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

Chicken, Fennel, & Artichoke Fricasee

Tonight, Tracy made an incredible one-skillet dish. She literally took a page out of Martha Stewart's magazine -- April 2011 issue of Living.

B Restaurant in Old Town Oakland

I've got a new favorite restaurant in Oakland -- it's B Restaurant. Tracy and I have been there a few times now, and it hits the spot every time. The ambiance is great, and its situated in Old Town Oakland (9th Street between Clay and Broadway), which is urban without being ghetto.

What we usually order:

• Truffle Fries    $6
• Perfectly fried potatoes tossed with parsley and truffle oil.
• P.E.I. Mussels - bacon, smoked gouda broth, rosemary foccacia   $14
• The idea of a smoked gouda broth sounds odd, but is super tasty without being heavy.
• Lamb Sugo - braised lamb, mostaccioli pasta, carrots, onions, tomatoes, ricotta salata   $12 small/ $19 large
• I love saucy braised meats, and this hits the spot every time. The thick chewy pasta complements the texture of the chunks of lamb.

They also have some pretty good wood-fired pizzas which we've had a couple times. The host, bartender and wait staff are all very professional, personal, and inviting. So come check it out for dinner some time soon. They're only open for dinner.

UPDATE: I just bought three $40 gift certificates on Living Social, for only $20 each, so we'll be going there several more times for sure.

Feeling Crabby

Tracy's been in a crabby mood the last few weeks, which found us almost having to wait for nearly two hours at PPQ Dungeness Island on Clement Street in San Francisco. Fortunately, we made a call to Yummy Yummy on Irving and they saved us a seat. I don't see the big fuss over waiting such so long for crab. I remember being quoted a wait time of 3 hours at Boiling Crab in San Jose last year.

Crab boils are pretty simple. You buy a live crab (like Ferdinand here), and throw him in the freezer for a bit so gets nice and comfy. Later, boil a huge pot of water and season it (there are tons of different crab boil seasoning recipes, just google it). Boil for 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Throw in some of your other accoutrements like chopped corn on the cob, potatoes, onion, or sausage. Once Ferdinand starts floating, go a couple more minutes and you're good.

For that "I just waited for 3-hours for this" restaurant feel, put some butcher paper down over your dining table, and dump the strained crab and goodies onto the table and dig in.