Boo’s Smoky Chicken Patties on Buttered Toast

Rachael Ray dedicated several pages in her 365: No Repeats cookbook to her beloved dog, Boo. Tonight I tried “Boo’s Smoky Chicken Patties.” With the exception of the first bowl of ingredients committing suicide (ie plunging to its shattery, glassy death when I turned away to get the can opener), this one was a success. The paprika makes it have a kick without being too spicy. I served these with carrot and celery sticks and some baked beans leftover from our camping trip this weekend. Yum!

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken breast (I used turkey)
• 1 tbs. paprika
• 1 1/2 tbs. grill seasoning
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbs. EVOO
• 8 slices sandwich white or whole-wheat bread
• 2-3 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach, watercress, or arugula

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Place the chicken in a bowl and add the paprika, grill seasoning, and parsley. Using a handheld grater, grate the onion into the chicken. Add the garlic and mix to combine. Make a mini patty, the size of a quarter, and cook it up, a minute on each side, to taste and check seasonings. If you want it really smoky, adjust the seasonings accordingly. Drizzle the chicken mixture with the EVOO and form 4 large, thin patties, then place them in the pan. Cook the patties for 5 minutes on each side. Toaste the bread slices and spread liberally with softened butter. Serve the patties on the buttered toast with some chopped dark greens. Makes 4 servings.

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Recommended Fennel and Leek Recipes

I recently mentioned my new love for the often-ignored vegetables, fennel and leeks. The recipes I told you to try are not posted online, so I wanted to write them here. My favorite out of all three is the orzo with steak.

Grilled Skirt Steak and Orzo With the Works

(p. 252, 365: No Repeats; makes 4 servings)

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. skirt steak (I just used regular steak from Costco)
• 3 tbs. balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)
• 2 tbs. EVOO, plus some for drizzling
• Coarse black pepper
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 lb. orzo
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (a couple of pinches)
• 1 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1 pint grape tomatoes (I actually didn’t have any, and it still tasted great!)
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (a couple of generous handfuls), chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a couple of overflowing handfuls)

Coat the skirt steak in balsamic vinegar, a good drizzle of EVOO, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper and marinate in a nonreactive dish for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat an outdoor grill or ridged grill pan to high.

Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil to cook the orzo. Once boiling, salt the water and add the orzo. Cook until al dente, with a bite to it, about 12 minutes.

While the water is coming up to a boil, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the 2 tbs. of EVOO (twice around the pan); add the onions, garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly tender.

Season the steak with salt and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.

To the veggies, add the chicken stock and grape tomatoes, bring up to a bubble, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the grape tomatoes begin to burst. Add the cooked orzo, basil, parsley, and grated cheese and stir to combine.

Slice the meat very thin on a sharp angle. Serve alongside the orzo with the works.

My Friend Frank’s Famous Chicken

(p. 138, 30-Minute Meals; makes 4 servings)

• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• EVOO
• 1 large bulb fennel, halved, then thinly sliced
• 1 medium Spanish onion, sliced into strips, lengthwise
• A handful golden raisins (about 1/4 cup packed)
• 1 can (14 oz.) no-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• A handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
• Toasted pignoli (pine nuts) to garnish

Rub the balsamic vinegar into the chicken to tenderize it.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Go twice around the pan with EVOO. Cook chicken breasts 5 minutes on each side and remove from pan. Add fennel and onion. Cook, shaking pan every so often, until onion begins to caramelize (sweeten or turn caramel-golden in color), about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add raisins, broth, parsley, and salt and pepper. Heat through. Pour dish out onto a serving platter and granish with toasted pine nuts.

Shrimp Primavera Pasta With Asparagus, Peas, and Leeks

(p. 46, 2-4-6-8 Great Meals; makes 2-4 servings)

• Salt
• 1/2 lb. spaghetti
• 1 leek
• 2 tbs. EVOO
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 lb. medium-to-large shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can also substitute chicken for the shrimp)
• 3/4 to 1 lb. asparagus (1 bundle), trimmed to 4 inches then cut into thirds
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbs. butter, cut into small pieces
• Black pepper
• 1 cup shaved or grated Romano cheese
• Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Place a large covered pot of water on the stove and bring it up to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the spaghetti to al dente.

While the pasta is working, trim the tough green tops and the roots from the leek. Halve the leek lengthwise and dice it thin. Place the leeks in a colander and rinse them vigorously to release any grit. Drain the leeks well.

Heat the EVOO in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for a minute. Add the leeks and shiitakes and cook until they are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, raise the heat a little, and bring it up to a bubble. Once the stock bubbles, add the zest and the shrimp and cook it for 2 minutes, then add the asparagus and peas to the pan and cook them for 2 minutes more.

Melt the butter into the sauce, add the drained pasta to the pan, and toss to combine the shrimp and vegetables with the spaghetti. Season with a little pepper, adjust the salt to taste, and garnish with the cheese and parsley.

