Indian Spice Chicken Sandwiches

Cooking skills focus: Braising, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 T cooking oil
1 yellow onion, quartered and sliced 1/4" thick
1 head garlic, peeled & sliced

1 t cooking oil
5 whole chicken legs (or 10 each drumsticks/thighs), meat scored with a knife so heat can penetrate and cook it faster

1 T cooking oil
2 medium bags braising greens mix
2 # tomatoes, cored & diced large

2 T Sambar Masala spice blend (also from World Spice Merchants)
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the first 1 T cooking oil over high heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes. Remove to a baking dish.

3. Heat the pan again over high heat, then add the next 1 t cooking oil. Brown the chicken in the hot pan until well browned and remove to the baking dish.

4. Heat the pan again over medium-high heat. Add the last 1 T cooking oil, then add the braising greens for 6-7 minutes or until well-wilted.

5. Combine the onions, chicken and greens with the tomatoes, and season everything with salt, pepper and the Sambar Masala. Cover the dish and start to braise for an hour.
4. When the chicken's done, let it cool for a little bit so you don't kill yourself doing the following:
6. Pull the meat off the bones (the bones can still be used for stock), toss with the potatoes and kale, and use the mixture to fill sandwiches or wraps.

Braised Chicken, Kale and Potato Sandwiches

Cooking skills focus: Braising, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1/2 t oil
1 yellow onion, quartered and sliced 1/4" thick
1/2 head garlic, peeled & sliced
4 whole chicken legs (or 8 each drumsticks/thighs), meat scored with a knife so heat can penetrate and cook it faster
2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small dice (1/4” on a side)
1 bu lacinato kale (also called "dinosaur" kale because of its cool bumpy texture), cut into ½: slices

½ C water
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute 5-6 minutes. Remove to a baking dish and heat the pan again, over high heat.
3. Brown the chicken in the hot pan until well browned and remove to the baking dish. Add the onions, potatoes and kale, and season everything with salt and pepper. Cover the dish and start to braise for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.
4. When the chicken's done, let it cool for a little bit so you don't kill yourself doing the following:
6. Pull the meat off the bones (the bones can still be used for stock), toss with the potatoes and kale, and use the mixture to fill sandwiches or wraps.

Togarashi Braised Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 T cooking oil
6 chicken thighs or drumsticks

1/2 red onion, julienned
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and thickly sliced
1 bunch rainbow card, ribs and stems removed and leaves cut bite-sized

1/2 grapefruit, juiced
2 t togarashi shichimi powder (Japanese 7-spice), or to taste
1 t soy sauce, or to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the oil when the pan is hot, then add the chicken and brown well. Remove to a small baking dish.
3. Heat the same pan again over medium-high heat, then add the onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and chard. Cook for 7 minutes more, then mix in with the chicken.
4. Cover the baking dish and braise the chicken and veggies for one hour. Pull the meat off the bones when they're cool enough to handle, then add the remaining ingredients and taste for seasoning. Make some sandwiches with this filling and some shredded carrots. Delicious!

Tomato & Fennel Braised Chicken Sandwich

Eat them before they eat our babies!!!


Cooking skills focus: Sauteeing, braising, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil
8 chicken thighs, scored
salt and pepper TT

1 # roma tomatoes, cored & diced large (3/4" on a side)
1 bulb fennel, cored, outside peeled and sliced thinly

2 T cooking oil
1 onion, diced medium (1/2" on a side)
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced
salt and pepper TT
1 T Berbere spice blend, ground

2 carrots, sliced thinly into coins
1/2 bu parsley, chopped finely

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken thighs in batches and brown well. Remove to a baking dish and set aside. Keep the saute pan out.
3. Heat the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and fennel and saute for 5 minutes. Add to the baking dish with the chicken.
4. Heat the saute pan over high heat and add the next 2 T cooking oil. Add the onion and saute 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute 5 minutes more. Add to the baking dish and mix everything together with the Berbere spice blend.
5. Braise covered for 45 minutes. Carefully pull out all the chicken bones and cartilage when done.
6. Stir in the carrots and parsley, and stuff into bread for sandwiches.

Chorizo, Apple & Kale Sandwich

From the September Pike Market Community Kitchen at the Pike Market Senior Center.


Cooking skills focus: Sauteeing, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 t cooking oil
6 chorizo sausages (Spanish style, fresh, not cured), sliced 1/2" thick
1 T cooking oil (if needed, see below)
2 bu kale, ribs removed & cut bite-sized
1 head garlic, cloves peeled & sliced
salt & pepper TT
1 lemon, juiced
3 apples, diced medium (1/2" or so on a side)

Instructions:
1. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. When you can see some wavy smoke lines coming from the pan, add the 1 t oil. Allow it to heat up for a few seconds, coating the pan, and get ready to add the chorizo.
2. Add the chorizo and brown well. reduce heat to medium-high and cook through. Remove and set aside. Heat the pan again over medium-high heat.
3. You will be adding the kale in batches since the pan won't hold all of it at once without being really overcrowded. Before the first batch, if there isn't enough combined oil and fat rendered off the chorizo to coat the bottom of the pan with a decent layer, add up to 1 T cooking oil.
4. Add the kale and garlic in batches, season with salt and pepper and stir gently, cooking each batch for 6-8 minutes or until the kale is well-wilted. When everything's cooked, mix it on a bowl with the chorizo and add the lemon juice. Taste it and season it with salt and pepper if it needs it. Add the apple.
5. Stuff it in a sliced, toasted baguette and eat it!

