Surprise I’m not a vegetarian! For those of you who don’t know, I have been keeping kosher for about nine months now. This usually means that I cook vegetarian- it’s easier, takes less time, and I can use all the butter I want. But tonight, I was craving some serious protein so I looked to our cookbook cabinet to see what I could make.
A few months ago I found “The Jewish Cookbook” published by the New York Times. This is definitely Yenta and Bubby’s cooking guidebook. There are almost 1,000 recipes of Jewish classics. It is also great for kosher-keepers and non kosher-keepers alike. All the recipes say whether they’re dairy, meat or pareve (non-dairy). The layout is also extremely organized and the array of different dishes is very exciting for an eager cook like me.
I turned through the pages. Salads and soups, fishes and beef. Finally I came upon a chicken recipe that looked simple enough and didn’t require me to do any super market shopping at the late hour of 10 p.m. The recipe is called Onion Smothered Chicken. YUM.
Onion- Smothered Chicken
1 (3 pound) chicken, cut in serving pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large sweet onions, diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon minced flat leaf parsley
Season raw chicken pieces with salt and pepper and brown them in oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat. After they have browned, remove the pieces and add in the onions and cook over medium low until they are translucent. Then add chicken back to the pan with the cumin, coriander, paprika, chopped garlic, lemon juice and stock. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn chicken half way through. After 30 minutes, check to be sure that the chicken is all the way cooked. Raw chicken is a no no.
To serve, place chicken on a plate on top of couscous or rice. Spoon out the onion mixture onto the chicken and garnish with parsley.
*When I made this dish, I used two chicken breasts. They were about 1 pound so I cut the entire recipe into thirds.
I know what you’re thinking. Yikes. Coriander, cumin, paprika?! These are spices I don’t typically use when cooking. They intimidate me because they are spices that are actually spicy. This dish has definitely helped me face my fear. The spices aren’t too overpowering in the dish but they definitely give it an added kick. While the flavor is different from thyme, parsley and mint- herbs that I’m extremely familiar with and use all the time- it is unique and equally as delicious. The couscous is a really great balance to the chicken because it absorbs a lot of the sauce and makes the spices just that much milder. If you’re really scared about the chicken being too overpowered, add in some extra stock.
My favorite part about this dish is probably how my apartment smells right now. Deep in the heart of Chinatown, my apartment smells like I’m in somewhere in the Middle East. Aside from the aroma, the actual meal was delicious. The chicken was extremely juicy and tender and the sauce was very fragrant. Even if you don’t keep Kosher, this is a great meal to make. It is pretty quick considered you’re cooking raw chicken and it is really filling when you’re hankering for a big hunk-o-protein.
Lesson learned: taking risks in the spice rack is worth it.
Just wanted to remind you all that THURSDAY NIGHT is our big launch party. Don’t forget that you can win awesome prizes from our raffle and all the money we raise is going to share our strength. To donate, click on the yellow donate button on the page. For more information about prizes, visit our facebook event page here!
Bon Eating!
Ariel
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