Chicken, Fennel, and Artichoke Fricassee

One skillet dishes are the way to go for week night dinners. This recipe came from Martha Stewart Living April 2011 issue. There is incredible flavor in this one-skillet dish. Fennel and red onion intesify the braising liquid, which becomes a pan sauce.

This meal costs about $20 including two bunches of asparagus and polenta I used for sides. I used an organic whole chicken fryer that I butchered into 10 pieces. I also saved the unused chicken parts (carcass, neck bone and innards) and made stock out of it for soup for later use.

Chicken, Fennel, and Artichoke Fricassee

Active time: 25 mins. Total Time 35 mins. Serves 4

1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T EVOO

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges, 1/4 cup fronds reserved

1 can (15 ounces) water-packed whole artichoke hearts, drained

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (I had a yellow onion, either works well).

1 cup of chicken stock

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

3 T fresh flat-leaf parsley (I did not have this to add, but it is optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 1 T of fat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Brown fennel wedges, artichokes and onion in skillet, stirring occasionally 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Return chicken to skillet. Add stock. Transfer to oven. Braise until cooked through 18-20 minutes. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter. reduce braising liquid over high heat to about 1/3 cup. Stir in vinegar. Pour sauce over chicken and top with fennel fronds and parsley.

Roasted Asparagus

Wash and trim 2 bunches of asparagus. Place on baking sheet. Toss with EVOO, salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 15-20 mins. Can cook this at the same time as the chicken.

Polenta

boil 6 cups of water

slowly stir in 1 3/4 cups of polenta

add 1 teaspoon of salt

turn down heat to low to medium heat and stir occasionally.

cook for about 10-15 minutes or until thickened.

add 1-2 T of butter, stir in until melted.

Polenta will thicken/harden as it sits.

Enjoy!

Sushi at Home

One of my favorite healthy foods to eat is sushi. There are plenty of mediocre sushi places in the Bay Area of all price ranges. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely top notch sushi restaurants that offer exceptional quality and variety, but it will cost you about $40+ per person if you really indulge.

Customizing your sushi rolls at home is easy, especially if you have access to fresh sushi grade fish. Two great places to get sushi grade fish is Berkeley Bowl and Tokyo Fish Market, which are both located in Berkeley. Because I needed other items at the store, I decided to walk to Berkeley Bowl for my sushi items. Berkeley Bowl usually only carries sushi grade fish in a couple of fish types: tuna (today: ahi and albacore), salmon and yellow tail. They are all fresh and tasty. Next time I will go to Tokyo Fish Market for a wider selection.

The cost of the fish was about $6 1/2 lb of Hawaiian Albacore Tuna and $4.50 for a 1/2 lb of king salmon. The veggies, rice, nori, wasabi all proportionally cost about $7. This is an inexpensive way to enjoy sushi they way you like it for under $20. Remember to buy sushi grade fish and consume at your own risk! Sushi Rice courtesy of Alton Brown.


The following Sushi Rice recipe courtesy of Alton Brown and Food Network.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
• 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:

Wash a rice two or three times and cook in rice cooker (short grain rice is usually 1 cup of rice to 1 and 1/4 cup of water).

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi

Closing Time at Le Cheval

One of our favorite restaurants, Le Cheval in Oakland, is closing its doors after 25 years. Apparently they were forced to move out of their location at Clay St. and Tenth St. due to an unwarranted eviction by the building's jerkstore landlord, Monica Ung, who's company is under investigation by California State Attorney General and Alameda County District Attorney.

Tracy and I were fortunate enough to be there for Le Cheval's last dinner service -- salty calamari, lemongrass chicken, and their famous beef cubes.

Tracy inquired with an employee from Le Cheval about their closure, and we were pleased to learn that they would be opening a new location at Clay and 11th Street where China Wok Restaurant used to be (underneath Arsimona Bar and Grill). The new location will be significantly smaller (about 100 person capacity compared to 285), and may offer a slightly different menu. Inside Scoop SF's Paolo Lucchesi reports that the new location may be a wine bar called LCX.

So its bitter sweet that they are leaving, but on the bright side, the new location will be opening, and their other locations in Berkeley and Walnut Creek will continue to be open for business.