Oven Onion-Smothered

So it's about 900 degrees outside today ... OK, so it's closer to 90, but regardless, it's not the kind of day when you want to turn on the oven. But I had already planned on making a brisket today ... I didn't realize I should have checked the forecast first!

Originally, I had pulled out a recipe for a cranberry and onion brisket, but deciding that was too Christmas-y, I went in search of another. My Best of Cooking Light cookbook saved the day, even if it did heat up the house!

Onion-Smothered Brisket
Ingredients:
1 (approx. 2 lb.) beef brisket
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup beer (I used Guinness)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 red potatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Trim fat from brisket. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the brisket fat-side down in a Dutch oven. Pile the onions on top of the meat.

In a medium bowl, combine ketchup, beer, brown sugar, and Worcestershire. Pour mixture over brisket. Cover Dutch oven and cook 1 1/2 hours.

Flip meat. Arrange carrots, potatoes, and garlic around meat and spoon cooking liquid over them. Cook another 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove brisket from oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Slice meat against the grain and serve with carrots, potatoes, onions, and sauce spooned over.


The brisket was super tender and flavorful, the veggies were perfectly cooked, and the sauce was way bold (but not too bold!). I think the Guinness (which just happened to be the only beer in the fridge) was an awesome choice. It gave the right, deep background for the sauce ... and my only complaint is that I didn't use enough of it! The sauce ended up cooking down quite a bit, and I wish I had made more to make my brisket super smothered!

Chicken Twice

It seems every time my dad asks me what I'm making for dinner tonight the answer is chicken. And his standard reply to that is, "You're going to turn into a chicken."

I suppose it's no secret that cluckers turn up on my menu at least once a week. But the fact is that chicken is so versatile, I never get tired of it. That versatility also makes chicken a prime candidate for weeknight dinners, when I'm often short on time but still craving (and Bill is expecting) a good, home-cooked meal.

As you'd suspect, I put chicken on the table twice this week. But it took on two very different forms! Both of these recipes are outrageously easy, making them perfect to prepare at the end of a long work day.

Honey Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup chicken broth
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (or grated)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

Directions:
(The recipe didn't call for this, but I marinated by chicken thighs in 1 cup of the teriyaki sauce for about 30 or 40 minutes prior to cooking. I just feel like that gives them better depth of flavor.)

Heat grill (I used my indoor grill, same as the one I use for my awesome Hawaiian chicken). Coat grill rack with cooking spray or oil. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill.

While chicken is cooking, bring broth and ginger to a boil. Stir in honey. When honey has dissolved into broth, add teriyaki sauce, then cook 2 minutes longer. Using a basting brush, coat chicken liberally with sauce while cooking. Grill chicken 20 minutes or until done (done being somewhere between 170-180 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer).

Spicy Chinese Five-Spice-Rubbed Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients:
6 chicken drumsticks
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. (Yeah really, 500 degrees. I didn't even know my oven went that high.) Place the drumsticks in a large bowl. Sprinkle five-spice powder and cayenne over chicken; add generous pinches of salt and lots of pepper. Rub the mixture into wings until no more loose rub remains.

Line the chicken on a rack placed on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until cooked through, browned, and crispy, turning once, about 25 minutes.

Note: These drummies were HOT! I have an issue with chicken skin, which is really where all the spice was, so I was going to peel it off anyway. But Bill's mouth may have been on fire :)

Santa Fe by Bobby Flay

For whatever reason, Bill was surfing foodnetwork.com on Sunday (ahem ... what did I say about making him a foodie?) and he printed Bobby Flay's recipe for Santa Fe Cheeseburgers. Lo and behold, we turned on Throwdown with Bobby Flay later that day and they were airing the episode in which he made them! (I have a theory that the Food Network gives prime real estate on their page to the recipes that will be airing that day, but let's not burst Bill's bubble ... he thinks it was pure coincidence!)

Anyway, he was anxious to make them so I came home to a delicious dinner yesterday. I can't say much about the process since I didn't cook them, but I'm providing the recipe (cut down to size) because they turned out so well. I'd ask Bill to guest-post, but he's not really into that (and besides, you'd miss my cheeky commentary!).

Bobby Flay's Santa Fe Burgers
Ingredients:
1 large poblano chile
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper
1 lb. ground chuck
2 hamburger buns, split
6 blue corn tortilla chips, crushed

Queso Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chile on a rimmed baking sheet, rub with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until the skin of the chile is blackened, about 15 minutes. Remove chile from oven, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let the chile steam for 15 minutes. Peel, stem, and seed chile and then coarsely chop it.

To make the queso sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, increase the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Divide meat into 2 equal portions. Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep impression in the center with your thumb (I still haven't figured out why this is, but whatever). Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers, using the remaining oil. (Oddly enough, Bobby didn't specify how to cook the burgers ... but I think we can safely assume he meant on the grill.)

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top each with a few tablespoons of queso sauce, chips, and some of the poblano. Cover with bun tops and serve immediately.


Incidentally, Bobby lost this Throwdown to the guy with the famous green chile cheeseburgers in Santa Fe. I wasn't paying close enough attention to tell you what made the difference, but I suspect it was the cheese. Mr. Santa Fe melted American cheese over the chiles instea dof smothering the burger in queso. I love me some queso, but there was something so ooey, gooey and yummy-looking about the cheese melted over those chiles. Maybe I'll have to put these on my list and challenge Bill to a throwdown!