Week 11 – Daisy Martinez

This week’s Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge features Daisy Martinez.  Although fairly new to food network, she also has a PBS show, and her own website.  Her own personal site had a lot more recipe choices than the Food Network listing. Still, I ended up choosing my recipe from a Food and Wine Magazine article.  For some reason, several there spoke to me, which didn’t happen looking on food networks site.

I narrowed it down to Salmon Fillets with Leek Fondue (hubby would like this, but its not at all Latin, and since that is what she is known for, I really wanted something with those flavors), Peruvian Beef and Noodle Stew (I thought this sounded the best, but knew the boys wouldn’t like the big chunks of peppers and things, and the one I finally chose: Hearty Braised Chicken Legs.  

I made a couple of small changes.  First I used thighs only instead of whole leg quarters, because they were on sale and I’m not a big drumstick fan anyway.  Second, I used sliced baby bella mushrooms because I just wrote “mushrooms” on my shopping list and didn’t realize that I needed them whole in order to quarter them.  I don’t think either substitution made a substantial difference.

Miracle of Miracles, my camera actually functioned properly and I have pictures to go with my post this week! 

Hearty Braised Chicken Legs

  

Recipe by Daisy Martinez

 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 whole chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks (2 pounds)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound white mushrooms, quartered

3 garlic cloves

1 medium onion, quartered

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1 cup tomato sauce

 

This was more than 4 pounds of chicken, I only used half

In a very large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes.

 

 

  

Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook them over moderate heat, undisturbed, until they begin to brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.

  

  

Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the garlic cloves with the onion and cilantro leaves. [I didn’t want to dirty the big food processor, and since DH does dishes and whines when I do anyway I just used the little magic bullet.  For pureeing, it works fine]

  

 

Add the garlic and onion puree to the mushrooms and cook over moderate heat until very fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

 

Stir in the tomato sauce. Return the chicken legs to the skillet and bring to a simmer.

 

 

Cover and simmer the sauce until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

 

 

Season the braised chicken legs with salt and pepper, transfer them to plates and serve with the sauce.

 

Serve with white rice.

I thought it was delicious.  The sauce on the rice was so good!  I would use it as pasta sauce, over grits, on any meat.  YUM!  I don’t think you could make it without the chicken though, as the rendered chicken skin fat is used to cook the mushrooms, and there is a subtle (but definitely there) meaty chicken flavor throughout the sauce. 

 

The kidlet is still refusing to eat meat of any kind, and didn’t want to brave the sauce on his rice.  Picky DH wouldn’t admit that he liked it (he objects to new recipes by rote I think =p), but since he went back for seconds, I think even he found the flavor appealing.  He didn’t use much sauce, but then he never does.  He doesn’t dress salads or use gravies or anything.

 

It took a little longer than 15 minutes t be cooked through (I use a meat thermometer to check for chicken doneness), but not ridiculously so, about 5 extra minutes is all.  As you would expect, the chicken skin after braising is quite slimy and mushy and no longer crisp as it was after browning.  I don’t like that texture so I removed it before eating, but I wouldn’t recommend cooking the recipe without the skin.

 

All in all a very economical (especially if you find chicken on a good sale as I did) and very tasty. 

 

Be sure to check out the linky over at I Blame My Mother for more Daisy recipe reviews!

 

Posted by Kristen in Cooking