roil an upset tummy. A squeeze of lemon juice at the end made for a nice contrasting sharpness. While this was pretty tasty for something made without broth and cooked so quickly, I'll be looking for ways to make it more flavorful without adding cooking time.

• 2 T butter
• 4 c leeks, chopped
• 1-1/2 c carrots, chopped
• 1-1/2 c celery, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2.5 lbs. chicken thighs
• bouquet garni (several sprigs of parsley, several sprigs of thyme, 2 t black peppercorns tied in cheesecloth)
• 6 c water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 oz. baby spinach
• scallions, chopped, for garnished
• lemon wedges

Saute the leeks, garlic, carrots and celery in the butter over medium heat till vegetables are softening, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken and brown it briefly on both sides, 5-6 minutes. Add some salt and pepper.

Add the water and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, till chicken is done, 20-30 minutes.

Add baby spinach to pot. Remove from heat, re-cover and let sit for five minutes.

Adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish with scallions and serve with lemon wedges.

Lengua Estofada

Lengua was always one of my favorite childhood dishes - my lola used to put extra button mushrooms in it for me. Finally I decided to try my own version of it - not a recreation of the beefy richness I remember, but something to tweak and turn into an occasional indulgence. I started from a recipe in Let's Cook with Nora, and made several changes - most notably trebling the amount of mushrooms (what? I love them). It turned out wonderfully - the meat was tender, the sauce (more of a broth by thickness) rich and tangy but sweet from the carrots and leeks. I may try a more umami-laden version in the future, but this recipe is a keeper.

Since this is the first time I've ever tried this (and since I had an epic, 20-minute battle with the leathery outer coating of the tongue), I've felt obliged to document (and share said documentation of) the process.

• 1 beef tongue (2.6 lbs. or so)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1-2 T salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
• 1 t peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove
• 2 carrots, cut into rough chunks
• 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 to 1-1/2 cup water
• 3-4 cups mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed (used a mix of white and cremini)

Here are most of the assembled ingredients.

Rub tongue with salt and vinegar (pre-boiled tongue below - doesn't look very different after this step). Rinse, then boil for 10 minutes.

Scrape off leathery coating on surface. (Mind, this took me 20 minutes with three different knives. It got pretty gnarly in the end, but I triumphed. It probably would have been much easier if I'd boiled the tongue for the whole time first, but I wanted it to braise with the sauce.)

Brown tongue in oil (5-10 minutes.)

Transfer to plate, then brown the onions and the garlic.

Return tongue to pot, then add everything but the mushrooms. (I may try adding less water next time.) Bring to a boil then simmer gently till the tongue is tender (recipes say three hours, it took me more like four).

Slice tongue into pieces and set aside (when I gave John a taste at this point, he said it was just like brisket or pot roast).

Strain sauce (skipped this step). Add mushrooms; turn heat to medium or high and cook for a few minutes, till sauce is reduced and mushrooms are done. Return tongue to pot and warm through. 

Serve with rice and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

Variation: Leek and Tomato Braise

Leek and Tomato Braise, originally uploaded by essgee51.

I've cooked this before, but now I have a picture - and enough variation in the recipe to make this repeat worthwhile, for me at least. Unfortunately, this version didn't make nearly enough liquid to put on the rice; I may add some juice from canned tomatoes or broth next time.

• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 leeks, cleaned and halved
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice or more, to taste

In a pot large enough to hold the leeks in a single layer (I had too many and thus worked in batches), heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the leeks till they begin to brown, 5-7 minutes; salt and pepper them as they cook, turning them once or twice.

Add tomatoes (and some of their liquid or some broth if you like). Adjust heat till mixture bubbles, then cover and cook till the leeks are tender, 15-25 minutes.

Add lemon juice to taste and serve over rice (good hot, warm or cold).

Poached Chicken with Lemon Sauce

Chicken and Leeks, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Another quick, easy dinner via Bittman. Used more leeks than called for (because I love them) and didn't reduce the sauce (too hungry), but it still turned out very good.

