arts & life >> dining in
Passover? Yum!
Yes, we can eat delicious.
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assover begins next week. After all
the soup and fish and salad and what-
not, it's time for "the festive meal:'
And if you haven't already decided which
kugels and potatoes and vegetables you will
offer — including a few fun ways of work-
ing with the "bread of afflictiorf — not to
mention the main dish, here are some of my
favorite options.
CHICKEN WITH HERBED
TOMATOES AND MINT
Chicken:
2 pounds boneless and
skinless chicken breasts
(6-8 breast halves)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Tomatoes:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped red or
Bermuda onions
2 tsp. chopped garlic
3 pints grape or cherry
tomatoes, any color
% cup red wine vinegar
'/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint
leaves, optional
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Sear the chicken: Trim chicken of excess
fat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high
heat until hot. Add the chicken and sear on
all sides until golden. Remove from skillet
to a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10
minutes more. Remove from oven and allow
to rest.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes. Without
cleaning the skillet, add oil, onions and garlic
and heat over medium heat, stirring fre-
quently, for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and
remaining ingredients and saute for about 10
minutes.
Slice chicken diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
and arrange on a serving dish. Spoon the
tomato mixture over and serve. Another
option: Arrange the slices in a baking dish
and spoon the sauce over. Warm for 20 min-
utes in a 250°F oven before serving.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.
Makes 6-8 servings.
CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS
AND ALMONDS
% cup olive oil
2 fryers (6-7 pounds total),
cut into 8 pieces each
Kosher salt and pepper
to taste
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 pounds white or button
mushrooms, sliced
1 cup white wine
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March 26 • 2015
JN
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup slivered almonds,
lightly toasted
Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1
lemon sliced thin for garnish
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high
heat. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry before
adding it to the hot oil. Brown the chicken
pieces on all sides (you will need to do this in
batches). Transfer the chicken to a dish and
set aside.
Add the garlic and mushrooms to the
pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the
mushrooms are soft and give up their liquid.
Add the browned chicken to the pot and
any juices that have accumulated, wine, broth,
almonds and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook the chicken, covered
for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked
through. Remove lid and continue to cook
until the sauce is reduced by half (the sauce
may already be reduced, so no further cook-
ing may be required).
Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve
the chicken with the sauce, mushrooms and
almonds spooned over. Arrange the lemon
slices over the chicken and sprinkle the pars-
ley over all.
Makes 8-12 servings.
BRISKET IN WINE WITH
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
If you love caramelized onions, you may wish
to double the recipe below.
Brisket
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 brisket of beef
(4-5 pounds), much of the fat
trimmed
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
Kosher salt and pepper
to taste
1 can (28 ounces) diced
tomatoes with juice
2 cups red wine, any kind
2 bay leaves
Water
Caramelized onions:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cups thin sliced onion
(about 2 very large onions)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Heat olive oil in large pot or skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the brisket and
brown well on both sides. Place the browned
brisket in a large baking dish. Season it lightly
with salt and pepper. Combine the onions,
garlic, carrots and celery in a bowl and toss
well. Spoon this mixture around the brisket.
Pour the tomatoes and wine over the meat
and place a bay leaf on each side of the beef.