Leave the Gun, Take the Cannellini...

Ok, so maybe the famous line from the Godfather was about dessert and not beans. Nevertheless, I believe that these Italian gems could pull off the job as an ambassador of peace just as well. Here they are thrown in Chicken Chili to add a light creamy texture (not to mention fiber and protein).

Enjoy!
(empty bowls: a very good sign)

2 lbs. Chicken (chopped into bit size pieces)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
3 Cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed
32oz Chicken Stock
1 Small Can Green Chilies
1 Jar (or 2 cups) good Salsa
1 Handful Chopped Cilantro (or Parsley)
1 tsp. Cumin
8oz Light Sour Cream
8oz Shredded Cheese (whatever you like...cheddar, jack, or a blend)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Corn Chips

In a large stockpot over med-high heat, cook the chicken and onions in the olive oil for about 5 min. Add the garlic and cook 10 more min. Add the beans, stock, chilies, salsa, cumin, salt, and pepper . Simmer 25 min. Stir in the cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve over crushed corn chips.

Chicken Legs: not just for beer-bellied men and 12yr old girls

Tender and Crisp Chicken legs with Sweet Tomatoes

Thanks to my new best friend in the Kitchen, Jamie Oliver, I was still able to make a few very simple meals while bed ridden this past month. His cookbook Jamie's Dinners* is now among my favorites. The best part is that he writes exactly how I want to cook (a wineglass of this and a handful of that). Unlike so many recipes that pretend to give you such liberty and then result in tasteless mediocrity, Jamie truly sets you free to play with the recipe, sub-out ingredients, and learn to love, and even more importantly, become comfortable in your kitchen.

• 4 chicken legs, preferably free-range or organic, jointed**
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• 2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
• olive oil

optional:
• 1 x 410g tin of cannellini beans, drained
• 2 handfuls of new potatoes, scrubbed

"Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours***, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

If you fancy, you can add some drained cannellini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan and cook them with the chicken. Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish – remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once."

*Official review to soon follow
**I just use good old drumsticks
***I typically cook this a bit closer to 2 hrs.

Chicken Soup

In January it’s so nice, while slipping on the sliding ice,

To sip hot chicken soup with rice.

Slipping once, sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice.

In February it will be my snowman’s anniversary,

With cake for him and soup for me!

Happy once, happy twice, happy chicken soup with rice.

In March the wind blows down the door and spill my soup upon the floor.

It laps it up and roars for more.

Blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice.

In April I will go away, to far-off Spain or old Bombay,

And dream about hot soup all day.

Oh my once, oh my twice, oh my chicken soup with rice....

Visiting my Grandparents as a child, I often remember a collection of books that they had saved out just for us. One of my all time favorites was this little book by Maurice Sendak. Having not thought about it for the past 20 years or so, I was surprised to have the memory come back so vividly while cooking dinner a few nights ago. After I recovered from my nostalgic journey, I sat there trying to think what had rekindled this particular memory. There was the obvious: I was indeed cooking chicken soup that night, but I wondered why it had never come to mind the many times I'd had the soup before. The conclusion? I realized that I had never once made chicken soup. However, as Trevor was starting to come down with the flu, it seemed to be the perfect dish.

1 Whole chicken (quartered)
4-5 Carrots, cut into bit-sized pieces
3 ribs of celery, diced
4-5 tomatoes, diced
3 Cloves garlic, smashed
1 Lemon (squeezed)
handful of parsley
1 t. thyme
1/2t. cayenne pepper (just enough to help with the ol' sinuses for flu victims)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb. pasta, cooked and drained (can sub out rice, barley, or a combo)

In a large stock pot, throw in the chicken, carrots, celery, 'matoes, lemon, and seasonings and cover 2-3" with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the stove to med-low for 1hr 15min. Fish out the chicken (salad tongs work really well), and allow to cool. De-meat the chicken (recommended tool - clean hands), piecing it into strips and return the meat to the pot. Add the pasta, check for seasonings, and you're set to go!***

***Tip: As one of the best times to consume this dish is while under-the-weather, and I never seem to want to do anything while sick, it's really smart to freeze or can this soup for future rainy days.