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New Vegetables to Try

I get tired of using the same vegetables over and over again in dishes – peas, green beans, corn – they taste great, but I need a little variety in my life! Enter two new vegetables that are quickly making their way to the top of my list: fennel and leeks. I was very intimidated the first time I purchased them at the store, not knowing how to cut, clean, or prepare them – but they were ingredients in two dishes I wanted to make so I plunged in headfirst!

First up – fennel. I shouldn’t be surprised that I love this vegetable, considering it contains many of the same flavorings as anise, which is behind the black licorice jelly beans I covet every Easter! Fennel comes in bulbs (often two that are connected) with large, feathery, leafy fronds emerging from the top of the bulbs. I have never eaten the leaves, although they are edible; the white bulbs have a less pungent flavor that does not overtake a dish. Rachael Ray has two dishes that made me fall in love with fennel: Grilled Skirt Steak and Orzo With the Works (p. 252, 365: No Repeats) and My Friend Frank’s Favorite Chicken (p. 138, 30-Minute Meals). She also has a Fennel, Sausage, and Potato Stoup recipe on her Every Day With Rachael Ray site that I’m dying to try!

Next up – leeks. I always thought of leeks as a vegetable your mom would force you to eat (even though I am part of the minority crowd that enjoys brussels sprouts). Their light, oniony flavor is actually refreshing – if you can get past the time-consuming cleaning process (soaking in water until the grit has washed away). Rachael Ray’s refreshing, light Shrimp Primavera With Asparagus, Peas, and Leeks (p. 46, 2-4-6-8 Great Meals) is a great summer supper. I cooked it for 12 people during our beach vacation – serve it up with a side salad and some white wine, and it’s delicious!

In doing research for this post I came across this recipe for Red-Pepper Fennel Soup With Pita Chips, which includes both fennel AND leeks! The best of both worlds 🙂

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Charred Tomato Soup With Stromboli

Tonight’s meal took longer than 30 minutes, but it sure was worth it! I made Charred Tomato Soup With Stromboli (p. 194, 365: No Repeats by Rachael Ray). Charring the tomatoes and onions under the broiler before pureeing them into a chunky soup gave the dish a really smoky flavor that Jared and I both loved. The recipe called for a cup of heavy cream to thicken it, but I used fat-free half-and-half instead. Although we saved some calories, it did make the soup a little more watery than I would have planned. If I make this again (and I plan to!) I will probably use a little less chicken stock to account for the difference.

The best part of the meal, in my opinion, was the stromboli. I’m not a big fan of proscuitto – not only do I find it difficult to locate at the grocery store, I find the flavor to be a bit salty for my taste. Instead, I substituted turkey pepperoni, and the result added a bit of spice that I really enjoyed. Rachael Ray suggested making the stromboli into a breadstick-like form, but I had some trouble rolling out the refrigerated pizza dough (note to self – allow dough to come to room temperature before rolling next time). Instead I cut the dough into four pieces and rolled them into crescent-like rolls. The results were fantastic! They turned out golden and just chewy enough to melt in your mouth after soaking them in the soup.

This recipe reminds me of one of my favorite new meals, Tomato Bisque – a recipe I actually got from the Contemporary Resort at Disney World when I attended training there in April. What a fantastic, creamy dish! I’ll have to post that recipe soon. Bon appetit! Here’s the recipe:

• 6 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 small red onion, cut into chunks
• 2 tbs EVOO
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 tbs flour or cornmeal
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 12 slices proscuitto di parma (I used turkey pepperoni)
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 tbs sesame seeds
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock or broth
• 1 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free half-and-half)
• 20 fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn

Preheat the broiler to high.

Arrange the plum tomato halves skin side down, with the onions on a rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle EVOO on the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Broil for about 4 minutes, flip and continue to broil for 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes and onions are slightly charred. Lower the oven setting to 400 degrees.

Dust your hands and the dough lightly with flour or cornmeal and unroll the dough out onto a work surface. Stretch out the dough, gently spreading its rectangle shape. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces: working across the dough cut it in half and cut each half in half again. Cover each piece of dough with 2 tbs of pesto.

Fold 3 slices of the prosciutto and 1 slice of the provolone to fit each pesto-covered piece of dough, then roll each piece on an angle from corner to corner, making a long roll that is thicker in the middle and thinner on each end. Brush the rolls with EVOO, then mix the sesame seeds, dried italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes in a small cup. Sprinkle and pat the mixture onto the stromboli, place in the oven, and bake until evenly golden, 12 to 14 minutes.

Place the tomatoes and onions in a blender or food processor, and puree until somewhat smooth.

Preheat a soup pot over medium high heat, add the 2 tbs of EVOO, add the garlic and the remaining 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes. Saute the garlic for a minute, then add the pureed veggies and the chicken stock. When the soup comes to a bubble, add the cream, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer the soup for 8 to 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, turn off the soup and stir in the basil. Adjust the salt and pepper. Serve the soup alongside the pesto and stromboli, dipping them into the soup as you eat them.

Makes 4 servings.

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