Chicken & Leeks with Couscous

First, let me share my lovely new kitchen with you:



I love cooking in it. And I've done it all of once. Now onto the dish:



Serves 4

1 & 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 & 1/2 cups plain couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces
Salt & black pepper
1 large (or 2 medium) leeks
1 cup white wine
a handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid. When the liquid boils, add the raisins and couscous. Cover and remove pan from heat. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken in a single layer and season it with salt and pepper. While the chicken browns on all sides, trim the rough tops and the root ends off the leeks.

3. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then cut them into 1-inch half moons. Place the leeks in a colander and run them under cold water. Separate the layers to release the dirt and grit. Rinse well, then drain well.

4. Add the leeks to the chicken and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and let it cook down by half, 3 to 4 minutes. The leeks should still have some color but should be tender and the chicken should be cooked through. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and swirl into the sauce.

5. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the parsley. Place a bed of couscous on each dinner plate and top it with the chicken and leeks.

Results: This was delicious, but I love anything with leeks. There is something so satisfying about preparing leeks. Normally, I think most recipes that use wine could substitute chicken broth, but in this one, the wine really added a lot of flavor, so be sure to use it. This was a perfect meal for a summer day, and the couscous was really flavorful. I don't think I'll ever prepare couscous with plain old water again. Will make again!

Coconut Thai Shrimp and Rice

Serves 6

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans of chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 3/4 tsp cayenne
Grated zest and juice of 2 limes (1/3 cup lime juice)
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 cups converted white rice
1 lb peeled and de-veined cooked jumbo shrimp, thawed if frozen
2 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thin strips
Toasted coconut, for garnish

1. In a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker, mix the broth, water, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne, lime zest, lime juice, garic and ginger. Stir in the onion, carrot, coconut, raisins, and rice. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 1/2 hours or until rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp and snow peas. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Serve garnished with toasted coconut.

Results: All the chopping was a bit of a pain, but this was delicious! I loved the toasted coconut on top. Steven wouldn't eat it, but the rest of us devoured it. This is another recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking.

Oven-Braised Pork Roast with Apples

Serves 12 (I halved this recipe for dinner for us, and we had lots of leftovers)

1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (3 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
4 Rome apples, each cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt and next 8 ingredients (through cloves). Rub evenly over pork. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan, and cook 4 minutes, browning all sides. Remove pork from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 1 minutes. Return pork to pan. Add apricots, orange juice concentrate, raisins, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove pork from oven); bake 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 160° (slightly pink). Remove pork from pan, reserving cooking liquid. Place pork on a platter; cover with foil.

4. Remove apricots and raisins from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Bring the broth mixture to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

5. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Stir in reserved apricots and raisins, reduced broth mixture, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 3 minutes. Slice pork.

Served with asparagus and couscous.

Results: Did you see that part about letting the pork sit for two hours? Yeah, neither did I until I was preparing dinner. I let mine sit about 30 minutes, and it was still delicious. This pork was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I couldn't stop eating it! However, it was way more work than I was prepared for. I would save this dish for company or for the holidays. I really thought Steven's new-found interest in pork and the apples would encourage him to try it, but he didn't touch it. I think Henry ate a few bites of pork, but he was all about asking for more raisins.