• 3 tbsp. butter (originally 4)
• 3 medium leeks, diced, with some of the green (originally 2) - about 2-1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• /12 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1-1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 1-1/2 in. chunks
• 2-1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley, chopped, for garnish

Put 2 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, add the leeks and cook till they're softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add wine, stock and herb; bring to a boil and let bubble for 1-2 minutes.

Add chicken, turn heat down to medium-low. Cook till done, 7-10 minutes (original recipe: cook till almost done, remove from pan, turn heat to high, reduce sauce to 3/4 cup, re-lower heat, return meat to pan, then proceed.). Add the rest of the butter and the lemon juice, a bit at a time.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, adjust seasoning, then serve.

Butter-Braised Leeks

A quick but hearty post-gym dinner. Followed this Bittman-based recipe, substituting 1/2 cup of water for the tomatoes and reducing the resultant liquid quite a bit. Delicious with buttery couscous and tangy-sweet tomatoes - also reminded me why leeks are one of my favorite things.

Leek, Potato and Mushroom Soup

The soup that keeps on giving - just finished the last bit today, but it's featured in two other packed lunches this week and a few meals at home besides. The recipe is courtesy of the talented Flit, who I encountered via the Mr. Bento Flickr pool; my halved and tweaked version is below. My first attempt turned out extremely tasty, though a bit watery, partially because I had more stock than expected. Next time, I'll lessen the amount of liquid (and probably reduce what I do use a bit more beforehand); I'll probably also keep the increased leek and carrot proportions and cut down the dairy a bit.

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced (about 4 cups)
• 2 medium-sized carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 8 oz. mushrooms
• 2 russet potatoes, diced (about 2. cups)
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (homemade this time - next time I'll use less and reduce what I do use)
• 1 tsp. dry dill
• 1 tsp. dry thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup half-and-half (will try less, maybe 1/2 cup next time)

Over medium or medium-low heat, sprinkle the leeks and carrots with salt and sweat in the butter till soft, but not colored (around 5-10 min.).

Add mushrooms, potatoes, black pepper, dill, thyme and bay leaf; then add enough broth to cover by 1-2 inches. Simmer till potatoes are tender (around 20-30 min.).

Remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half.

If possible, let sit a few hours/overnight, then reheat before eating.

Pasta and Pictures

I've got a miniature secret camera - well, more like a Canon Elph. Thanks, Tita Tessie and Uncle Dave! Now this blog will also be subject to my occasional clumsy attempts to learn how to photograph my food. While I obviously won't have a setup as fancy as Michael Ruhlman's, digital cameras are wonderfully forgiving, and it will be fun - for me, at least.

And now to the food. Last night I made a riff on this pasta with leek sauce recipe - olive oil instead of butter, added a minced anchovy and about 1/3 tsp. red pepper flakes with the garlic, skipped the cream and served with grated Parmesan. Below, an action shot!

The pasta was good, if a tad dry - John's mustardy carrots (not pictured) on the side helped, but in retrospect I should have used some of the pasta water and perhaps a bit more cheese. This morning, for breakfast, I fried some thin slices of Spam, reheated some pasta in the resulting oil, diced the meat and added it to the dish. Breakfast of - well, if not champions, stay-cationers, at least. It was more nutritious than my usual morning convenience fare: instant ramen, one of my longest-reigning comfort foods and guilty pleasures.

(Yes, I had some of it before remembering to take the picture.) Note that I least tried to health it up with a handful of greens, in addition to the usual scallions.

Pasta With Leek Sauce

Mr. Bento bears two helpings of this treat today (accompanied by John's delicious parsnip and Parmesan soup -- recipe courtesy of one version of the New Covent Garden Soup Co. Book of Soups -- and 5 oz. of sardines in tomato sauce). It's a riff on a recipe from Chowhound, which in turn riffs on a recipe from Marcella Hazan. While I initially balked at the amount of butter and the lengthy cooking time, this turned out wonderfully -- this and the soup made for sweet, earthy dinner on a near-winter night (and of course, there were leftovers for today). My version below:

5 medium-sized leeks, white and light-green parts cut into 1/4" rounds (will use 1-2 more next time)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. butter
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup half and half (original recipe called for 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1 (13.2 oz) box whole wheat pasta (used penne this time)
salt and freshly-ground pepper
2-4 oz. (or more to taste) freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Clean leeks by soaking in a bowl of water or using a salad spinner. Remove excess water, but don't dry them too thoroughly.

