Zanzibar Chicken, one of My Most Favorites

I guess I've been in the mood for returning to old favorite recipes lately.  My orange tree has been producing - they are Valencias, and so make wonderful juice - and I really wanted to make Zanzibar Chicken again (pg 92-93), a recipe I've been making since 1990.

It comes from a book I have used so many times, 365 Ways to Cook Chicken, by Cheryl Sedaker.  

ISBN 0-06-015539-6

When I look through it, I see notes I have made on a variety of recipes.  This one comes to mind as a favorite because the concepts it holds transfer to other ingredients so easily.  It also is a fruit-and-meat combination, which I love, along with some of my favorite spices.

When I first started cooking from this book, I was a new mom, trying to learn how to manage a house and a baby.  The recipes are often quite easily assembled, then can be left to cook while I did other things.  In fact, this recipe comes from the chapter titled "Chicken Quick."

So here it is, recipe #144:

Zanzibar Chicken

3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

3/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons raisins

1/3 cup slivered almonds 

That's fresh squeezed juice in that glass measuring cup!

1. Season chicken with cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper.  In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, in batches in necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.

2. Add onion to pan.  Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

3. Return chicken to pan.  Add orange juice and raisins.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until chicken is tender.  Garnish with almonds.

My Notes

Today I had about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs (boneless, skinless).  That works for me, so I used all the same ingredient amounts, not halving them at all.

I mixed the seasonings in a bowl, then rolled the chicken pieces in them until each piece was thoroughly covered with a thin layer.  Keep in mind that I love these spices, so it would take a lot to make them too strong for me.

The smaller amount of chicken meant I didn't have to brown them in batches.  But brown them I did.  They even got a little crusty, but they weren't cooked all the way through. (I like crusty.)

I had to turn the heat down a little when the garlic went in, as I despise burnt garlic.  A quick one-minute cooking should be enough to make everything smell good.

I sometimes measure the raisins but I might just throw in a handful, depending on how much I want to taste raisins.

Sometimes I spoon the juice-raisins-onions mixture on top of the chicken pieces before simmering.  Just to get the extra flavor into the meat.

Roll that thigh in the spices!  Coat it well.

They all fit in the pan.

Crusty level of browning. Without burning the spices.

Everything together and ready to simmer.

It's done.

The Verdict

Of course it tastes good!  It's one of my favorites!  

The spices were strong but not too much.  My guest taster thought they were just right. The chicken was cooked all the way through and very tender.

The sauce, oh the sauce!  Orange, spices, sweet from the raisins, meaty, luscious.  It is just so good.  

Put the pan on a trivet and serve it forth.

I served the chicken and sauce with rice, both in a bowl, so the sauce could flavor both the meat and the rice.  Spoon that sauce over everything.

The almonds add a lovely crunch. 

Get every drop of that sauce.

Success! 

Now, what I meant by "the concepts transfer to other ingredients" is that you can create similar dishes with the ideas contained in the recipe.

I have used apple juice instead of orange juice, sometimes adding pieces of apple to the pan, with either chicken or pork chops.  Use the same spices or add some ginger (especially good with pork).  Apples and onions are a made-for-each-other combination.  I may or may not use raisins.

I have also used coconut milk along with fresh lemongrass, curry powder, and maybe a little ginger.  For fruit, pineapple is a good choice as well as raisins.

What other combinations could you use?  Use your imagination.  Have fun with it.  Consider chicken, pork, fish, or seafood.  Think about the spices that taste good with the meat you choose.  Pick a fruit that complements everything.

Carne asada en la olla de los misioneros - Roast meat in the missionaries' pot, a Pinedo recipe

After having tried the Adobo seco recipe last month, I wanted to try another meat recipe from Pinedo's book.  Click here to see the previous recipe.

This time I had a two-pound beef roast.  What I found was a recipe on pages 52-53 titled Carne asada en la olla de los misioneros.  It looked easy, but I learned from the last recipe that getting the spicing/herbs just right is the challenge.  Challenge accepted!

Her Recipe

 

My Translation

My Redaction

2 pound beef roast
12 costeño chiles
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

Thinly slice the garlic.  

Cut slits in the meat deep and wide enough for the garlic slices to fit. (I skipped the lardons.  See my note below.)

Insert garlic into slits in the meat.

