White Chili

I had white chili for the first time many, many years ago at Timothy’s Cafe and Restaurant in Louisville.  Timothy’s is long gone, but their recipe lives on.  It was published by both Bon Appetit and the Courier-Journal.  The recipe here is based upon the original recipe from the restaurant. 

For the 4 cups of chicken listed in the recipe, you can substitute the chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken, or a bag of rotisserie chicken breast meat from Costco, picked over.

Garnish the chili with grated Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

Makes about 4 1/2 quarts, serving 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilis
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups cooked chicken breast, cut up (4 bone-in skin on chicken breasts will yield about 4 cups of cooked meat)
  

Directions:

1. Saute the onions with the oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven (I used a Le Creuset #26) until tender, about 10-12 minutes.
   
2. Add the garlic, green chilis, cumin, oregano, pepper, and salt and cook for another few minutes.
   
3. Add the chicken stock and 1/2 of the beans.
   
4. Puree the mixture using an immersion blender or by transferring the mixture to a regular blender, until mostly smooth.  This serves to thicken the chili, but you can skip this step if desired.
   
5. Add the rest of the beans and the chicken, and simmer for about 30 minutes.  
   

Roasted Sausages and Grapes

This recipe is from Cucina Simpatica by Johanne Killeen & George German, the owners/chefs of Al Forno in Providence, RI. Al Forno is one of my favorite restaurants ever. This dish is a classic and has been on the menu for over 30 years. It is both easy and delicious.  I was doubtful, Italian sausages and cooked grapes?  Just make it, it is both really delicious and really easy. They suggest serving it with mashed potatoes. I usually serve it with crusty bread, but I think that cheesy polenta would be an excellent side. Leftovers (if you have any) make a great sandwich with some arugula on a crusty pug roll from Blue Dog Bakery.

This serves 6-8, I halved it in the photos here since I was cooking for only two. My husband prefers mild Italian sausages versus the hot. The sausages here came from Red Hog.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds hot Italian sausage (about 4 links)
• 1 1/2 pounds mild Italian sausage (about 4 links)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6-7 cups (2 1/2 pounds) red or green seedless grapes, stems removed
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Parboil the sausages in water to cover for 8-10 minutes to rid them of excess fat.  This may be done ahead.
   
3. Melt the butter in a large flameproof roasting pan, add the grapes and toss well.
   
   
   
   
4. With tongs, transfer the sausages the roasting pan, nestling them down into the grapes.
   
5. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning the sausages half way through, until the sausages have browned.
   
6. Transfer the sausages and grapes to a heated serving platter with a slotted spoon.
   
7. Place the roasting pan over a medium high flame and add the balsamic vinegar.  Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and allow the vinegar and juices to reduce until they are thick and syrupy.
   
   
   
   
8. Pour the sauce over the sausages and grapes, and serve.
   

Lemon Chicken Breasts

This recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?  I’ve made it a lot, because, well, it’s easy.  It’s also delicious.  It can be put together ahead and baked whenever.  The pan juices are great over rice or couscous.

Boneless chicken breasts with the skin on can be harder to find, you will most likely have to go to a butcher shop.  In Louisville, Red Hog Artisan Meat has them in the case, and Fresh Market and Paul's Market both have butchers that will bone a chicken breast and leave the skin on.  Whole Foods might do so as well, but I have never asked.  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic - 9 cloves (I only used 5, seemed enough to me)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest from two lemons
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the juice of one of the zested lemons, it measured about 3 tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of minced thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper
• 4 skin on boneless chicken breasts
• 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil with the garlic in a small pan for a minute or two, but do not let the garlic brown.
   
3. Put the garlic & oil, white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon of salt into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish and stir.
   
4. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up in the dish.
5. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper,
6. Cut the lemon into wedges and tuck among the chicken (I used the second zested lemon for this rather than an additional lemon).
7. Tuck some thyme sprigs among the chicken.
   
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is done (165 degrees) and the skin is browned.  If the skin is not browned, place under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
   
9. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve with the pan juices.  Ina directs you to cover the chicken during its rest, but I prefer not to since the skin will not stay crisp.