Braised Chicken with Dried Plums and Sauteed Green Beans with Smoked Paprika and Almonds

Oooh, I adore my Dutch oven. The recipe for “Braised Chicken with Dried Plums,” from the September 2008 issue of Everyday Food, allowed me to simmer coveted chicken thighs in a 2007 Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc, along with dried plums, of all things. How wonderful. We enjoyed moist meat with a pronounced wine flavor. The prunes cooked soft and sweet, pairing nicely with that same wine.

 

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce and Green Bean and Potato Salad

The recipe for “Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce,” from the August 2008 issue of Gourmet, asks to use 1 1b. of actual salmon fillet (rather than, say, canned salmon), giving these cakes the “crab-cake treatment,” as was described. This approach appealed to me, as well as using torn pieces of pita bread (rather than, say, breadcrumbs), for another change of pace. I admit being initially worried about the dryness of the pitas, but everything pulled together perfectly; the mayonnaise and the egg provided the ideal amount of “glue” for these salmon cakes. I cooked the cakes for a total of 7 minutes.

 

Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken and Chinese Green Bean Stir-Fry

Have I mentioned that my partner Dave is a sesame-noodle snob? When I saw the recipe for “Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken,” from Cooksillustrated.com, I hoped that the notorious perfectionism of the Cook’s Illustrated test kitchen would help me produce a dazzling meal that Dave would approve. I followed the chicken broiling instructions, cooking the breasts for 8:00 on the first side, 8:00 on the second side, then taking their temperature with an instant-read thermometer. My reading was only 147 degrees. So I turned the breasts over again, cooked for another 4:00, then got a temperature reading of 160 degrees. Indeed, this chicken then shred easily and was perfectly cooked. I love when Cook’s Illustrated does that!

 

Provencal Salad

The “Provencal Salad,” from the July 2007 issue of Gourmet, was printed in the magazine’s “Quick Kitchen” section. Of course, the appeal of this to me is being able to use canned tuna and hard-boiled eggs in a “positively satisfying meal” (Gourmet‘s direct quote). And we adore olives and capers!

 

Nutty Green Beans and Pomegranate-Glazed Carrots

Cook’s Country, like Cook’s Illustrated, can often be too clever with its recipes. Green beans, after all, need little work in order to be alluring. This recipe interested me with its use of red onion and walnuts, but I’m afraid it was more of an exercise of preparation techniques.

Rather than using 1 Tbsp. of fresh tarragon, I used 1 tsp. of dried. Tarragon is quite a perfumed herb and it was too overwhelming here. The “pickled” onions were nice, but do they belong in this recipe? Not really. In the end, I needed salt.

 

Japanese-Style Sesame Green Beans

Stringbeans are beautiful, don’t you think so? I believe a good stringbean needs nothing … just eat it raw and you’ll enjoy it. So we shouldn’t fuss too much about the preparation of these beans. Here’s a quick and easy way to make them. This recipe is from the Allrecipes.com site. This is the same recipe that Kathy Azbell-Muldoon recently swooned over at my apartment.