Spanish Omelette With Potatoes and Chorizo

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Crispy potato and chorizo is a classic Spanish combination, so why not  whisk up your eggs with this quintessential  Spanish sausage  and potato to make a decadent omelette  with a salad on the side that can be served for breakfast lunch or dinner.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ounces Spanish chorizo , sliced into thin half-moons
3/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon whit vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
10 large eggs
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Manchego or sharp Cheddar Cheese
One 8-ounce package baby arugula
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the yellow onion and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon pan contents out and set onion aside. Wipe the skillet using a clean kitchen towel.

In medium saucepan, add water, potatoes and a touch of salt and vinegar and over high heat, bring to a boil. This technique will ensure that the potatoes will maintain their shape without running the risk of breaking down or collapsing when added to the chorizo. Cook the potatoes until fork tender.

Once the potatoes are par-cooked, drain them and heat  1 teaspoon of olive oil a separate cast iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the potatoes, tossing them and stirring them slowly so that they get a chance to build up a nice, even, crisp golden brown crust. Set aside.

In the cleaned out skillet used to cook the onions,  add the chorizo and a pinch of salt. Cook for  3 to 5 minutes as the chorizo will start to sizzle, releasing all its tasty oils and spices. (Note: Mexican chorizo is featured in the pictures below.)

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Photo Credit: The Food Lab

 

Once the chorizo is crisp, return the onions to the skillet and add the potatoes.

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Photo Credit: The Food Lab

 

Place the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper in the blender and mix until very frothy, about 1 minute.

Heat another  large ovenproof skillet  over medium heat and, when hot, add the butter to the pan, swirling to coat. Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet immediately, adding the potatoes, chorizo and cheese, spreading everything out evenly.

Using the rubber spatula, stir continuously and scrape down sides so as to evenly cook the mixture. Once the mixture resembles wet scrambled eggs, after about 30 seconds, use the rubber spatula to smooth the eggs so that they are an even depth throughout.

Place the whole skillet in the preheated oven until the omelette is golden brown on top and just cooked through in the middle.

Cook until almost set, about 10 seconds longer, and use the rubber spatula to fold the omelet in half. Carefully slide the omelette out of the pan onto the plate.

Divide the arugula and red onion among plates and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Cut the omelette into wedges and serve with the salad.DSC01964

Cook’s Notes:

Chorizo (Spanish) or chouriço (Portuguese) is a term originating in the Iberian Peninsula u-shaped-chorizo.jpgencompassing several types of pork sausages. Traditionally, chorizo is encased in natural casings made from intestines, a method used since Roman times.

Chorizo is a Spanish pork sausage in which case it must be cooked before eating. In Europe, it is more frequently a fermented, cured, smoked sausage, in which case it is oftenhorizo.jpg sliced and eaten without cooking, and can be added as an ingredient to add flavor to other dishes. Spanish chorizo and Portuguese chouriço get their distinctive smokiness and deep red color from dried smoked red peppers (pimentón/pimentão).

 

Due to culinary tradition and the high cost of imported Spanish smoked paprika, Mexican chorizo is usually made with native chili peppers of the same Capsicum annuum species, used abundantly in Mexican cuisine. Mexican chorizo is also highly seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and coriander, bright red from a combination of paprika andachiote, and tangy from vinegar and it does not need to be aged or cured. In Latin America, vinegar also tends to be used instead of the white wine usually used in Spain.

08-2014 Chorizo.jpg

Where Spanish chorizo is a firm, raw, dry-cured sausage flavored with smoked paprika and South American chorizos tend to be coarse ground garlicky sausages cooked in their natural casings, Mexican chorizo is that loosely bound, finely ground, by-the-pound, best when browned stuff that you’ll find in the fresh sausages department. It comes stuffed either into natural casings, or, more often than not, into plastic sleeves that need to be sliced and squeezed out before cooking.

 

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor


VINEGAR-BRAISED CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

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Looking for new flavors for a hearty Winter’s meal? Well, this dish features a vinegary blend of vinegars, including a balsamic vinegar reduction, that is used to  perfectly sauteed vegetables such as carrots, onions and mushrooms that will make this chicken dish a new favorite to grace your dinner table. This braised chicken dish has  a rich flavor and it’s perfect at any time of year. Enjoy!

Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 pounds assorted bone-in, skin on chicken pieces
2 pounds mushrooms (cremini, white, or baby bella)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated white sugar, or to taste
5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped or  baby carrots
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 Sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and, in batches, brown chicken on all sides, then transfer to a separate plate and set aside.

Reserving 2 to 3 tablespoons, drain off fat and saute carrots and onions until tender. About 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened, then add crushed garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

Season everything with the thyme, salt and pepper; discard the garlic and  transfer vegetables to the plate with the chicken.

Sprinkle flour into the Dutch oven and cook for  about 1 to 2 minutes, whisking continuously, until pasty and smooth.

Pour in the vinegars, add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Cook mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, then slowly mix in chicken broth.

Return chicken to the pot and add bay leaf, then bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot and let simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as  needed. Remove the bay leaf.

Return vegetables to Dutch oven and serve with reduced sauce.

 

TODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor


Lobster Stuffed Chicken Cushions

 

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The culinary history of chicken cushions have yet to be thoroughly researched, but it is believed that are French  in origin.

The closest cousin of this culinary creation may have been “Paupiettes of Veal” which were made from thin slices of veal approximately 5 in (12 cm) long by 2 inches (5 cm) wide cut from either the cushion or under cushion. After having lightly flattened and trimmed the slices, cover them with a layer of forcemeat in keeping with their preparation, roll up into the shape of a cork, wrap in a thin layer of salt pork fat and tie them round with thread so that they keep their shape while cooking.

330px-Auguste_Escoffier_01The description of the veal  recipe was written by Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846 – 1935)  a French chef,restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmets, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine. Le Guide culinaire was Escoffier’s attempt to codify and streamline the French restauran225px-Guide_culinaire_fr_2001.jpgt food of the day.The first edition was printed in 1903 in French.  The second edition, an abridged English translation was published in 1907 as A Guide to Modern Cookery. By  1912, the third  edition and the current fourth edition were published in 1921, respectively. This usage of the book still holds today; many culinary schools still use it as their culinary textbook.

In any event, I discovered these chicken cushions while on holiday in London and was complete taken by them. My first experience with a chicken cushion was chicken breast, stuffed with a bread filling and neatly wrapped in a slice of bacon. It was amazing.chicken-cushions

With this recipe, I experimented a bit using a lobster stuffing which had spectacular results. It is the perfect dish that you can use to impress your friends and family at your next dinner party.

 

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 steamed lobster (1 1/2 pounds)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1  1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
A Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 ounces fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg yolk
8 boneless chicken  leg and thigh quarters, with skin
8 slices bacon
Olive oil

Special Equipment:
Meat mallet
Kitchen twine

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Position rack in center.

Remove all the meat from the lobster and roughly chop. Set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lobster meat and wine, stir quickly to combine over high heat. Drain mixture, reserving the liquid. Set lobster and scallion mixture aside. Melt remaining better in another skillet. Add flour and cook slowly to make blonde roux, without deep brown coloring or for about 5 minutes. Add reserved liquid to the cream. Cook, constantly stirring until mixture begins to thicken. Stir lobster meat back into the roux, add cayenne and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Add the breadcrumbs and egg yolk;  mix with a wooden spoon. Cover  with plastic wrap and place the lobster filling in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Rinse chicken quarters and pat dry. Put the de-boned chicken  quarters on a large chopping board with the skin downwards. Trim any fat from around the edges. Place the quarters, 1 at a time, between two sheets of waxed paper and gently pound with a meat mallet until about 3/8-inch thick. Remove wax paper and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the lobster filling from the refrigerator.

Spoon the filling in the  center of the chicken. Fold the chicken so that the stuffing is enclosed. Take a slice of bacon and wrap around the circumference of the bundle. Tie with string, like the spokes of a wheel, adjusting the string and patting the chicken into shape to form a round cushion.

Lightly oil a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Place the cushions skin side up in the baking pan. Brush with the oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast in a preheated oven,  at 375°F  for 20 to 35 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes and baste the chicken once or twice with pan juices until a deep golden brown and cooked when tested.

Allow the cushions to cool, remove the string and cut into wedges and serve with your favorite side dishes.

 

Cook’s Notes:

To learn how to de-bone a  whole chicken  see this video at the following link at The Scott Rea Project

To learn how to de-bone a chicken quarter, see the video at the following link: Good To Know