Oven Cooked Brown Basmati Chicken Biryani

 

A one-pot dish made with brown basmati rice, chicken, fresh spices and herbs that is cooked in the oven so no fussing required. Original recipe link below is for an instant pot. I did mine in an enamel cast iron dutch oven, from start to finish.

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 80 mins total for BROWN RICE

Servings: 8

Calories: 503 kcal

Author: Archana Mundhe (Adapted from Ministry of Curry Website.)

Ingredients

Marinade

    ▢ 2 teaspoons garam masala Add 3 teaspoon for spicier Biryani

    ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger grated

    ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced

    ▢ 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder

    ▢ ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

    ▢ ¼ cup mint leaves

    ▢ ¼ cup cilantro chopped

    ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice

    ▢ ¾ cup plain yogurt

    ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt

    ▢ 2 pounds boneless chicken skinless cut into 2 inch pieces

 

Other Ingredients

    ▢ 4 tablespoons ghee divided (I used mix of butter and EVOO)

    ▢ 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced

    ▢ 2 bay leaves

    ▢ 3 cups brown Basmati rice

    ▢ 2 teaspoon kosher salt

    ▢ 3.5 cups water

    ▢ 1 teaspoon saffron mixed in 1 tablespoon warm milk

    ▢ 6 eggs hard boiled and shelled, optional

    ▢ 1 jalapeno sliced into 8 wedges optional for extra spicy **

 

Raita

    ▢ 2 cups plain yogurt

    ▢ 1 medium yellow onion finely diced

    ▢ 2 tomatoes diced

    ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

    ▢ 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

 

Instructions

    Make Marinade by mixing garam masala, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric, mint leaves, half of the chopped cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt. Add chicken and coat evenly with the marinade. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

    While the chicken is marinating, preheat oven to 350. Wash and soak the basmati rice in water. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

    Heat up enameled cast iron dutch oven. Add half of the ghee and add thinly sliced onions. Cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes (LOL – onions do not brown in 10 minutes!) or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized. Take out half of the onion and keep aside for garnishing the biryani. Note: I used extra onion because, why not?

    Add the remaining ghee to the Instant Pot with half of the caramelized onions already in the pot. For extra spicy Biryani add sliced jalapeno. Add bay leaves and the marinated chicken and the liquid from the marinade. Turn down the heat to medium, deglazing the pot with a spatula to take out all the browning of the pot from sautéing the onions. Once all the browning on the pot is completely removed, cook for about 5 minutes.

I added some vegetables while sautéing the chicken – sliced mushrooms and peas to make it a one pot meal, but this is entirely optional.

    Drain the rice and gently pour it over the chicken. Add salt and saffron-milk mixture. Add water and gently push all the rice under the liquids. Do not stir. Bring all to boil and then turn off heat.

Cover pot with tin foil and then place lid on firmly. Place in oven and set timer for 50 minutes. Check rice at the end of the timer. It should be cooked through and ready to eat.

   

    Garnish with the remaining caramelized onions. Serve with Raita, hard-boiled egg, and lemon wedges.

 

Raita

To make the raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, and mix well. Garnish with cilantro. 

Notes

Original recipe calls for adding the milk saffron mixture as a garnish. I added it with rice. I could see doing both, but not adding it only as a garnish.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1249mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 520IU | Vitamin C: 5.7mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Cacio e pepe, the Italia Squisita Chef's "Foolproof" method

 I think Alton Brown's method of making a paste and then adding the pasta and water is excellent, but you've got to at least listen to this guy: 

Cacio e Pepe: Original vs. Foolproof vs. Gourmet with Luciano Monosilio | Answering Babish

He cheats and uses cornstarch, but says this is what he serves in his restaurant due to time and volume constraints! This method starts about 6 minutes in on the video.