Taste how the sweetness of the apple complements the spiciness of the chorizo, the tartness of the lemon contrasted with the savory depth of the onion, garlic and kale, and how the textures create a variety of mingled sensations on your mouth. Great job!

Summer Afternoon Sandwich

*Written for Clean Greens Farm & Market*

makes about four little sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
½ lb crimini mushrooms, cut in half & thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced
½ bell pepper, julienned (cut into thin strips)
6 sprigs thyme, rinsed & picked off the stem
1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half

½ lemon, juiced
½ c. parsley leaves, rinsed & coarsely chopped
salt & black pepper TT (TT=to taste*)

½ baguette, cut into 4"-5" segments and then cut in half lengthwise

Instructions:

1. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Then add the onion and brown for one minute.
2. Add the mushrooms, tossing to combine with oil and onion. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the mushrooms have cooked down and the onion is translucent.
3. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are just tender. Mix in the thyme and tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes more, unti lthe tomatoes have broken down a bit. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Allow this filling to cool slightly before assemblin the sandwiches, then serve. Enjoy with friends! mmm…

*Note: "To taste" implies that you taste your food before you serve it to make sure it's seasoned properly. If you're not already in the habit of doing this, get into the habit! It makes a big difference in your results.

Roast Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches with Fresh Apple-Corn Relish

This was one of those "just throw it together" things that turned out really well.

Ingredients:
1 t oil
about 2 lbs pork tenderloin
salt & pepper TT

1 t oil
3 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
salt & pepper TT
1 lemon, juiced
1 Fuji apple, diced

1 baguette, sliced thinly

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Season the tenderloin well with salt and pepper.
3. Get a large saute pan hot over high heat, then add the first teaspoon of oil. Allow to heat up, then brown the tenderloin well. Transfer to a baking dish and roast in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until pretty firm to the touch.
4. Let the meat rest for 5-7 minutes under cover on a cutting board, so it remains moist when you cut into it.
5. Get the same saute pan hot over medium-high heat, add the last of the oil and the corn. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
6. Cut the heat and add the lemon juice. Scrape the good stuff off the bottom of the pan, turning it into a sauce with the lemon juice. Add the apple. Taste it. Mmmmm. Taste it again. Mmmmmm.
7. Cut the tenderloin into thin slices. Make sandwiches with the bread, pork and the corn relish.

Braised Chicken & Kale Sandwich (or, the Sloppy Chickwich)

Hahaha sloppy chickwich. This is another example of how easy, cheap and versatile braised chicken legs are.

Ingredients:
1/2 t oil
1 red onion, quartered and sliced 1/4" thick
1/2 head garlic, peeled & sliced
4 whole chicken legs (or 8 each drumsticks/thighs), meat scored with a knife so heat can penetrate and cook it faster
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 bu lacinato kale (also called "dinosaur" kale because of its cool bumpy texture)
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute 5-6 minutes. Remove to a baking dish and heat the pan again, over high heat.
3. Brown the chicken in the hot pan until well browned and remove to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce and season everything with salt and pepper. Cover the dish and start to braise for an hour to 90 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the saute pan again over medium heat. There should be plenty of rendered chicken fat in the pan in which to cook the kale. So saute it in the delicious fat for 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to wait for the chicken.
5. When the chicken's done, let it cool for a little bit so you don't kill yourself doing the following:
6. Pull the meat off the bones (the bones can still be used for stock), toss with the tomato sauce and kale, and use the mixture to fill sandwiches or wraps.

You could totally just eat this over rice or pasta, too.

Chorizo & Apple Sandwich

this is a condensed-format recipe, designed for a pocket recipe book called "Learn to Cook" I made and gave out to random people at the Pike Market for a few months in 2009. some of the ingredients may be difficult to find outside of the market, and can be substituted or disregarded.

Serves 2 for under $12

[Prep: wash & cut apple, wash arugula, peel & slice garlic, get other ingredients ready]
[Production: saute sandwich filling, assemble sandwiches]

1/2 lb cured (Spanish style) chorizo, diced
1/4 head garlic [peel & chop]
1 bu arugula [wash]
1/2 apple [dice]
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
[saute sausage over medium-high heat in 1/2 t oil for one minute, then add garlic. reduce heat to medium and cook 2-3 more minutes. then add the arugula and apple, turn off the heat and set aside.]

2 rolls
mustard, mayo, whatever you like

[assemble and serve]