Lemon Chicken, Cabbage and Carrots

Lemon Chicken, Cabbage and Carrots is my way of making Sunday supper with ease. Growing up we at a lot of chicken and pork. My nonna made pork shoulder over cabbage which was the ultimate comfort food. I will have to attempt that one day. Today, my lemon chicken will do. To compliment the dish, I make my lemon risotto, which will become one of your favourites.

Chicken Business

Growing up in little Italy, we had a butcher named Mike Nanne who owned the small grocery store and most of our meat came from his place. I remember the big wood block that mike used; he was the kindest man. He would often give us candy and he allowed all the immigrants to shop at his store and run-up a tab. My dad would always hurry to bring him money on pay-day and Mike always gave us candy. I loved living in Little Italy of Sault Ste. Marie; we were one big happy and helpful family.

For some reason, we also had a man who delivered live chickens to our house. I know, it was another world. I didn’t like to watch nonno kill the chickens, but I liked to watch nonno pluck the feathers, and I do remember that the chicken was tastier than now. Today, my chicken comes from a local butcher and it is a free range.

The chicken seasoned and ready to marinade in the refrigerator.

The cabbage, carrots, and onions go into the oven first.

Chicken browning in skillet before it goes over the cooked vegetables

The apples and raisins poured over the vegetables and then tossed.

It’s done and out of the oven.

An up-close look.

Lemon Chicken with cabbage: recipes at my table

Lemon Chicken, Cabbage and Carrots

Sunday Supper all in one pan.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Servings 4

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Chicken

1 whole chicken cut up
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

The Cabbage and Carrots

1 medium savoy cabbage
4 medium carrots
2 large onions
1/2 cup white wine
2 medium apples
1/2 cup raisins
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fennel seeds

The Lemon Rice

1 cup arborio rice
1 cup chicken stock
1 large egg
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 whole lemon juiced and zested
1 tbsp lemon zest
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp grated parmesan
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

The Chicken

Cut the Chicken into small pieces.
Sprinkle with all the spices, olive oil and lemon juice.
Put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Put a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken.
Place on a plate and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add the apples and raisins with 1/4 cup of water to pick up the brown bits. Set aside.

The Cabbage and Carrots

Slice the cabbage into wedges and then finely slice.
Julienne the carrots into medium pieces.
Slice the onions.
Soften raisins by placing in 1 cup of warm water.
Slice apples into thin slices.
Toss cabbage, carrots and onions with the olive oil,fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Cover with tin foil.
Put into a 375 F oven for 30 minutes.
Take out of the oven and add the apples and raisins.

The Lemon Rice

Boil the Arborio rice according to the package instructions. Strain and keep warm.
In a small saucepan blend the egg, stock and cornstarch and cook over medium heat.
When it thickens and comes to a boil, remove from heat.
Stir in the lemon juice, butter, parmesan cheese and lemon zest.
Add some chopped parsley.
Pour 3/4 cup of this sauce over the rice and mix.

Cooking the chicken with the Cabbage and Carrots

After the cabbage, carrots, onions roast for 30 minutes. Add the apples and raisins and toss.
Now place the browned chicken on top. Cover with thin foil.
Return to the 325 F oven for one hour.
After one hour uncover and cook for another 30 minutes.

February 18, 2018February 18, 2018

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Healthy Turkey Brugers

Healthy Turkey Burgers

These Healthy Turkey Burgers will become a family favourite. I am always looking for ways to bring healthy to the table and sometimes I devote my recipe development to this cause. Years ago my husband had a heart attack and we certainly pay attention to the ingredients we bring to the table.

Using Turkey

My nonna liked to use turkey meat. I think she knew back then that it was a good value for her money and that it is good for you. This turkey burger is bulked with vegetables and it is another way to get your family to eat more of them. The mushrooms, celery, and apple are a good combination for the turkey, and the zucchini slaw will be refreshing. I topped them with swiss cheese and the tangy zucchini slaw adds a little crunch.

Chop all the ingredients into the same size

The ingredients are simple for the burger.

The vegetable all mixed in now.

This burger press works well and I can refrigerate the burgers and even freeze in this container.

The Zucchini julienned and ready for the brine.

Pouring the hot brine over the zucchini.

Healthy Turkey Burgers

These healthy turkey burgers will become a family favourite.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Burger

1 medium onion
4 medium cremini mushrooms
1 medium apple
450 gr ground turkey
1 egg
1 TSP salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp red chilli pepper flakes optional
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup Club House La Grille Chicken Spice

Zucchini Slaw

1 medium zucchini
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp canola oil
fresh lemon zest
salt and pepper
1 tbsp dried cranberries

Instructions

The Burger

Dice the onion, mushrooms, apple and celery all the same size and in very small pieces.
Mix it all into the turkey, with the egg, salt, freshly ground black pepper, red chilli pepper flakes and nutmeg.
Take a half cup of the mixture to make patties.
Put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

The Slaw

Julienne the zucchini.
In a small pot warm up the rice wine vinegar, sugar and oil.
Zest some fresh lemon over the zucchini.
Pour the warm brine over the zucchini.
Add the cranberries.
Toss and let sit.