Cacio e pepe infallibile/follproof

Spaghetti 240 g

Grana padano cheese 150g g

Pecorino romano/Pecorino cheese 120g

Olio EVO/EVO oil 20 g

Maizena/Corn Starch 5g

Pepe nero/Black pepper 2g

Acqua 50ml

Cacio e Pepe - Alton Brown

 Source: Cacio e Pepe - Alton Brown

Yield: 4 servings

Software

• 3 cups finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving if desired
• 1 pound dry spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Cold water, for cooking the pasta

Procedure

• Combine 2 3/4 cups (100 grams) of the Pecorino, all of the Parmesan, the olive oil, and the 2 tablespoons (14 grams) pepper in a large, deep mixing bowl. Work the ingredients together with the back of a wooden spoon until a thick paste forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you cook the pasta.
• Combine the pasta and salt in a 3-quart, straight-sided sauté pan. Add enough cold water to just barely cover the pasta and measure 1 1/2 inches deep total. Cover, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, about 10 minutes.
• When the water reaches a boil, remove the lid and decrease the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Stir the pasta every minute or so, making sure the ends of the noodles stay submerged and that they aren't sticking together.
• After the pasta has been simmering for 5 minutes, ladle 1 cup of the cooking water into a measuring cup, then slowly drizzle 3/4 cup of that water into the cheese paste, mixing until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• At this point, check the pasta for doneness; you want it to be just barely al dente as there'll be some carryover cooking in the next step. If it isn’t al dente, continue to check on the pasta every 30 seconds until you are happy with it.
• Use tongs to lift the pasta out of the cooking water and allow to briefly drain before adding to the bowl with the cheese paste. Grasp the pasta with the tongs and stir and toss vigorously for 2 minutes. (Really use a lot of elbow grease here — this is not a light toss.) The pasta will continue to release starch and the sauce will emulsify. After around 1 1/2 minutes, you will see cheesy water magically transform into a proper sauce. If you find your sauce clumping, add a bit more of the reserved pasta water and continue working the pasta.
• Portion the pasta into four bowls, top with the remaining Pecorino and additional black pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

Chef Matt Finarelli's Orzo with Roasted Veg

 Chef Matt puts on great virtual cooking classes that we highly recommend. We've done several, but I think hands down this recipe is our favorite!

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

A fabulous summer pasta salad, this dish will keep for several days.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 ea                  small eggplant – peeled and cut into ½” cubes

1 ea                  red bell pepper – cut into ½” cubes

1 ea                  yellow bell pepper – cut into ½” cubes

½ ea                 red onion, peeled and cut into ½” dice

3 cloves            garlic – minced

⅓ cup               extra virgin olive oil

1½ tsp              kosher salt

½ tsp                freshly ground black pepper

½ lb                 orzo

Dressing:

⅓ cup               freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 tsp                 kosher salt

½ tsp                freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup               extra virgin olive oil

Final Assembly:

4 ea                  scallions – sliced

¼ cup               pine nuts – toasted

½ lb                 feta – crumbled by hand

15 leaves          basil – chiffonade

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425° F. Toss eggplant, bell peppers, red onion, and garlic with olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and spread onto a large baking sheet. Roast in oven until browned – about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Cook orzo in boiling salted water until tender. Drain, toss with a little olive oil, and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
• While orzo is cooking and vegetables are roasting, make vinaigrette by combining lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly add in olive oil to emulsify the vinaigrette. Set aside.
• To assemble salad, combine orzo and roasted vegetables in a large bowl. Add the scallions and pine nuts and toss with about ½ of the vinaigrette. Add the feta and toss again – adding as much vinaigrette as needed to get the flavor you want. Toss with basil and serve.

Pro Home Cooks- Neapolitan pizza making

Source: A master class in neapolitan pizza making (full breakdown) – Pro Home Cooks

YouTube Source: One Guy Changed My Pizza Game Forever

Poolish: START THE NIGHT BEFORE

Ingredients:

• 200 grams of water
• 5 grams of honey
• 5 grams of yeast
• 200 grams of 00 or AP flour

Instructions:

1. In a large container add the water, honey, and yeast. Mix to dissolve the yeast.
2. Next, add in the flour and mix until there are no dry spots. Let it sit for 15 minutes, uncovered.
3. Seal it and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. Place in the fridge overnight or anywhere from 16 – 24 hours but nothing more otherwise it will become acidic.

Pizza Dough:

Ingredients:

• Poolish, recipe above
• 300 grams of Manitoba flour or bread flour
• 200 grams of 00 or AP flour
• 300 grams of water
• I think this dough was too wet to slip off a peel, so would cut this back next time.
• 20 grams of salt

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl add all of the poolish, bread flour, and 00 flour.
2. In a measuring cup add in water and salt. Mix to dissolve salt.
3. Integrate the flour into the polish while adding the water little by little.
4. You should have a very wet dough once all of the water has been added.
5. Now, dump out the dough onto a clean surface and start working it. Click the video to see how Vito does it.
6. After, you have worked the dough you should be left with a more cohesive yet shaggy dough. Cover it with a little bit of oil and let it sit for 15 minutes.
7. Now, gently detach the dough from the counter and shape into a tight bowl.
8. Cover with olive and a damp towel. Let it sit for 1 hour.
9. Now, that the dough is ready. Cut into 250 – 280 gram pieces. Gently shape into a ball. Click here to see how Vito does it!
10. Place the dough balls onto a baking tray, keeping them four fingers apart.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 – 2 hours.
12. Now, you are ready to make some pizza.