Pour oil into the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven and spread it around.

Put the meat in the Dutch oven, cover with the lid, then put into the oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the seeds and cores of the chiles.  Toast the chiles in a hot, dry pan until browned with maybe a few black patches, stirring or turning them often to toast them evenly.

Remove chiles to a bowl and cover with hot water.  Allow them to soak until soft.  

If you haven't already, finely chop the oregano.

Once the chiles are ready, put them and some (or all) of the soaking water into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add the oregano and blend a few seconds more to mix.

When the 30 minutes is up on the meat, pour the sauce over the top of it.  Turn the meat and spoon the sauce over the top if needed.  Put the lid back on the Dutch oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

When done, let the meat rest for a few minutes.  Slice thinly and serve with a few spoonfuls of sauce over the slices.  The rest of the sauce can go in a small pitcher that goes on the table with the meat. 

 My Notes

Lardons are thin strips of fat that are inserted into the meat so that they melt into it while cooking.  They are a great way to keep the meat moist.  I didn't have any, although if I had thought about it enough, I probably could have used raw bacon fat.  That would add salt to the flavor.

My garlic clove was big, so after slicing it, I cut each slice in half.  That made it easy to put into the slits and not have them sticking out.  I used less than the whole clove.  I would guess my slits were 1 to 2 inches apart on all sides of the roast.

Tuck that garlic in!

 My chile sauce measured 1 1/2 cups when done.  I hoped it was "scant" enough.  

When the meat came out after 30 minutes of cooking, the center was at about 100 degrees F.  After the second round of cooking, it was 145 degrees F.  I considered that done.

That much fresh oregano. (I liked the picture!)

After the Round 1 cooking time.

Rolled that chunk o'meat in the sauce, and spooned on more.

After Round 2 of cooking.

I think that is perfect!

Ready for the table.

The Verdict

I served it with some roasted potatoes dressed with a little shredded asiago cheese;  steamed zucchini tossed with garlic powder, pepper, and salt; and wine.  Don't forget the wine!

The meat was a little more chewy than I had expected.  My guest taster agreed but did not see it as a negative.  To me, beef tends to be chewy and that usually disappoints me, so I have a hard time judging it.

The sauce was pleasantly spicy-hot, not too much for my guest taster who typically does not like spicy.  I got a little tingle on my tongue from each bite, which I enjoyed.  It did not set my mouth on fire.  (Whew!  The costeños are hotter than what I am used to, so I usually mix them with less fiery chiles.  But I am learning that cooking can reduce the fire a bit. )

The garlic and oregano were not dominant.  I believe the sauce was close to being balanced, but I think I would add more oregano next time.  I could barely taste them; I wasn't even sure I was tasting them.  My guest taster said he could get the herbal notes of the oregano.   

Also, I think I could have used less sauce for the second round of cooking.  Maybe 1 cup? It could have been more robust in flavor, which makes me think "watered down" implies "too much liquid."

If I had cooked the meat at a lower temperature, say 300 degrees F, that might have made the meat less chewy.  It would just take longer. 

We enjoyed the meal, so I call it a success!  We both poured on more sauce as we were eating the beef. Again, that added flavor and chile-heat but not too much.

I shared some of the leftovers with another favored guest taster who really likes hot and spicy chiles.  He has a discerning palate and has different food preferences than I have, so I really appreciate his take on things. He thought the meat was cooked just right.  However, he could not discern much taste from the sauce.  At all.  Not from the chiles or from the oregano.  So the sauce was a bust for him.  If you have guests who are similar, bump up the oregano quite a bit and reduce the amount of water used to make the sauce.  Maybe even reduce the sauce somewhat before serving, just to concentrate the flavor.  At least, that is my best guess.

Adobo seco - Dry marinade, a Pinedo recipe

I had a boneless pork loin just asking for a Pinedo recipe.  I liked the challenge of this one, on page 4, which was "cook enough red chiles."  Hmmm.  How much was enough?  For my redaction, I needed to balance the heat of the chiles (not too many!) with the flavor of the chiles (not too few!).  I have a bag of costeño chiles, which I was cautioned to be careful with because I am not as experienced a chile-eater as the person who gave it to me.  I'm getting better, but I heed the caution.

Her Recipe

My Translation

My Redaction

3 pounds, 14 ounces boneless pork loin

0.8 ounces costeño chiles (dry)

1 pound tomatoes

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil for frying

And the olive oil.

