Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

Category: poultry (page 1 of 7)

MEATBALLS IN GRAVY

July 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Most Americans are familiar with meatballs but mainly as a pasta dish, as in spaghetti with meatballs. Yet have you ever considered meatballs without the  tomato sauce? And this is where today’s recipe comes in. It’s Meatballs  with Gravy. Simple, enjoyable, and quite delicious. You can serve this dish with buttered egg noodles, or give it an Asian slant and serve it over chow mein noodles. In our crowd, we prefer it with yellow Spanish rice. Either way you’ll have  a great lunch or dinner.

When preparing this entrée, forming the meatballs is what requires thought. In our family we love  BIG meatballs. By that, I mean the size of Spaulding hand balls. Some people like them even bigger. The size of the suckers depends on how large you want them. The recipe given below will  render 48 balls about 1-inch diameter. It will give you 17 balls if you prefer them larger, say 2-inch in diameter. You’re the boss. You you can make them as big as you like. It’s your show.

MEATBALLS IN GRAVY

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¾ cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ teaspoon caraway seed
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup butter
¼ cup flour
3 bouillon cubes (chicken or beef)
2 cups water

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine meat, onion, garlic. bread crumbs, egg, caraway seed, salt and pepper. Mix well, and shape into meatballs whatever size you want (see reference above). I’ve discovered that the best way to form the meatballs is by shaping with wet hands. So, keep hands wet by dipping in water or rinsing under the faucet while making the meat balls.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add meat balls and brown slowly over medium-low heat turning or shaking frequently to brown balls. Depending on size of meat balls, you may have to do this in batches. Once done, remove balls from skillet. Do not clean skillet, leave remaining butter in.
3. Stir flour into skillet. Add bouillon cubes and water.  Cook over medium-low heat until thickened and smooth. Add meatballs, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes until meat balls are hot. Serve immediately with rice or pasta.
Yield: 6-8 servings.

 

 

 

 

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES

July 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine. It’s a dish that I love because of its piquant taste. For all you purists out there, piquant means food that has  a pleasant spicy taste.  With Piccata it’s a sharp taste and appetizing flavor. Being contrary, I attribute this to the lemon in the recipe. To me, chicken piccata means lemon piccata.

What I like about this recipe is that it includes another of my favorites: artichokes. It makes for a pleasing and delicious combination. And it’s great over orzo or any other small pasta shape for soaking up the delicious sauce. We did it, this time, over ditalini,  also referred to as tubettini because it’s shaped like a small tube. In some quarters it’s also known as “salad macaroni.” In my culture i.e. Nuyorican cuisine, it would undoubtedly be served over rice.

Let me add, giving credit where credit is due, this recipe comes Chicken Night (Weldon Owen , Inc.. 2014) by Kate Mcmillan

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1½ pounds
½ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

  1. Cut chicken breasts in half through the thickness (as if you were going to open it like a book, but cut all the way through). Working 1 half at a time, place chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound  with the flat side of a meat pounder or other flat-topped heavy metal object to a thickness of about ¼ inch.
  2.  Pour the flour onto a large plate and season it well with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding, add the chicken and cook, turning once until golden brown on both sides and opaque throughout, about 4 minutes per side.
  3.  Return frying pan to medium-high heat; do not wipe the pan clean. Melt one tablespoon of the butter in the remaining one tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and artichoke hearts and sauté until garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, lemon juice and capers, Reduce heat to medium, bring to a gentle simmer, and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  4. Return chicken to the pan and turn to coat each piece with the sauce. Cook just until is warmed  through,  about 2 minutes. Serve right away.
    Servings: 6

 

HOISIN CHICKEN

June 20, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Hoisin Chicken is a unique dish in the Chinese-American cooking lexicon in that it incorporates hoisin sauce as the major ingredient. In my young manhood, Chinese-American cooking was exemplified by soy sauce.  I remember that when my family went to Friday night diner in our favorite  Chinatown restaurant, we put soy sauce on everything—except dessert, which always consisted of peeled oranges. Our palette has grown sincx then.