Pizza Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
• Handful of salt
• Chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.
2. Crush the tomatoes by hand and make sure to leave some chunks of tomatoes. Set aside.

Making the Pizza:

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough, recipe above
• Pizza sauce, recipe above
• Fresh mozzarella, cut into equal sized cubes
• Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Dust your dough ball with some flour and using a small spatula, gently lift out the dough into a bowl of flour. Wrap the rest of the dough balls so they don’t dry out and put them away.
2. Dredge the dough ball in some flour then transfer to your work surface. Take the dough ball that is now coated in flour and press out the dough. See how Vito does it here.
3. Then spoon the sauce right in the center and gently swirl it out. Grate some parmesan on top, followed by mozzarella, basil, and olive oil.
4. Using a pizza peel, transfer the pizza to your oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
5. To finish off the pizza, grate some more parmesan over top, top with torn basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Milk Street: Soft Polenta

INGREDIENTS

2 cups coarse stoneground yellow cornmeal (see note)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven, whisk together

the cornmeal, 1½ teaspoons salt and 11 cups water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high,

stirring frequently to prevent clumping. Transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the oven. Carefully whisk until smooth and use a wooden spoon to scrape along

the bottom and into corners of the pot. Return, uncovered, to the oven and cook until the cornmeal is

thick and creamy and the granules are tender, another 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the cornmeal

used.

Remove the pot from the oven. Vigorously whisk the polenta until smooth and use the wooden spoon

to scrape the bottom, sides and corners of the pot. Let stand for 5 minutes. e polenta should thicken

just enough for a spoon to leave a brief trail when dragged through; whisk in additional water if needed

to adjust the consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Goes great with the Milk Street Tuscan Beef!

Both recipes from this episode of Milk Street TV.

Milk Street: Tuscan Beef And Black Pepper Stew (Peposo Alla Fornacina)

 6 to 7 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch Chunks

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons c extra-virgin olive oil

1 Large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

12 Medium garlic cloves, peeled

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 Sprigs rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

2 Cups dry red wine

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Place the beef in a large bowl, sprinkle

with 1½ teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons pepper, then toss.

 

In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook,

stirring, until the onion is lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring,

until the paste begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Nestle the beef and rosemary sprigs in the onion

mixture, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours.

 

Remove the pot from the oven. Stir, then return to the oven uncovered. Cook until a knife inserted into

a piece of beef meets no resistance, another 1 to 1½ hours.

 

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a medium bowl. Set a ‚ne mesh strainer over a fat separator

or a medium bowl. Pour the meat juices into the strainer and press on the solids to push them through

the strainer; discard any solids le behind.

 

Pour the wine into the now-empty pot and bring to a boil over medium-high, scraping up any browned

bits. Reduce to medium and simmer until the wine is syrupy and reduced to 1 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you strained the meat juices into a bowl, use a spoon to skim off and discard the fat from

the surface.

 

Pour the defatted meat juices into the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring

occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Return the beef to the

pot, add the minced rosemary and stir gently. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally,

until the meat is heated, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons pepper, then taste and season with salt.

"Bittman Bread" Whole Wheat Sourdough Recipe Summary

This is a summary from the Bittman Bread book. I found it very difficult to follow in the book itself, so put this together as a handy cheat sheet. The book still has some great suggestions, detailed instructions, and helpful pictures so I highly recommend it.

1.       Jump Starter: 8 to 12 hours

100 g whole-wheat starter

100 g water

100 g whole-wheat flour

Leave for 8 to 12 hours.

Feed starter.

2. . Dough.

200 g whole-wheat flour

110 g water

Cover and sit for one hour.

 

3. 3.  Season/salt.

Sprinkle with 7 g salt.

Using wet hands, incorporate the salt into the bread. This will take multiple sessions with wet hands each time.