Remove the stems, seeds, and cores of the chiles.  Cover them with boiling water and let them soak for 10 minutes to soften them.

Core and coarsely chop the tomatoes.  Grind them in a large mortar (or pulse them in the blender) until the mixture is wet and not as chunky as they were after they were chopped.

Grind the cumin seeds.

Drain the chiles.  Grind them with the tomatoes.  

Add the garlic and cumin.  Grind them more.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.  Add the chile/tomato mixture and the vinegar.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Add the meat and turn it over to get the sauce on both sides.  Then ladle sauce over the top of the meat.  

Bring the sauce back to a boil.  Turn the heat down so the sauce is simmering.  Leave the Dutch oven uncovered.

Cook the meat for about 2 hours, turning over occasionally and spooning sauce over the top.  This is how long it took for the sauce to reduce to very thick.  Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the simmer.  Turning over the meat will slow the simmer for a short time.

When done, turn off the heat and let the meat rest in the sauce for a while.

Serve slices with the sauce spooned over the top.

Chiles soaking

Coarsely chopped tomatoes

Grinding in my mortar.

Sauce in the pan and the pork loin on top.

Spoon that sauce on top!

All done.  Notice how little liquid is left in the pan.

My Notes

I used my large (ish) mortar to grind everything.  I ground half the tomatoes and put the result in a big bowl.  Then I ground the other half with the chiles.  After that was done, I added the garlic and ground it some more.  Then I repeated that with the ground cumin seeds.  Then it all went into the bowl and I mixed them together.  If I were to do this again, I would use my blender and make it more of a puree.

Since I didn't know how long it would take to cook the meat, I turned it every 20 minutes, spooning sauce over the top each time.  I think 30 minutes is better.  Since the Dutch oven is uncovered, the top of the meat seemed to be colder than the rest, so it stopped the simmer when I turned the loin.  I adjusted the heat to bring it back to a simmer.  

The sauce started getting thick but it appeared the meat juices and fat made it runny again.  Then it got thick again with more cooking.  Be careful not to scorch the sauce.  Turning the meat helped keep the bottom of it from being scorched, too.

After two hours, the internal temperature read about 150 degrees F.  

The Verdict

I was hoping that the meat wasn't overcooked, i.e., dry.  It was very mildly pink in the middle and appeared moist.

I served it as a simple dinner with green beans and wine.  

Put a little sauce over the top.

My concern was that the tomato skins and/or the chile skins would be tough and noticeable if they were bigger than what a blender would make.  That is what I was looking for when I tasted it.  I really wanted to know what my guest tasters thought of the chiles' heat levels.

One guest taster, the one who is not really into spicy foods, thought the chile heat level was just right.  He enjoyed the flavor of the sauce and thought it was good with the meat.

The other guest taster, who loves spicy food and strong flavors, thought it was not chile-hot enough and that the sauce was "sweet" from the tomatoes.  He did not really detect the costeño's much at all; he wondered if it had any chiles in it.  He also did not think the sauce had much flavor.  He compared it to some rosemary-flavored crackers which he thought did have a flavor punch and said those had flavor but the sauce did not.  Does that make sense?  

As for me, I liked the flavor, although I would agree that it was not strongly flavored.  I thought the sauce was important to moisten the meat and keep it from being "just a slice of pork loin."  So if I were to do this again, I would bump up the amount of chiles (if my first guest taster were not involved) and definitely bump up the garlic and cumin content.  Even my first guest taster would like more garlic and cumin.

One guest taster noted that the skins from the chiles and tomatoes were annoying to eat.  I agree, that was my worry, and though I didn't experience that with this dish, I have previously.  So definitely use a blender to make the sauce.  Perhaps using a mano and metate would have broken up the skins better than a mortar and pestle.  I don't know.  

Also, everyone agreed that the meat was cooked to perfection.  It was cooked enough but not dry.  I think the slow cooking and the regular turning helped that along.

The green beans with a variation on a Pinedo pipian sauce were a good accompaniment!  You can see that recipe here:  Ejotes en pipian.  I used red wine as the liquid and cinnamon and cloves as the spices.  

Success!

