Half Assed Kitchen

Halibut with shallot-parsley relish

Here's an antidote to the nachos, chips and dip, and chicken wings so many of us will be wolfing down this Sunday. A tender, flaky white fish topped with fresh shallots and parsley. It's easy, it's tasty, and it's relatively healthy.

The parsley tempers the richness of the oil and wine and the fish, when cooked quickly at a high temperature, retains its succelence.

If halibut is too pricey, go ahead and use any white fish your family enjoys such as sole, cod, or orange roughy.

Cook up some rice or potatoes to serve alongside the fish, add a salad and you're done. This recipe serves two, so double if you'll be serving four.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

12 ounces of halibut or other white fish, skin removed, rinsed, patted dry

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, washed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced (or a teaspoon of the pre-minced variety)

2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon butter or oil, such as canola or grapeseed

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

Splash of white wine

Salt

Pepper

In a large skillet (iron works best) heat 1 teaspoon butter or oil on moderate-high.

Season fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to skillet and sear on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Then lower heat, cover and continue to cook the rest of the way through (you'll want to keep checking to make sure you don't overcook. Fish will be done when just flaky on the inside, but not gooey).

In the meantime, on medium heat, warm the rest of the oil in another skillet. Add shallot and garlic. Cook until softened. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, then a splash of white wine. Cook until wine has mostly reduced (just a couple minutes tops). Remove from heat.

Serve halibut topped with relish.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Scrambled eggs and tomatoes

We recently spent a week in China, during which we ate a lot of eggs and tomatoes (a recognizable dish with no head attached. Score!).

It's delicious and super easy, too. We made up our minds to recreate it when we arrived home and so, now that our jetlag has subsided, we've found our way back to the kitchen.

Rating: Truly half assed (maybe even 1/3 assed!)

Here's what you need and how you do it:

Canola or grapeseed oil

Six to eight eggs

2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped (or the equivalent cherry tomatoes)

5 green onions/scallions, sliced

1 green bell pepper, diced (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a wok or skillet, heat oil to medium-high. Meanwhile, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork. Add eggs to hot pan and stir constantly until cooked. Transfer eggs to a plate.

Add a little more oil to the pan if you need it. Then, toss in tomatoes and green peppers. Sauté until tomatoes have given up some of their water (about 3 to 5 minutes) and peppers have softened a little. Add eggs back into pan and add green onions, salt, and pepper. Stir until cooked through.

Serves 4.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

World's Best Chicken?

We recently came across this recipe on Pinterest for "World's Best Chicken", originating from the website of one Rachel Schultz. We thought: We like chicken. We have these ingredients. We need an idea for dinner tonight. So we set about making World's Best Chicken.

It was easy. So, so easy. And it was tasty, yes. Definitely a solid recipe. But was it world's best?

Let's answer this way:

Did it involve a generous splash of wine? No.

Did it mind-wateringly meld never before thought of combinations of delectable ingredients such as cotton candy (we once had cotton candy at a Seattle restaurant served atop fish and it sticks in our mind as a subtle, yet ingenius amalgam of flavor), cocoa, or bacon? Uh uh.

Did we have to close our eyes while chewing so we could properly bask in the brilliant piquancy of the dish? Not quite.

So, no world's best. But good. Yes, very good.

And 1/4 assed! Hooray!

This is it before it went into the oven

 

Here's what you need and how you do it

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts in half, or thirds vertically. Use the thin sliced chicken breasts if you can and you may skip this step.

Spray 9x13 baking pan with oil and spread chicken out along pan.

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and red wine vinegar. Pour atop the chicken. Sprinkle with plenty of salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 4.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Cajun shrimp with creamy polenta

This easy and spicy/comforting dinner is a recipe we threw together after fifteen minutes of gazing into our cupboards and fridge, groaning that we didn't know what to cook. Cajun shrimp was born as a happy accident and we've prepared it reliably two or three times since.

Rating: 3/4 assed (chopping)

Here's what you need and how to do it:

For the polenta

1 cup cornmeal

4 cups veggie or chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)

1 teaspoon fresh chives if you have them

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup sour cream or sour cream alternative

For the shrimp

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 pre-cooked sausage such as Aidell's, sliced

1 to 1-1/2 pounds shrimp/prawns, peeled, deveined and pre-cooked (with or without tails)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

Cajun seasoning to taste

Cooking oil for pan (we use Grapeseed, but olive or canola will work fine)

Prepare polenta by bringing chicken broth to a low boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add salt and pepper. Add cornmeal and whisk to break up lumps. Add herbs, lower heat to a simmer and stir frequently.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic until vegetables are softened. Add shrimp, sausage, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning and stir to coat. Heat until all ingredients are warmed through.

When polenta is creamy and no longer gritty, spoon onto plate and top with dollop of sour cream. Over the top or along side, dish up shrimp/sausage combo.