            I think this is too wet. And I think I might cheat and sprinkle on some yeast here, too!                              Alternative is to up my starter game and get it going a few days before attempting this!

Rest 15 to 30 minutes.

 

4. 4.  Fold.

Fold every 30 minutes, four times. Add water as tolerated.

Wetting hands as water.

Pictures of the book show that when the dough appears to be sweating or misty, it has reached its limit.

 

5. 5.    Bake.

                Place pizza steel on bottom rack.

Line pot with parchment paper.

Place dough into the pot and rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

Dust the dough if desired and make a slash.

Move the pot to the oven, one rack up from the steel.

Start oven at 485°, and set the timer for 30 minutes.

At 30 minutes, remove the lid.

Set the timer for 10 minutes and check the bread every 5 to 10 minutes thereafter.

When dark, remove the dough and reduce oven to 400.

Place the dough back into the oven either on the steel or on the rack.

Bread is done at 205 to 210°.

Move to cooling rack.

 Final bread should be about 650 grams.

Pickled Red Onions - Rick Bayless

 Pickled Red Onions - Rick Bayless

INGREDIENTS

2medium (6-ounces each) red onions, sliced about ¼-inch thick Abouta cup of fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Scoop the onions into a glass or stainless bowl.  Cover with very hot tap water.  (The water should be steaming; if yours isn’t heat it a little on the stove.)  Let stand 20 minutes, then drain. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Cover with the lime juice and lay a plate on top to keep them submerged.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate 3 or 4 hours (or, preferably, overnight).  Scoop the onions into a storage container, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a month or more.  After a few weeks, the texture of the onions will begin to deteriorate.  

YouTube Video here.

“Spagliato” Granita

“Spagliato” Granita from "The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends" by Stanley Tucci, Felicity Blunt. Start reading it for free: https://a.co/dCxrf8T

Serves 6

3.5 ounces prosecco

1.5 ounces Campari

3.5 ounces red vermouth

Juice of 4 oranges

1 tablespoon superfine sugar

Negronis are a favorite cocktail of Felicity’s. This light, bright granita with the added lift of prosecco is something we love to serve after a dinner party. Spagliato means “spoiled,” denoting that it is a Negroni made with prosecco instead of gin. Mix all the ingredients together in a shallow glass dish and put it in the freezer. As it freezes, use a fork to break up the ice crystals that start to form on the edges of the container and move them into the center. Ideally, you want to create a mass of snow-like flakes. It should take 3 to 4 hours in all. Don’t forget about it, but don’t let it dominate your day—as long as you fork it up every half hour or so, all will be well.

A KFC Chicken Seasoning Recipe from Glen and Friends Cooking

For the details, including why he doesn't give the proportions, watch his video.

Ingredient list:

Fine Salt

Fine Ground Black Pepper

Coarse Ground Black Pepper

Cracked Black Pepper

Fine Ground White Pepper

Allspice / or / Summer Savoury

Ground Coriander

Ground Ginger

MSG

Rubbed Thyme

Ground Sage 

Rubbed Marjoram

Per Glen:  Of course there is more than just the spice mix; if you want that old school taste, you need to use a low protein flour, dip in an egg and milk wash, and pressure fry in hydrogenated cotton seed oil.

Pecan and Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe from The Kitchen Magpie (aka Cowboy Cookies)

I added the weights for ease of preparation. Bar cookie option at bottom.

Ingredients

• 1 cup salted butter
• 1 cup white sugar (200 g)
• 1 cup brown sugar (170 g)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups flour (150 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flaked coconut (170 g) (I used unsweetened from Indian grocery store to cut the sweetness a bit.)
• 2 1/2 cups large flake oats (225 g)
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (255 g)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted (coarsely chopped) pecans (180 g) (Could increase these a bit if skipping the chocolate chips.)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Cream the butter and sugars together with a mixer until light and fluffy. 
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time until combined. Add in the vanilla, mix in.
• Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing thoroughly. Add the oats, combine. 
• Stir (by hand) in the coconut, pecans and chocolate chips until combined. (I did this all with the KitchenAid.)
• Form into balls and place onto baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
• Remove and let cook on the baking sheets for 10 minutes then place onto wire baking racks to cool completely.

Bar cookie option: Spread in 13 x 9 pan lined with parchment, bake at 350 for about 28 minutes. They were still jiggly when they came out but getting golden around edges. 

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal