Chicken in vinegar sauce

This is a great dish to leave simmering on the stove for 45 minutes or so  unattended.   Mincing and chopping could take place while the chicken pieces are browning . If peeling and deseeding tomatoes sound a bit tedious, feel free to use diced canned tomatoes , I prefer organic but go ahead and use whatever you have on hand. This recipe can be made a day ahead and tastes better the next day.

I was a bit worried  about the amount of  vinegar in this recipe. I tasted it when the sauce came to a boil and it was a bit too vinegary. After a slow simmer for 45 minutes or so, the vinegar mellowed out. I like the combination of oil and butter as it adds richness to the sauce. The leftovers freeze well, nothing like pulling this out of the freezer  after a long day at work. in the middle of the week....when one can barely think about an elaborate meal for dinner...this rustic dish is anything but elaborate. It is simple, nourishing and tasty.

A brief note on browning chicken - do not crowd the pan otherwise the pieces will tend to steam instead of browning.


Chicken In Vinegar Sauce
3 lb chicken ( whole organic chicken) - cut into large pieces, skin on
 salt and black pepper
2 tb olive oil
4 tb butter
10 garlic cloves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 medium shallots - minced
4 medium tomatoes , peeled ,seeded and chopped
2 tb tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

 Wash chicken pieces, trim fat,  and pat pieces dry and season  with salt and  freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil and butter in a heavy pan  on medium heat and fry garlic cloves till golden and remove from heat. Set aside garlic cloves.

Brown chicken pieces  in batches in the same heavy pan  ( in one layer)  until golden , remove and set on a platter. Chicken pieces will not be  cooked through at this point. Don't crowd the pan as it the pieces will not not brown well and will steam instead.

Using the same pan ( with leftover oil/melted butter)  saute minced shallots until translucent. Add in tomato paste and pour in wine. Deglaze pan and scrape up brown bits in the pan. Pour in vinegar, add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer , add in tomatoes and browned chicken pieces. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Sprinkle golden garlic cloves and minced parsley on top before serving. Serves 5 generously.

Lamb Osso Buco

 I came across lamb shanks prepared for osso buco at Costco recently. I have been going to the local grocery store looking for it and was unable to find it, and the  lamb shanks that they did have  were  ( almost always) too small. Osso buco is traditionally made with veal ( which is readily available at most grocery stores).

This dish ( like most of my dishes) comes together quickly and then works its magic while simmering on the stove. There are many variations to this recipe and some  of them call for red wine. I prefer white wine in this recipe because I felt that it tastes a bit lighter and goes well with the lamb which in itself is rich. Each piece of shank is tied with kitchen twine so that it does not fall apart while braising, remove it after plating, just before serving. The meat will fall off the bone once it is done.. and don't forget to feast on the marrow. I served this dish  with creamy saffron risotto.


Lamb Osso Buco
2 1/2 to 3 lbs of lamb shanks, trimmed
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
kitchen twine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium onion - minced
1 carrot - diced small
 1stalk celery - diced small
all purpose flour for dredging
2 tb tomato paste
1 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Topping:
 3 flat leaf parsley - finely chopped
1 tb lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Secure lamb shanks with twine so that it does not fall apart when it is done braising. Pat lamb shanks dry, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, dredge in flour, shake off excess and set aside until all shanks are done.
Heat olive oil in a heavy pot ( medium high heat) and brown shanks. Work in batches if needed and set aside.
Saute chopped onions, carrots and celery for 5 to 6 minutes ( or until onion is translucent). Add tomato paste to onion mixture , pour in white wine, mix well and cook until liquid is reduced to half. Pour in chicken stock, add bay leaves, rosemary , thyme and return lamb shanks to pot. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove lid to check on  and stir shanks very 25 minutes or so. The  sauce  ideally should be at least half way up the shank. It is ok if you have more sauce. In the event of too much sauce, bring to a gentle boil with the lid off and this should reduce the sauce a bit / add a bit more chicken stock if there isn't enough sauce . Adjust seasoning, sprinkle flat leaf parsley and lemon zest mixture on shanks when serving. And don't forget to remove the twine !!

Spinach Triangles

  Making these triangles involved  the local EMS team.... I had gathered the ingredients on the counter and got busy chopping and mincing . I should also mention that I had just sharpened all the knives a few days earlier and they WERE SHARP. I was  chopping up spinach a bit to fast and sliced off  a bit more than the tip  of my thumb. To make a long story short, the EMS  guys showed up and it took two weeks to have a fully functioning thumb that still a bit numb on the sides.

After the EMS guys left , I continued to proceed with the recipe with a bandaged and throbbing thumb. I must say, these were the best spinach triangles that I have had - maybe it was the addition of herbs or the grated Parmesan cheese or maybe I was just delirious from the pain.....

One needs to work gently and fast with phyllo dough. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. I unrolled   and placed it on a cookie sheet with a wet towel  (that has been squeezed dry) on top. The top few sheets usually turn out a bit too wet to use.

These triangles are also handy to be made in advance and frozen  in a single layer in a ziploc bag. Bake in a preheated oven - 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or till golden brown. Don't forget to brush the triangles with melted butter prior to baking. Serve immediately as it tends to lose its crunch. Also great for a light lunch with a side of salad or soup.


Spinach Triangles  - New York Times Cookbook
 1 pound spinach
1 1/2 tb olive oil
2 tb butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped scallions
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 chopped dill
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 large egg
 1 egg yolk
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup nuts
12 phyllo pastry
6 tb melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and chop spinach. If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out excess water.

Heat oil in a large skillet  and saute spinach until wilted.  Drain cooked spinach in a colander and press out excess moisture with the back of a spoon.  Melt butter in the same skillet on medium heat and saute onions, garlic, scallions until it starts to turn golden. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool. Add spinach, feta cheese, dill, parsley to the cooled onion mixture. Beat egg, yolk and add to spinach mixture . Add in salt, pepper and pine nuts.

I used two sheets of phyllo for three spinach triangles. Smooth out  a phyllo sheet, brush with  melted butter, cover it with a second phyllo sheet , brush again with melted butter, cut to three length wise ( or two if you want bigger triangles) . Add a heaped teaspoon  ( or tablespoon for bigger ones) of spinach filling and fold it to a triangle. Place of a tray and cover triangles with a wet towel or cling wrap.  Brush triangles with melted butter and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until brown. Serve immediately.

Blondies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

I have missed blogging...

I missed picking out things to make, cooking , photographing and posting it.  I have been overwhelmed by certain events for the past six months and this site was one of the casualties.

I have already made two batches of this blondie recipe to ease myself into baking mode again. I  made this other recipe  awhile back but this one is just as good. It is a straightforward recipe that is especially handy when one needs to make something sweet that comes together in the time it takes to heat the oven , with the help of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer of course- can't beat that :))

Blondies with Chocolate Chips & Walnuts -  adapted from Martha Stewart

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  I have used Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips.

2 sticks ( half pound) of unsalted butter 

1cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

 2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour 

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder

 Line 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. 

 Cream butter , both sugars and salt until pale and smooth. Add in eggs ,vanilla extract and mix until combined. Fold in flour, a cup each of  semisweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.  

Pour into prepared baking pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle half a cup each of chopped walnuts and semisweet chocolate chips on top. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden ( insert centre with tooth pick ,it is done if toothpick comes out clean). Cool on a rack and cut into pieces.

Broccoli Stir Fry

Here is a spicy broccoli stir fry recipe that is typical of Sri Lankan cooking. Maldive fish is usally used to enhance the flavour of side dishes. I have listed 1 teaspoon of chilli powder which could be spicy for some , so feel free to reduce it according to your preference. This side dish goes well with rice, naan and curries.


Broccoli Stir Fry
1 large head broccoli - cut small, blanched and drained well.
1 medium onion - finely chopped
3 tb small dried shrimp ( soaked and dried) ( optional)
salt to taste
1 red chili - chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 tb peanut oil


Heat oil in saute pan and lightly caramelize garlic and chopped onions on medium heat. Add chopped chilli, chilli powder, salt and dried shrimp and stir well. Add in blanched broccoli pieces and adjust seasonings. Saute for 1 minute and take off heat. Serve as a side dish.

Banana bread with apricots.

No worries if you have a bunch of bananas past its prime sitting on the kitchen counter. I usually freeze mine - skin and all in a bag until I am ready to bake a loaf of banana bread. So I am ready whenever the I feel the need to bake :)



I have been going through the cookbooks I have accumulated ( instead of being tempted to buy more - but then again I am sure that will happen one of these days) and I must say that Nigella Lawson's recipes always delivers. The apricots helps the loaf stay moist for a few days.


Banana bread with apricots
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1/3 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
120 mg unsalted butter - melted
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring orange juice to a boil, turn off heat and add chopped apricots to it, set aside.
Line a 26cm by 11 cm loaf pan ( medium sized loaf pan) with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt - set aside.

Cream butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add in orange zest and eggs, beat well. Add in sifted flour, apricots with juice, chopped walnuts and mix until combined. Pour dough into prepared load pan and bake in a preheated oven ( 350 degrees) for one hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Zanzibar Chicken Curry

I have not been to the exotic island of Zanzibar but this unpredictable weather in the Northeast has me dreaming of exotic and warmer locales. I have been enjoying the winter wonderland but being cooped up at home once again ( seems like a weekly occurrence) due to treacherous driving conditions can put a damper on the sinful pleasure of staying home from work midweek. Good thing that I had stopped at the store a few days ago in anticipation of yet another snow storm.


Whiz up some onions, garlic, green chillies and ginger, then brown chicken pieces, make a sauce and gently simmer for 20 - 30 minutes minutes. Serve drizzled with chopped basil, green chilies and steamed rice. There is nothing better than warming up with something wonderful and spicy on a snowy day. And I froze the leftovers for when I am not so prepared and find myself stuck at home because of another wintry mix ;)

Zanzibar Chicken Curry - Delicious Magazine
2 tb olive oil
2 tb butter
1 medium sized chicken - cut into 8 pieces
3 garlic cloves
2 medium sized onions
1 tb chopped ginger
2 green chillies - deseeded if you don't want this to be a spicy dish
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
5 cardamom pods - crushed
1 tin of coconut milk
1 1/2 cup water
salt to taste
1 1/2 stewed tomatoes
2 cinnamon sticks

Topping:
1 green chilli (deseeded)- minced
1 bunch basil - chopped

Heat butter and olive oil on medium heat and brown chicken pieces. Place on a platter.
Using a food processor, finely minced onion, ginger, garlic and 2 green chillies.

Use the leftover oil-butter mixture in the pot/saute pan used to brown chicken pieces, saute the onion mixture, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. Add in chicken pieces, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt to taste, tomatoes, water and coconut milk. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. Serve curry sprinkled with chopped chilli - basil mixture with steamed rice.