Serve with a green salad.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Rosemary chicken with arugula and white beans

Dear Reader,

As much as we love you, our main motivation for posting this recipe is selfish. We want to be able to find it whenever we need it. So, up on Half Assed Kitchen it goes.

We hope you enjoy it, too.

It's another Real Simple concoction (RS whores that we are). We've made it twice now and swooned over it both times. The chicken is moist and zingy, elevated by the freshness of rosemary. The salad is light, yet substantial.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

 

 

Here's what you need and how you do it

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped (do buy the pre-chopped kind of you can)

5 Tablespoons olive, grapeseed, or canola oil

Salt and pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (buy the thin-sliced variety)

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 15.5-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed

4 cups baby arugula

1/4 small red or other onion, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, rosemary, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In another bowl, whisk together mustard, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the beans, arugula, and onion. Toss to combine.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade if there's any left) and cook until cooked through. Serve the chicken with the arugula and beans.

Serves 2 to 4 (depending on how hungry the diners are).

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Slow-cooker tikka masala

This is a Real Simple recipe that we tried one frantic weekday and ADORED. We loved being able to throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and go. We started our version mid-afternoon and cooked it on high for 3 or 4 hours and the flavors blended beautifully with good texture.

We have a really hard time finding slow cooker recipes we like, so we're thrilled to have this in our rotation.

Rating: 3/4 assed (chopping)

Here's what you need and how you do it

1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped (use pre-chopped)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons garam masala (we found this in the bulk spice aisle, but you can also make your own using 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and a dash of cayenne)

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (thighs really work better than breasts in the slow cooker)

1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup basmati rice (or other long-grain white rice)

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Place the chicken on top of the veggies, cover and cook until the chicken is tender (low for 7 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours).

In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to package directions.

Just before serving, stir the cream (if using) into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over rice with the cucumber relish.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Basic risotto

This is the most amazing, buttery risotto ever. The creamy rice and chicken stock and cheese create, in your mouth, an elegant soireé. The type with sterling silver candlestick holders and Chet Baker pulsing through hidden Bose speakers. Except that the risotto is much easier than the result would make you think. The preparation is more a BYOB pizza throwdown than cook all day dinner party.

Please welcome guest poster, Joel Niemeyer. He created this delicious concoction, and then fed us some. Yum!

***

Creamy, cheesy, and rich! That is what risotto is to me. Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's even a kind of rice, but it is. It's also really hard and expensive to make, right? Actually, no, not at all. The fact is that you can make as good a risotto at home as you would pay $16.00 for at a restaurant, if you can even find a restaurant that has it. There is some patience involved, and you do have to pay attention, but it's not hard at all.

A basic risotto can also be enhanced with a variety of flavors and additions--once you know the basics, you can make many different kinds. I like my risotto with a real onion and wine taste, so I go pretty heavy on those ingredients.

Rating: 3/4 assed

Here's what you need and how you do it

A cup or two of Arborio Rice. You don't have to get a fancy, expensive brand. I use Lundberg brand that you can find at most grocery stores.

1 whole Shallot, finely minced

Fresh Garlic, two or three cloves, finely minced

1/2 cup or so of Parmesan Cheese –- finely grated. Use Parmigiano Reggiano if you can. By far the most expensive part of this recipe, but you don't need too much. Any good qualify parm will do, though-- just not the stuff in the green can

3/4 cup or so dry White Wine

 2 Tablespoons Butter-- cold and cubed

At least a quart of Chicken Stock-- hot. Of course, homemade is better, but you can go with a good quality low sodium canned one

And here's the method. Don't get too caught up in the details, but just pay attention--you don't want to burn the rice, let it get too dry, or cook it too much:

Heat up some nice olive oil in a nicely sized saucepan on about Medium High. Sauté up the shallots and garlic--don't brown them, though. When you can really smell the shallots and garlic, toss in the rice and stir that all up for a minute or two--the idea is to just get that oil and shallots coated on to the rice. When the rice is well coated, add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed and the rice has a dry feeling to it again. At this point you should be getting the full on aroma of the shallots, garlic, and wine!

Start adding the stock about a 1/2 of one ladle at a time. The measurement isn't important- just whatver soup ladle or cup you have laying around. When you add the stock, start to really stir it vigorously. Start adding stock 1/2 cup at a time. Each time you add some stock, let it get absorbed by the rice. Continue this until the rice starts to get done--it will take a good twenty minutes of constant stirring and adding stock. Cheat and sneak a grain or two, just to test for doneness. You want it done, but not soft. As you are doing all this stirring, you'll notice a "creaminess" start to take place. This means you are doing a good job! Keep adding enough stock until it's a consistency and doneness you like

When you are at the point that the rice is done, take if off the heat and stir in the cold butter first, then the cheese. You shold get enough saltiness from the butter and cheese, but add salt to your taste. The consistency should be creamy, but not liquid, although make it the way you think it will be good! My kids love frozen peas thrown in right near the end.

Traditional thinking says that you can't really eat it any time after you've first made it, but I disagree. I refrigerate it and "reconstitute" it with chicken stock. While the rice may become a little more cooked than many would like, I find this is the time to really make something different with it by adding in: chicken, vegetables. Or make Risotto Cakes!

Have fun with this, and I hope you end up loving this dish as much as I do. 

 

Smoked salmon pasta

This year we pulled out a smoked salmon on Christmas Eve and noshed on it. The filet was huge, though, and we ended up with leftovers. Not people to waste a perfectly great and extremely spency fish, we combed the internet looking for how to use smoked salmon other than smearing it on crackers with cream cheese.

Of course, we ran across Elise's recipe for smoked salmon pasta at Simply Recipes. She has everything on her site. And it all tastes delicious!

The credit for this smokey, savory concoction goes to her, with just a few tiny modifications made by us.

Rating: Truly 1/2 assed

Here's what you need and how to do it

8 ounces pasta

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 Tablespoons oil (canola, grapeseed, or olive)

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup cream (we used Silk non-dairy creamer)

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons lemon zest, divided in half

3 Tablespoons capers

1/2 cup dry white wine (like chardonnay)

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried dill

4-6 ounces smoked salmon, broken into bite-sized pieces

Black pepper

Salt

1 cup of pasta water, set aside after pasta is done cooking

In a medium to large pot, heat water to boiling. Add pasta and cook until al dente (fork tender but not mushy).

Meanwhile, roast the pine nuts by spreading them across a skillet and cooking at medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the sauce by adding oil to another skillet (or waiting until the pine nuts are done and using that same skillet), heating to medium, adding shallots and garlic and cooking for 2 minutes, then putting in white wine, lemon juice, capers, and half of the lemon zest.

Let cook down by half. Then add cream and heat through.

Drain pasta (saving 1 cup of the liquid). Add pasta to sauce. Add in pasta water (little by little) if mixture seems dryish.

Add salmon, pine nuts, dill, parsley, and last Tablespoon of lemon zest. Season with black pepper (preferably freshly ground) and salt if desired.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Poached salmon with mojito sauce

We've been looking for a great salmon recipe to give you. All the rubs and marinades we've tried recently have not thrilled us. A few weeks ago, we picked up Trader Joe's Mojito Salmon. We liked it, but thought we could do it better ourselves. So here is our copycat recipe.

This mojito sauce adds a ton of savory zing to salmon and could be used on any fish. If you go with a flaky white fish, you may need to roast it rather than poach, as we don't know how it will hold up in roiling water.

Effort required: 3/4 assed (but it's tasty and extremely healthy!)

Here's what you need and how you do it

1-1/2 to 2 pounds salmon (King, Sockeye, or other fish)

8 tomatillo peppers

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1/2 red bell pepper, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Splash of apple or orange juice

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Black pepper

Fill shallow pan or skillet half way with water. Wash salmon fillets, add to water and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and let simmer 20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.

In the mean time, heat a sauce pan of water to boiling and add tomatillos. Boil about 10 minutes, or until skin peels off easily and peppers are very soft.

While salmon and tomatillos are cooking, heat canola oil in a small skillet. Add red pepper and shallot and cook until vegetables are softened. Add salt, pepper, apple juice, and lime juice.

When tomatillos are done, peel off skins, and chop the peppers. They will be mushy. Add tomatillos to red pepper/shallot mixture. Stir until all is heated through. At the very end, add mint and cilantro.

Serve sauce over warm salmon. Should be enough for 4 adults.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

 

Sausage, onion, and roasted potato hash

We hit upon this satisfying, comforting combination one night while frantically searching for dinner ideas. You know that scramble, right? The, oh-crap-it's-5:30-and-the-hungry-beasts-will-descend-any-minute panic. Yeah.

So we threw all this together. It was so good and easy, we made it again two nights later. We're now adding it to our regular rotation.

You can change the flavor/spiciness factor depending on what kind of sausage you choose. We went with a mild sun-dried tomato chicken version, but a hot Italian might elevate this to fantastico! (Note our restraint. We are not making a joke about sausages and hot Italians).

Effort required: Truly 1/2 assed. Truly!

Here's what you need and how you do it:

1 package pre-cooked sausages, sliced into thin coins

Olive, canola or grapeseed oil

1 medium onion sliced thinly

1 pound small potatoes, chopped into quarters

Salt

Pepper

Thyme (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Microwave potatoes for 5 to 8 minutes to par-cook them. This will greatly reduce the time required to roast them.

Arrange par-cooked potatoes on a cookie sheet and spray or brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle with salt (course salt if you have it). Put in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes start to turn golden.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil in pan and add onions and sausages. Cook until onions are soft and sausages are heated and preferably a little crispy on the outside.

Grind pepper over sausages and onions and add thyme if using.

When potatoes are done, toss all ingredients together and serve.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.