Put oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic till it's just starting to brown. Remove garlic (I saved mine for roasting and having separately, but may try leaving it in next time).

Add leeks to the skillet. Sprinkle them with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, till they're extremely soft and almost meltingly tender (about 45 minutes - 1 hour). If they start looking dry, add 2-3 tablespoons of water at a time, then stir. Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water till al dente.

NOTE: Since my leeks were already turning brown and we were getting hungry, I skipped this step. Turn the heat to high and cook the leeks till they're a pale nut color, flipping them occasionally.

Add half-and-half to the skillet and reduce for about a minute. Season liberally with pepper. Add cooked pasta to skillet (or transfer sauce mixture into pasta pot, whichever you prefer) and mix everything together; then, add a generous amount of grated cheese (enough to ensure a clingy, non-liquidy sauce) and mix again. Correct seasoning and serve.

Today's Bento

The office is particularly cold today, so I'm warming my stiff little fingers (alas, couldn't find YouTube footage of "Here We Are Nowhere") with a brief what's-for-lunch post. Mr. Bento's contents:

• red grapes
• braised leeks (2 medium-sized leeks halved, then cut into 4-inch lengths. Saute in a tbsp of butter for about 5 minutes or until browning, turning once or twice and seasoning with salt and pepper; add 1/4-1/3 cup chicken broth or water, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 mins or till very tender. Remove from heat, drizzle with lemon juice (or, if you're packing it, just throw a couple of lemon slices in alongside)
• rice
• sardines in tomato sauce (straight out of the tin - was too lazy to saute them with onions and garlic)
  

I also have an orange, a banana and maybe 1/4 cup of leftover garlic cracker nuts in reserve.

Spaghetti with Leeks and Tomatoes

Behold - a spare bunch of leeks! At first I considered a riff on spaghetti with ramps, but realized the leeks would have to cook significantly longer. Ended up making a delicious variant on this Bittman recipe. Major changes: halved the amount of pasta (because I never seem to have enough veggies when I follow these types of recipes), added a shallot (because I have scads available) and omitted the parsley (didn't have any). Yum nonetheless - even cold, when I brought some leftovers for lunch and was too lazy and hungry to heat them. May add pancetta (as in this recipe) next time, too - it'll probably contrast nicely with the sweet vegetables.

• 3 large leeks - trimmed, cleaned, halved and chopped (not too finely)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil or butter (used the former this time)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
• about 1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 heaping tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 6 oz. whole wheat spaghetti

Put 2 tbsp. olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Saute the garlic for about a minute (just till it begins to brown), then remove it. Add the leeks and red pepper flakes; saute the leeks, stirring now and then, till they wilt (about 7-10 minutes).

Lower the heat to medium and add tomatoes. Cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, till leeks begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta till tender then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta liquid. Toss the pasta, leek mixture and remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil, adding some of the pasta water if the sauce seems too dry (mine didn't need any). Correct seasoning and serve.

Chicken Soup - Or Is It Braised Veg?

Another one of those "let's clean out as much of the fridge as possible" meals. First step is making a stock based on Bittman's "Quickest Chicken Stock." Once that's done, I get to continue.

• about 6-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 6 large leeks, washed and chopped into 1" lengths (quarter the large ones, halve the smaller ones)
• half a cabbage, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• meat from 4 chicken thighs, removed from bone and shredded
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Normally, I'd saute the vegetables in 2 tbsp. butter for a few minutes or till soft, but I'm too lazy right now.

Put broth in a large pot. Add vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, till vegetables are tender but not mushy.

Add chicken meat. Correct seasoning.

11:03 pm: Barely enough broth for the leeks, let alone everything else. Added a cup of prefab stock, stuffed the poor Dutch oven to the brim with the cabbage, set it to a boil, turned the heat to med-low, and am curious to see how it will all turn out. Could this be a fail?

Apr. 15, 4:46 pm: Ended up turning off the heat after 20 minutes, covering the pot (a heavy Dutch oven) and letting it sit for half an hour more before cooling and storing. Turned out pretty well - if too light on the broth - but I'll probably put it on the stove for another 10 minutes or so tonight to get the cabbage and carrot just a bit more tender. And next time, I'll start working on some semblance of a solid-liquid ratio for my soups (something that, alas, Ruhlman does not cover in his new book Ratio).

Potato and Leek Soup

My tag cloud is making me want to vary my cooking habits somewhat, so I acquired a big bag of potatoes from Peapod this weekend and came home early tonight in order to get some cooking in. After taking an ingredient inventory, I figured the best way to use up the largest number of perishables would be to cook some chicken stock from scratch (4 cups water, 4 chicken wings, 1 large celery stalk, 1 medium carrot, 2 small onions, about 1 tsp of peppercorns plus salt and pepper to taste, brought to a boil then simmered for 30-40 minutes), then strain it into the recipe below to make a standard potato and leek soup.

• 3 medium-to-large leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
• 1 and 1/2 large potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• 2 tsbp. butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Put the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium heat. When it's melted, add the leeks and potatoes. Stir for a few minutes; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Puree if you like. Correct seasoning and serve.

NOTE: I overcooked the potatoes a bit - they're still solid, but soft and without the slight bite I like - and so will probably puree some of the soup instead of leaving it be.

Braised Leeks with Tomatoes

I finally caved and bought the completely revised edition of the indispensable How to Cook Everything. One of the best features of the new version is a vastly expanded set of variations on basic recipes - including a nice alternative to one of my favorites, "Leeks Braised in Butter or Oil."

I adore leeks - they're one of my favorite vegetables, and I've cooked slight variations on Bittman's base recipe many a time. These particular ones were a rather sad three bunches - none of them over 1 in. in diameter, and with perhaps three inches of usable white and light green at maximum. That said, even teensy, aging leeks taste lovely, and the recipe variant let me make use of a leftover half-can of Muir Glen tomatoes. Herewith, my riff on Bittman's version (which leaves out the parsley garnish and the thyme):

• 3 bunches of leeks, trimmed and cleaned and cut into 3-inch sections
• 3 tbsp. butter
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup of chopped canned tomatoes, with some of the juice (Bittman prefers a single fresh one)
  
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)

Heat butter in a pan or skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the leeks. Liberally (the amount, not the political persuasion) sprinkle them with salt and pepper and cook, turning once or twice, for about 5 minutes (they should be lightly browned).

Add the tomatoes and their juice; bring the mixture to a boil. Then, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook till the leeks are tender (about 12 minutes in the case of these slim little things, usually 20-25 minutes). Uncover - if you think the mixture's too liquidy, simmer for a few minutes more (I love broth so I don't bother).

Sprinkle lemon juice over the leeks; correct seasoning and serve.

NOTE: This turned out wonderfully, with the partially-caramelized sweetness of the leeks, the roasted-tasting richness of the tomatoes and the tang of the lemon juice all coming together nicely. Will definitely try this again.

Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Shiitakes

I love leeks, and mushrooms, and chicken thighs, so this is really a win-win-WIN all around. The original recipe is here; I re-fatted it a bit because chicken skin is awesome and doubled the amount of leeks because...well, because I love leeks.

I've also been considering a variant where, instead of using olive oil, I render some diced pancetta, reserve it for garnish, and use the fat from that instead. If this ever comes to be, results will be posted in the comments section.

• 2 chicken thighs - bone-in or boneless, but with that lovely skin intact, TYVM
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, diced
• 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. minced fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Sprinkle chicken with flour, and reserve the excess.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover it with foil.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, leeks and mushrooms to the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the reserved flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Add broth, wine and salt and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, until it is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in tarragon.