To Try

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 6 chicken thighs with skin
• 6 chicken drumsticks with skin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
• 1/2 large red onion, small dice
• 1 large celery stalk, medium dice
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, medium dice
• 3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them and set aside.
2. Place wild rice in a small saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover the pan, leaving the lid slightly ajar; reduce heat; and simmer until rice is almost completely cooked, about 18 to 20 minutes. (The rice will be chewy and swollen with a slightly burst-open appearance.) Drain in a colander and set aside.
3. While the wild rice simmers, blot chicken thighs and drumsticks dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in three batches until golden brown (the chicken will not be fully cooked), about 5 minutes per side, and set aside. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the chicken fat from the pan.
4. Remove soaked mushrooms from their liquid, reserving the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
5. Return the frying pan to the stove over medium heat and melt butter. When it foams, add onion and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to coat onion with butter and cook until onion has softened a bit, about 2 minutes, then stir in celery and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are slightly softened but still uncooked in the center, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Stir in Arborio rice, mixing well with a wooden spoon or spatula to coat each grain with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the outer layer of the rice becomes translucent and is just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine and stir until it evaporates, about 1 minute. Add chopped porcini mushrooms with their soaking liquid and stir until the liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
7. Stir in cooked wild rice and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is slightly thickened and rice is about halfway cooked, about 5 minutes (the mixture will be very soupy). Stir in thyme, cream, and sherry, then remove from heat. Taste and if necessary season with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Pour mixture into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Place chicken pieces over mixture, nestling them close to each other so they will all fit in the dish.
9. Bake casserole until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid and chicken is completely cooked, about 45 to 50 minutes. To serve, place a scoop of rice mixture on a serving plate and top with a drumstick and thigh.

via Chow.com

Black Pepper & Manchego Cheese Puffs

via Chow.com

Technically called gougères, these French cheese puffs are normally made by folding lots of Gruyère into choux pastry dough for fluffy, light, cheesy bites. We changed it up by using aged Manchego, Parmesan, and a bit of black pepper, for addictive bites that will be a hit at your next cocktail party.

Game plan: The cheese puffs can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored at room temperature.

This recipe was featured as part of both our Academy Awards Cocktail Party menu and ourBar Snacks photo gallery.

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded aged (3 to 6 months) Manchego cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange racks in the upper and lower third. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. Combine milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously until well incorporated. Cook, stirring constantly, until dough feels dry to the touch and is no longer sticking to the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes. (The dough will form one large ball.)
3. Transfer dough to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in eggs one at a time on medium-low speed, letting the first one completely incorporate before adding the next. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the shredded Manchego cheese. Add remaining Manchego and Parmesan cheese to dough and mix on low until incorporated.
4. Drop tablespoon-size rounds of dough on the prepared baking sheets, about 1/2 inch apart. Evenly sprinkle reserved Manchego cheese over top. Bake, rotating halfway through baking time, until puffed and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Kimchi Pancakes + Spicy Korean Cucumber

WHOLE-WHEAT KIMCHI PANCAKES

Time: 20 minutes

1 cup kimchi, liquid squeezed out and diced
1/2 white onion, finely sliced
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 - 2/3 cup water
Sunflower, olive or any other mild-flavored oil for frying

1. Put the kimchi in a bowl, season with freshly ground black pepper and garlic. Add the gochujang and onion and mix together until evenly combined.
2. Add the flour and egg and mix altogether, then slowly add the water, stirring briskly after each addition. Stop once the batter has thinned a bit but isn’t quite as thin as normal pancake batter.
3. Heat up some oil in a large skillet/frying pan over low-medium heat, and once it’s hot, pour a ladle of batter into the pan in the shape of a circle, using the back of the ladle to spread out the mixture and thin out the pancake (you want a nice thin pancake to get a good ratio of crispy outer to soft inner).
4. Once the edges have set and the bottom is nice and crispy, carefully flip the pancake and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Place the pancake on a plate lined with paper towels, allow it to drain, and slice into squares before serving.

Yield: 2 large pancakes – serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as an entrée.

SPICY KOREAN PICKLES

Time: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes to sit

5 seedless kirby cucumbers
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Korean red pepper flakes (not the American kind)
1 1/2 tbsp gochujang red pepper paste
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Slice cucumbers into the thinnest discs you can manage.
2. Put cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle salt over them. Mix the cucumber slices around so salt is evenly distributed. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
3. Add all remaining ingredients. Toss cucumber slices to distribute ingredients evenly.
4. Taste; add more salt/vinegar/garlic/sugar as desired.

From Things we ate for dinner