Pollo guisados -- Stewed chickens, a Pinedo recipe

I have to admit that I love stews.  They are generally easy to fix, can contain a lot of flavors, feed a crowd, and can be made in advance.  This Pinedo recipe, on page 207, checks all those boxes.  

Her Recipe

My Translation

I also have to admit that I don't have any pigeons on hand, so I have to make this one with just chicken.  I noticed she didn't say to cut the birds up, but I assumed they were.  I chose to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (a favorite).  But look at all the ingredients that make up the sauce!  

My Redaction

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 cloves garlic

7 ounces onion

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes

16 large, pitted black olives

4 ounces mushrooms

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups boiling water

1/8 cup fresh oregano leaves

olive oil for cooking

Everything but the chicken.  Its picture is further down. Not the olive oil, either.

First, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven.  I put enough in to lightly cover the bottom of pan once it was hot.

Add the chicken thighs and brown them over medium heat.  You can do this in batches if you want them to be more brown.  I did one batch.  Note:  I interpreted "half fried" as "brown them."  After they cooked on one side, I turned them to brown the other side.

While the meat is browning, chop the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, oregano, and mushrooms.  Also, slice the onions and olives.  I had a big bowl nearby and I placed each ingredient in the bowl once it was chopped or sliced.  Add the raisins, too.

Once the meat is browned, add all the ingredients from the bowl into the Dutch oven.  Stir them well.

Add the boiling water, salt, and pepper.  The sprinkle the flour over the top.  The goal is to avoid lumps and clumps of flour.  Stir well.

Bring the whole mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.  

Simmer over that low heat for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve by placing one thigh with a scoop (or two) of sauce over the top.

This is a bit crowded for standard browning, but I didn't worry about it.

Everything in the bowl, as viewed from the top.

The bowl, as viewed from the bottom, after added to the chicken.

Stirred well.  Note the herbs are not finely chopped.

Now it is everything.  See how the flour was sifted with no clumps?

Stirred and starting to bubble.

Ahh, done.

My Notes

Miss Pinedo suggested using flour or toast.  By that she probably meant toasted or dried bread crumbs, which is a time-honored method of thickening a liquid.  I chose flour because it was convenient, although I do have copious amounts of dried crumbs that I store in my freezer.  Either works.  I have learned that with stews, bread crumbs seem to make a more "gooey" sauce, meaning thicker with more body.

For my low heat, I used 1 or 2 out of 10 on my stove's settings.  I was looking for just a little bubbling in the middle; that's all.  Slow cooking will get the meat very tender.

I judged the amount of water to use by how high the level in the Dutch oven was -- it was almost as high as all the ingredients together.  And that was 2 cups.  

The house smelled so good while the stew was cooking, and continued to smell good afterwards.  Yum!

The Verdict

I kept the meal simple:  stewed chicken, toasted onion rolls, and wine.  Don't forget the wine!

The chicken was tender.  I never used the knife because the meat broke up easily with a fork.  The meat was not dry, either.  

The sauce:  Oh, the sauce!  Full of flavors, textures, and surprises.  My guest taster, who didn't know all that I put in it kept saying, "Are these raisins?" and "There are mushrooms!" and similar comments.  He loved all the ingredients he discerned while eating.  

Overall, we both loved the sauce.  It was complex in its flavor profile, but no one flavor stood out.  I consider that a win.  I got the balance right, even for the amount of salt and pepper.  The tomatoes cleared formed the basis of the sauce but it was not a "tomato-y" sauce.  It was fun to taste different ingredients along with a bite of chicken.

The toasted roll came in handy for sopping up the sauce once the meat was gone.  

My guest taster had seconds.  That is also a win!

Success!

The leftovers were just as good reheated.  

Did the flour really thicken the sauce?  I will say, "Probably not" but the long cooking with the lid off reduced the sauce and it did thicken up a little.  How much was from the flour, I cannot tell.  Would bread crumbs have been better?  I've used them in stews before and I think it would be thicker.  But with only one tablespoon, maybe not.

It just occurred to me that Miss Pinedo's tablespoons were probably two of ours - so it could have been thicker had I thought of that earlier.  I realized that after reviewing her table of weights and measures on page 274:  she said, "A tablespoon measures an exact ounce."  Our standardized tablespoons measure one-half ounce.  I need to keep that in mind for future experiments.

