Pan Roasted Turkey Breast w/ Gravy

SERVES 2

If using kosher or self-basting turkey, do not brine. If brining the turkey, do not season with salt in step 1. Often, boneless turkey breast halves are sold in elastic netting; be sure to remove the netting before brining or cooking. You can substitute a single 4 to 4½-pound boneless turkey breast here but you will need to increase the roasting time to about 1½ hours.

2 (2-pound) boneless turkey breast halves (see note) trimmed, tied, and brined if desired
Salt and pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 onion chopped (about 1 cup)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups low-sodium beef broth

    1.    Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the turkey breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay the turkey breasts in the skillet and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes, turning as needed and reducing the heat if the pan begins to scorch. Transfer the turkey breasts to a plate.
    2.    Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened and browned lightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
    3.    Lay the turkey breasts, skin-side up, on top of the vegetables. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the thickest part of the breasts registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 50 to 60 minutes.
    4.    Using potholders (the skillet handle will be hot), remove the skillet from the oven. Transfer the turkey breasts to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest while making the gravy.
    5.    Being careful of the hot skillet handle, return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broths, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the gravy has thickend and reduced to about 3 cups, 30 to 35 minutes.
    6.    Strain the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer and season with salt and pepper to taste. (To make White Turkey Chili, reserve 1¼ pounds of the turkey breasts and refrigerate in a separate airtight container for up to 3 days.) Remove the twine, cut the turey breasts crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices, and serve with the gravy.

Greek Chicken & Rice Soup

long-grain rice, 1 cup
chicken broth or stock, 3 cups (chopped)
skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, about 1½ lb
cornstarch (cornflour), 1 tsp
egg yolks, 3
lemon juice, from ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the rice and chicken.
Prepare the rice according to the package directions and set aside. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the chicken, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Make the lemon-egg mixture.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water until combined. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice. When the egg yolk mixture is just warm, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and then 1 cup of the warm broth. Raise the heat to medium and continue to whisk until a thick sauce has formed, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Finish the soup.
Return the pan holding the broth and chicken to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon-egg mixture while whisking constantly; the soup will thicken slightly. Stir in the rice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

SERVES 4

Conclusion: This was a really quick recipe to make, and probably really easy, too, if you know how to cook. I certainly would have fucked this sideways if I hadn't had Sam around to advise me. Even though I didn't think chop up the chicken before cooking (because the recipe says nothing about that part), and tried to cook it in a pot without enough broth, Sam was able to undo any damage I may have caused. I would definitely recommend using less chicken then it asks for, but I usually feel that way about most recipes. Either way, it turned out DELICIOUS and I'm sure it will be even better next time.

Skirt Steak Stroganoff

2 pieces skirt steak (6 ounces ea.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp minced peeled shallots
2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, sliced 1¼ in. thick
¼ cup homemade beef stock or canned broth
¼ cup crème fraîche
2 tspn tomato purée
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


1. Season the steaks lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium-size heavy skillet, and sauté the steaks until browned on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside, 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Transfer the steaks to a plate and keep warm.
3. Pour off the fat from the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and sauté the shallots and mushrooms over medium heat until just softened, 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the stock, crème fraîche, tomato purée, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over high heat until slightly thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add any juices that have accumulated from the steaks.
5. Quickly slice the steaks across the grain and at an angle, into thin strips. Pour the sauce over them and serve.

Serves 2.

Conclusion: This is the most amazing recipe for beef stroganoff ever. It's pretty much our favorite meal that we cook. I grew up eating beef stroganoff and when I moved out I tried recipe after recipe but I just wasn't satisfied. My boyfriend (Sam)'s mom just decided to buy him a cookbook for Christmas one year, and this is the only recipe we've used from it. It's beats the shit out of my mom's recipe.

Italian Chicken w/ Rotini

1 lb boneless chicken cutlets
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbspn extra virgin olive oil
1 tbspn roasted garlic
1/4 white wine
12 oz. tri-color rotini pasta
1 (26 oz.) jar tomato/basil pasta sauce

1. Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to a boil on high for pasta.
2. Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with seasoned salt and Italian seasoning (wash hands). Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken (wash hands); cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
3. Stir pasta into boiling water. Boil 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until tender.
4. Add roasted garlic and wine to chicken; cook 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165º F. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.
5. Meanwhile, drain pasta and return to same pan. Stir in pasta sauce; cook on medium-high 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until thoroughly heated. Serve chicken over pasta.

Serves 4.

Conclusion: I loved this! I liked the texture of the rotini. And I absolutely loved the italian chicken. I'm not a very good cook, in fact I'm pretty terrible and I usually leave most of the actual cooking to my boyfriend and I help him out with prep and washing dishes. But this recipe is so easy that I've since made the chicken all by myself with other sides. It tastes amazing over Uncle Ben's instant rice.

My boyfriend wasn't as big a fan. He doesn't really like red sauce, but he really liked the chicken. I think.