In this recipe, we simmer chicken breasts  in a mix of hoisin sauce, dry sherry and, yes,  soy sauce along with the usual spices and bell pepper. Note that you can use whatever bell  pepper (or pimento) you prefer, be it green, red or yellow.. It’s an easy enough dish to prepare, and the usual accompaniment is rice. In lie of rice you can substitute whatever grain you like, be it couscous, quinoa or other, or even pasta. In which case we prefer string pasta such as soba noodles, linguine or spaghetti. But if you want to use penne, macaroni or radiatore, go right ahead. It’s your kitchen and you rule.

HOISIN CHICKEN

Ingredients:

¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry or sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or more if needed)
3 tablespoons peanut oil or olive oil
2 medium  green, red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and slice about ¾-inch thick
2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and finely grated
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced crosswise ¾-inch thick
thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl stir together the hoisin, sherry and soy sauce. Set aside.
  2.  In a large skillet or frypan, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
  3.  Add chicken and cook, stirring until light brown and opaque throughout, 7-8 minutes. Add hoisin mixture and cook, stirring until sauce lightly thickens, 1-2 minutes.  Turn off heat and season with additional soy sauce, if needed.
  4.  Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

SAUCE ALEXANDRE

December 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Today’s recipe, Sauce Alexandre, is simply a mushroom and cream sauce that goes great over poached fish or chicken.

This is not Alexander Sauce, which contains flour, butter, cream, shrimp and crabmeat. Alexander Sauce is part of the French canon of continental sauces.  Sauce Alexandre may, or may not be in that rarified sphere.  I honestly don’t know. This recipe I got from a newspaper clipping years ago. If anyone has more info on this mysterious sauce, please let us know. What I know for a fact is that the sauce is delicious, as noted, specially when served over poached dishes.

Poaching fish or chicken isn’t a big deal. It’s a fairly simple procedure: in a large saucepan or skillet, add ½ cup white wine; ½ onion, peeled and sliced into thin rounds; 2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; ¾ teaspoon oregano and ½ lemon, sliced. Add 4 fish fillets or 2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Add at least 2 inches of water, and then fish or chicken. Heat over medium heat until water is steaming. Cover and poached for approximately 5 minutes for fish and 10 minutes for chicken. You can test the fish once the flesh flakes easily. As for the chicken, it’s done once an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F. in the thickest part of the meat. Note that you can also  reserve the poaching liquid for later use, such  as a light broth or soup base, or you can use it in cooking rice, or with stir-fries vegetables.

SAUCE ALEXANDRE

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ pound mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly (about 3½ cups)
1 tablespoon spoon shallots, peeled and chopped
¼ cup dry whiter wine
1½ cups heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan. Add flour, stirring with a wire whisk. When blended and smooth, add the chicken broth. stirring vigorously with the whisk. Season with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. This is called a veloute.
  2.  Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan or skillet Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms give up their liquid. Stir in the shallots and cook until most of the liquid in the saucepan has evaporated.
  3.  Add the wine and cook until almost all of the wine is reduced. Add the veloute and cream. Stir to blend well. Bring to a boil, adjust seasoning if it needs more salt and/or pepper,
    Yield: About 2½ cups.

CHICKEN QUARTERS WITH BUTTER-VINEGAR DRESSING

September 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is one of those recipes that I’ve created where terminology is left up to the individual. I call it Chicken Quarters with Butter-Vinegar Dressing. The dressing part is simple, just a mix of butter, cayenne pepper and red wine vinegar in which to coat the chicken. The chicken part is more complex. There are chicken thighs, chicken breasts and chicken drumsticks. We all know what they look like. But in my family, back on the block, we loved cooking chicken quarters. To us that was the part of the chicken that entail the drumstick and part of the chicken breast to which it was connected. What we did was cut these quarters from the chicken and cook them in various ways. Our favorite was having it baked and then sauced in the butter-vinegar mix. Yes, you can cook any chicken parts this way, but we enjoyed most the chicken quarters. Two chicken quarters can feed 4 people or, for big eaters, you can have four individual quarters. Now, as then, it’s an easy recipe to prepare with minimal ingredients and a taste that is scrumptious.

CHICKEN QUARTERS WITH BUTTER-VINEGAR DRESSING

Ingredients:

Chicken quarters as described above
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Wash chicken quarters under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Place chicken in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and season thoroughly with  garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 minutes for flavors to develop.
  3.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken skin side up in a baking dish or pan. Cook 15 minutes. Then turn over and cook another 15 minutes or until chicken is golden and crisp.
  4.  In a small pot or pan, melt butter with cayenned pepper over medium heat. Whisk in vinegar and remove from heat. Drizzle chicken with butter-vinegar dressing and serve.
    Yield: 2-4 servings, depending on the diner’s appetite and how many chicken pieces you cook.

STEAMED SALMON FILLETS

August 15, 2023 / / 0 Comments

To my palate, Salmon fillets are a delicate dish to prepare, especially if you’re cooking them in a sauce. A powerful sauce can overwhelm the salmon; but if you steam the salmon as we do in this recipe, it’s flavor and texture come through. In this case we serve it with herbs in a vinaigrette. This is a basic sauce that contains no butter or cream. It’s unique taste comes from a mix of parsley, scallions, chives, tarragon, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.

For this dish, you need a steamer. If you don’t have a steamer, you can improvise by setting a can in large pot or saucepan, filling it halfway with water, placing the seasoned fillets on a plate, placing the plate atop the can, bringing the water to a boil, cover the pot or saucepan and thereby steam the fish. If you have a bamboo steamer, you can use that as well.

This is a wonderful summer dish that can be served hot or cold. This time around we served the dish with boiled potatoes enhanced with butter and dill. Or you can serve the fillets with your favorite side dish, be it a vegetable or a grain such as rice or couscous. As I’ve mentioned many times before, you’re only limited by your imagination.

Also, be aware that any leftover herb vinaigrette sauce goes good with chicken, veal, pork or beef. It’s an all purpose sauce that will enhance any entrée. Or you can serve it for breakfast over eggs and toast. Once you taste the sucker, I’m sure it’ll become part of your culinary routine.

STEAMED SALMON FILLETS

Ingredients:

½ cup chopped fresh chopped parsley
½ cup coarsely chopped scallions, including green part
4 tablespoons coarsely chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced in quarters
4 boneless salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each) rinsed and patted with paper towels
16 large basil leaves

Instructions:

  1. Combine the parsley with the scallions, chives, tarragon, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until mixture is chopped fine. Be aware that over blending will emulsify the texture.
  2. Add the egg and blend briefly until the egg is coarsely blended.
  3. Pour water into the bottom of a steamer. Place fillets on a serving plate that can fit the steamer rack. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Place the plate on the steamer rack. Place 4 basil leaves over each fillet and cover. Bring the water to a boil and steam fillets for 4-5 minutes. Do not overcook. The fish can be served hot or cold.
  4. Transfer the serving plate to the table. Spoon the vinaigrette sauce over the fillets and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

CHICKEN WITH TURMERIC

July 20, 2023 / / 0 Comments

This is one of my creations that I made up up at the spur of the moment. I had a whole chicken on hand, and what to do with it? Well, why not cook it in a sauce that I haven’t done before? Turmeric came to mind. Turmeric, as a spice, and medicine, has been used for thousands of years. As a medicine, it’s  been used for pain management and to aid in digestive issues. It is a major ingredient in curry powder. It’s mildly fragrant and has a slight ginger-like taste. I’ve used it many times to enhance and add color to a variety of dishes So, I paired it on its own with chicken. This result was marvelous: chicken cooked in said  sauce and, as we did it, served over quinoa. You can also serve it with rice or  couscous,  even over pasta. With a light red wine such as Valpolicella, Barbera or Beaujolais (slightly   chilled), it hits the spot.

CHICKEN WITH TURMERIC

Ingredients:

1 fryer chicken, 2½ to 3 pounds, cut into serving pices
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon turmeric

Instructions:

  1. Rinse chickens pieces under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Mix olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Pour over the chicken and rub seasoning thoroughly into chicken parts. Set aside.
  3.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot or saucepan over low heat.
  4.  Add flour and whisk for 5 minutes.
  5.  Add chicken broth, and whisk over medium heat, until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble, about 5-7 minutes.
  6.  Add chicken, tomato paste and turmeric. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.
    Yield: -6-4 servings

SAUTẺED SPLIT CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

June 26, 2023 / / 0 Comments

 

This recipe is something I thought up at the spur of the moment. I had a fryer chicken on hand and figured I needed to do something innovative with it. So why not split the sucker in half and sauté it with mushrooms? (which I also had on hand). The result wasn’t that bad. With rice, or a grain like couscous or quinoa, it makes for a perfect dish. You can even serve it over pasta. If you like the chicken as is, a good crusty loaf of bread would be ideal.

