#sear. rest. plate. THEN throw in a blender and blend until smooth

[synthwayve]

The caption is the realest thing I’ve ever read. I need both of them to be put in the freezer for about 20 minutes until solidified so I can toss them in a nutribullet and blend until smooth.

putting both of them in a blender

[searandsimmer]

Braised Chicken with Spanish Almond Sauce & Balsamic Arugula Salad

Braised Chicken with Spanish Almond Sauce & Balsamic Arugula Salad

This post contains two separate recipes. The chicken comes first; Ctrl+F “Arugula” to jump down to the salad.

Braised Chicken with Spanish Almond Sauce

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 yellow onion

3 fresh cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup dry sherry

1 cup chicken broth

1 14.5oz can whole peeled tomatoes

2 hard boiled eggs

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Pinch of crumbled saffron threads

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

This recipe is from the “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen (page 295), and this is our take on it. This sauce is DELICIOUS and this recipe makes a ton of it; typically, we eat about 1/4 of it when we first make it, and then freeze the rest of it to use as desired. It freezes really well and tastes just as good as when you first made it, even after a month or two! 

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

2. Prep ingredients: drain tomatoes and chop finely. Chop the onion, garlic, and parsley. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, and finely dice the egg whites. Set ingredients aside until time to use.

3. Pat chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a dutch oven or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, and once hot, sear chicken thighs until golden brown on each side. Transfer the thighs to a plate, and throw out all but 2 tsp of fat in the skillet. 

4. Add onion to the fat in the skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened but not browned. Stir in 2/3 of the garlic, bay leaf, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant. Stir in sherry, and stir while scraping up any brown bits on the pan until the sherry begins to thicken slightly. Stir in the broth and tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Then, nestle the chicken thighs in the skillet, cover, and transfer to the oven to cook for 45-50 minutes (until chicken reaches 195 degrees F).

-As explained in the original cookbook, you are instructed to cook the chicken past the regular safe temp (165) for chicken in this recipe, because cooking it low and slow will break down the collagen in the meat making it super tender. I was skeptical at first about cooking chicken that long, but it is absolutely the right move and makes for insanely tasty and tender chicken.-

5. Remove skillet from oven, then transfer thighs to a plate. Remove and discard of the skins and then loosely cover the chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm. 

6. Discard the bay leaf, then transfer all of the skillet contents, egg yolks, almonds, saffron, and remaining garlic to a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour the sauce back into the skillet and add lemon juice, and bring to a simmer and whisk until sauce thickens slightly. 

7. Plate chicken thighs (2 per person), and spoon a generous portion of sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped egg whites and parsley.

8. Serve!

Balsamic Arugula Salad

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 oz thinly sliced prosciutto or pancetta (or bacon, honestly)

1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp raspberry jam

1 small shallot

1/4 cup dried figs

4 oz baby arugula

1/4 cup walnuts

1 oz shaved parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

This is another recipe from the “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen (page 73) that we tried out and tweaked!

1. Mince shallot and finely chop figs. Set aside.

2. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a small-medium pan over medium heat. Add prosciutto and cook until crisp, stirring frequently. Once finished, move to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

3. Whisk the vinegar, jam, shallot, and a pinch of salt in a large microwave safe bowl. Stir in figs, cover, then microwave until steaming (no more than 1 minute).

4. Slowly drizzle in the remaining oil while whisking constantly. Let sit for about 15 minutes to allow figs to soften and vinaigrette to come to room temperature.

5. Whisk vinaigrette to re-emulsify, then add arugula and gently toss to coat. Top with prosciutto, walnuts, and parmesan.

6. Serve!