Schinkenfleckerln - Austrian Ham-and-Noodle Casserole

This is a casserole I have been making for 35 years, so technically it is a Most Favorite recipe.  But I did not want to wait until December to write this post.  So here it is!  Bonus Most Favorite!

I found it in my Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, published in 1980.  I've used this book so many times that the binding is cracking and pages are falling out.  I can't really say how "authentic" her recipes are -- they might have been adjusted for the American palate of the 1970s -- but they are fun to peruse and explore.

ISBN 0-394-50453-4

This recipe is on pages 154 - 155.  The book gives the English name of the recipe first, with the ethnic name after it in parentheses.  There is a guide in the back of the book (pg 350) on how to pronounce schinkenfleckerln:  shink-k'n-fleck-airl'n.  My mouth has fun trying to say "airl'n."

Schinkenfleckerln

8 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup dairy sour cream

2 cups diced fully cooked smoked ham (about 1/2 pound)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Paprika

Drop noodles into 6 cups rapidly boiling salted water (4 teaspoons salt).  Heat to rapid boiling.  Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.  Drain.

Stir margarine and onion into noodles.  Stir eggs into sour cream.  Stir egg mixture, ham, caraway seed and pepper into noodles.  Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly in greased 2-quart casserole.  Pour noodle mixture into casserole.

Sprinkle with paprika.  Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until mixture is set, 40 to 45 minutes.

Serve from casserole or unmold onto heated platter.  To unmold, loosen edge of noodles around inside rim with knife.  Place inverted platter over casserole; invert noodles onto platter.  Garnish with parsley if desired.

Serves 4.

My Notes

There is no way I am adding 4 teaspoons of salt to the noodle water.  Adjust to suit your own tastes, but I used 1/2 teaspoon.  Note that the ham and butter already have salt in them.  

This was the '70s, so margarine. I used butter and always have.  It helps to slice the butter into thin slices then spread them over the hot noodles.  That way they melt easily and are distributed around the noodles well.

I have always used the wide egg noodles until today.  I had rotini in my cupboard and that is what I used.

The beaten eggs and sour cream combine to form the sauce for the casserole, so mix them well before adding to the noodles.  I add the sauce last.

I do not find the caraway seeds to be "optional."  "Mandatory" is my thought because I love their flavor.

I have never unmolded the casserole to serve it.  The breadcrumbs should help with that, but I don't know.  I still always butter the dish and spread the breadcrumbs on it before adding the noodles.

It is your choice on how much paprika to use.  When my family was young, I used just enough to add some color.  Now I use more because I like the flavor.

In order:  the cooked noodles.

Butter and onions added to the noodles.  Stir well.

One sauce to rule them all and in the oven, bind them.

With the ham and spices added.

Pour the sauce on last.

Stirred, not shaken.

I admit: those are not evenly distributed.  But the surface is covered enough to work.

I made that ceramic bowl!  (It has a lid, too.)  I was pleased it fit the recipe just right.

I used about that much paprika.  Ready for the oven.

The Verdict

It smells so good!

This is pure comfort food.  Serve it warm so the flavor of the ham and onion come through and the noodles give good support.  Be careful not to overcook it or it gets dry.

First helping.

I enjoy this every time I make it.  I wished I had added more caraway to this, and maybe a bit more pepper.  (Why does that make me think my tastebuds are getting old???)  

My guest taster thought it was fine but I got the sense he didn't think it was exceptional.  Just enjoyable.  He said he would eat it again if I fixed it.  One thing he noticed right away was the onion flavor.  You see, the onion is not precooked, so it has a bit of a tang and a distinct - but not strong - onion presence.  I think it surprised him because he is so used to the onions in a casserole being cooked before mixed in.

The next day we had some for lunch, and I think he liked it better.  He did add some seasoned salt to it, because he is more of a salt eater than I am.  I sure like it hot, not warm.  The flavors come through better and I did not want more seasoning this time.  Of course, casseroles are always better the next day, like stews.

Success!

In the 1990s, I tried making it more low fat.  My notes say that leaving out the butter worked well.  But translating the whole thing to low fat (by also substituting plain yogurt for the sour cream) was not a good idea.  You need some fat in it to keep it moist.

I have also tried it with cooked chunked breakfast sausage, which is a good substitute for ham.

Unless your table guests are big eaters, I would say this serves 6 to 8, not 4.

Showing off that casserole dish!