Note that the recipe calls for ¼ cup white wine of your choice. I normally prefer dry white wine. But, if you like something sweeter you can use a rosé, or Rhine wine or, if you have it around and want to splurge, sauterne wine or madeira.

Also, this dish (one chicken) yields 2 servings. In desired, you can double the recipe (with 2 whole chickens) and serve 4.

SAUTÉED SPLIT CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOOMS

Ingredients:

1 whole fryer chicken
½ cup butter
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ pound mushrooms, washed and slice thinly
1 Tablespoon fresh, chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup white wine of your choice (see above)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:

  1. Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Split into halves.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet or frying pan. Add onion and garlic and and sauté over medium heat about 2 minutes.
  3. Add chicken halves, salt, pepper and oregano, and cook, turning, until chicken is browned. If needed, you can add more butter while browning.
  4.  Stir in mushrooms.  Add wine, stir to mix ingredients, cover, lower heat to simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
    Yield: 2 servings.

 

 

GLAZED CHICKEN

June 12, 2023 / / 0 Comments

 

Glazed dishes, especially meats, have become a prominent part of my repertoire.  I discovered this specialty in my young manhood, and I’m still enthralled by it, especially when it comes to chicken. Glazing adds  variety to this particular meat; and the possibilities are endless. Also, it’s so easy to prepare, whether it’s in an oven, broiler or the outdoor grill. Prefect for barbecue.

The following are four glazed chicken recipes. To begin, the chicken is season in the Nuyorican manner: just marinate for 10 minutes  in a mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper; then place in the oven. You can skip this  step, if desired, but I find the seasoning gives the meat an extra zip. While the chicken is baking, you can prepare the glaze. Finish  by basting the chicken with the glaze during the last few minutes of cooking.

BASIC OVEN METHOD

  1. Cut up a 3 pound broiler-fryer chicken into serving pieces,  wash under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  Place in a bowel and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
  3.  Season with 1 tablespoon dried oregano, and salt and black pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes for seasonings to coalesced with chicken pieces.
  4.  Place skin side down in a baking pan or dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. While chicken is baking, mix ingredients for glaze of your choice  in a small bowl (recipes below).
  5. Turn chicken pieces and brush with glaze. Continue baking, uncovered 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is done. Brush with additional glaze every 5 minutes during last ½ hour of cooking.

Apricot Glaze:
½ cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt

Lemon-Honey Glaze:
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon  juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon turmeric

Barbecue Glaze:
½ cup bottle barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Pineapple Glaze:
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
¼ teaspoon salt

Korean-Style Glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Added Note: If barbecuing, bake chicken 30 minutes in a conventional oven, 12 minutes in a microwave oven or 25 minutes in a convection oven. Then transfer to a preheated barbecue grill and brush with glaze. Turn chicken and brush with glaze frequently 15-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

 

 

 

 

 

PECHUGA DE POLLO CON RON (Chicken Breasts with Rum)

May 10, 2023 / / 0 Comments


I always thought there was a classical French cuisine component to this dish. Reason being, it’s partly cooked in a rich white sauce which gives it that smooth, creamy texture. But it has that Caribbean slant to it: we prepare it with rum; and by that I mean Puerto Rican rum. The best there is.

It’s simple enough: halve the chicken breasts, season, dredge in flour and fry until lightly browned. Then simmer with heavy cream. That’s it. The secret ingredient is that you flame the chicken with dark rum to give it that unique taste. Don’t worry about getting tipsy on the booze. The alcohol content disappears and only the sweet rum flavor remains.

Enjoy this one. You won’t be disappointed.

 

PECHUGA DE POLLO CON RON (Chicken Breasts with Rum)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boned
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 tablespoons butter
¼  cup dark rum
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

 1. Rise chicken breasts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Halve chicken breast, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme. Dredge the halves in flour to coat them lightly.
3. Heat butter in a heavy skillet or frying pan over medium heat, adding more butter as needed. Add breasts and sauté until lightly browned
(they do not need to be cooked through to the center).
4. Heat the rum, pour over the breasts and ignite with a match. Add cream, cover skillet and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add paprika and season to taste. Arrange the breasts on a warmed serving platter. Strain the sauce remaining in the skillet over the chicken  and  serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

 

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