Cooking the Burger and the Assembly

These burgers are delicate. They can go on a solid griddle or in the oven.
Place some parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Grease with some olive oil.
Sprinkle the burgers on both sides with Club House La Grille Chicken spice.
Drizzle Olive oil over the burgers.
Put in a 400 F oven for 20 minutes and flip.
Drizzle olive oil over them again and return to oven for 15 minutes. The olive oil keeps the turkey meat moist.
Remove from oven and turn oven off.
Place sliced cheese over burger and put in warm oven to melt.
Toast some good buns of your choice.
Top the burger with the turkey slaw and your favourite sauces.

February 17, 2018June 12, 2018

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Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup

My Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup reminds me of the days spent in the kitchen with nonna Emilia. She really was a master chef because the simplest of ingredients could fill our house with the aroma of a 5 star restaurant. Growing up in an immigrant family, we made use of all the vegetables grown in the garden as well as everything on sale at the store. Packed with colour, this vegetarian dish is a good balance of protein and nutrients for any table.

The Ingredients are simple, hearty and aromatic.

The Garden

We always had a garden in the backyard and nonno grew everything, even broccoli. As I got older, some of my high school friends would laugh and wonder why we had sticks growing out of the ground. Those sticks were covered with vines from our beans, tomatoes and various other good vegetables.

My grandfather even tried to grow corn in Northern Ontario and it was all good: all our gardens were a place to taste. My favourite part was walking through the garden with him; we would yank the carrots out of the ground, wash them with the garden hose and eat. I also loved to drink from the garden hose. My childhood was full of gardens, food, love and laughter. I remember the gardens at zio Antonio’s, zio Alberto’s and zio Danielle’s.

There is so much to talk about being an immigrant and I love reading articles that describe my life. Here is one from Maclean magazine that will make you laugh if you are Italian, and if you are not, it may explain some of the things we do. http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/when-italy-met-canada/

Calabrese Broccoli Soup recipes at my table

Hearty Calabrese Broccoli Soup

This is a hearty soup with or without pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic
2 medium potatoes
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
One Bunch of Broccoli
1 can Roman Beans I like Primo brand.
1 large onion
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
grated parmesan
oil for drizzling

Instructions

Putting the soup together

Use a 6 L pot and place 2 tbsp of olive oil in it.
Heat up the olive oil and add the garlic and the oregano.
Next, put in the potatoes and brown for 2 minutes.
Place the onions next, and let soften for 2 minutes.
Make a spot in the middle and place the tomato paste. This allows the paste to toast and it gives the soup that long cooked feel.
Pour in the stock and follow with the broccoli and the beans.
Add the 2 cups of water and the salt.
Simmer for 20 minutes and serve with grated parmesan.

Recipe Notes

I add a little drizzle of olive oil after the tomato paste and at the end to plate.

You can also add a cup of pasta if you like. Cook a small pasta like tubetti or broken spaghetti separately. Drain it and add it to the soup.

February 13, 2018February 13, 2018

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Tiella with zucchini and potatoes

Tiella with zucchini and potatoes, like many Italian dishes, is made in many different ways. Nonna would put one layer of potatoes, sauce, parmesan and follow it with a layer of zucchini with sauce and parmesan and continue this way.

The Tiella is a full meal

This is a hearty dish and goes well with fresh warm bread. It was probably another dish which originated from the “cucina povera”. My nonna always had vegetables on hand and with a few aromatic ingredients she created a wonderful meal for her family. It is as close to a casserole as we get in Italian cuisine.

I changed her recipe because I found that the sauce made everything soggy; I place the sauce over the tiella when it comes out of the oven. The ingredients soak the gravy, but keep their crunch. I also use the crinkle cut on the mandolin to give the vegetables a different look and texture. In the winter I eat it warm out of the oven and in the summer I use it cold as a side for barbecues. Any way you choose, this is a thick comforting dish and excellent for a vegetarian diet.

Cooking pans

It really is about the pans you use. My pampered chef stoneware is over twenty years old and they are the best for roasting. Everyone always asks me how to make baked potatoes, but the secret is in the pan. Check our their stoneware at: https://www.pamperedchef.ca/shop/Stoneware

It comes out of the oven all crispy and could go to the table this way.

Plated with the sauce.

Tiella with Zucchini and Potatoes

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The main ingredients

2 medium zucchini
6 medium potatoes
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan
1 cup marinara sauce

Instructions

The Assembly

Wash your zucchini.
Peal the potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Using a mandolin slice the zucchini and the potatoes all the same size.
Coat the zucchini with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Salt and pepper.
Coat the potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Salt and pepper.
Layer on a slant in a good round oven dish alternating the potato and the zucchini. Start with a large outer circle and work your way to the centre. ( see video)
Once completed, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil again.
Put in oven at 425 F for 40 minutes. After this amount of time, lower to 375 for another 50 minutes. This will crisp up the potatoes nicely.
Pour some Marinara sauce over it at the end and more parmesan cheese.
Let sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

You can also pour the marinara sauce over the tiella after the first cooking at 425. If you like it crispier, wait until the end.

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018

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