Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie 
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pot-Pie-IX/Detail.aspx

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth + enough to boil chicken in
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (we prefer trader joe's)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parmesan
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eggplant-Parmesan-II/Detail.aspx

• 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup dried basil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Roasted butternut squash soup with apples and bacon

Roasted butternut squash soup with apples and bacon 

This recipe comes from Mark Bittman of the New York Times.  It's the best soup I've ever had.  I strongly suggest making/buying some fresh bread (we had thick-sliced asiago cheese bread from panera) to go with it.

• 1 butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 4 bacon slices, or one 1/2-inch-thick strip slab bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water

Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread the squash, onion, apples, bacon and garlic in a deep roasting pan or on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil.

Roast, stirring every now and then, until the squash, onion and apples are tender and browned and the bacon is crisp, which takes about 45 minutes.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven.

Stir in the sage and white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom.

If you're using a roasting pan that can be used on the stovetop, position the pan over 2 burners and put both on medium heat. Otherwise, transfer the contents of the pan to a large pot or Dutch oven and set it over medium heat.

Add the stock and cook until the squash, onion and apples break apart and thicken and flavor the broth, which takes about 25 minutes. You can help the process along by breaking the mixture up a bit with a spoon.

Turkey Gravy

1. Bring 4 cups turkey stock to a boil in medium pot.  Remove from heat, keep warm
2. Melt 4 TBSP unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour.  Whisk until it turns golden brown and smells slightly toasted.
3. Gradually whisk in the turkey stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4. Add 2 bay leaves or 1 sprig thyme.  Toss in some umami flavor with porchini mushrooms and 2 TBSP madiera wine.  Season with salt

Naan

Shamelessly stolen from Serious Eats

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume
2. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate and oil the grill grate.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Place dough on grill, and cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared

Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Olives and Lemon

• 2.25lbs chicken thighs
• Coarse salt
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1.25 cups chicken stock
• 12 baby fingerling potatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• .5 cups green olives (we used kalmata)
• 1 small lemon, washed and cut into wedges
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Season chicken with salt
3. Heat a lodge cast iron skillet on medium high heat with oil
4. Cook chicken for 5 minutes, then flip and push to the side
5. Add 1 cup stock and 1/2 tsp salt
6. Add potatoes, bring to a boi
7. Add garlic, olives, lemon wedges and thyme, return to a boil
8. Put the skillet in the oven, cook for 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes after 15
9. Return to stovetop, add cornstarch and remaining stock, bring to a boil
10. Serve

Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon

• 2 pieces Salmon
• 4 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 TBSP mustard
• 1 TBSP soy sauce

1.  Preheat over to 425F
2. Mix non-salmon ingredients
3. Lay out one piece of aluminum foil for each piece of salmon, and place the salmon inside, skin side down
4. Spread the sauce on top of the salmon
5. Close the aluminum foil
6. Bake for 10 minutes
7. Change the oven to high broil
8. Open up the aluminum foil
9. Broil for 2 minutes
10. Serve