Braised Chicken Legs With Cheesy Polenta And Sauteed Greens Food

CREAMY POLENTA WITH BRAISED GREENS AND POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Make the chile oil: Combine the chopped chiles, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over low heat and cook 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate up to 1 week. (You will have about 1 1/4 cups chile oil.)
• Cook the polenta: Bring 3 cups cold water, the milk, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Gradually whisk in the polenta; whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often, until tender and thickened but still creamy, about 30 minutes. Add more hot water as needed if the mixture seems too dry. Stir in the butter and cheese.
• Meanwhile, make the braised greens: Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the greens, season with salt and pepper and toss. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in 1 cup water, cover and cook until wilted and soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid during the last 5 minutes to cook off any additional liquid. Stir in the red wine vinegar just before serving.
• Poach the eggs: Heat 3 cups water with the white vinegar until simmering in a large high-sided frying pan. Break each egg into a cup, then gently add to the water. Poach until the yolks are nearly set, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain the liquid and place on a plate. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon some of the polenta into bowls, top with some of the greens and a poached egg per bowl. Drizzle with the chile oil and garnish with the chopped parsley.

SAUTEED DANDELION GREENS

Steps:

• To a large pot of boiling water, add some salt and the dandelion greens. Cook until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the greens with a spider and drop them in a bowl full of ice water to stop the cooking.
• Add the olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the greens and toss until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH SPICY GREENS

Steps:

• To prepare the chicken: The day before serving, season the chicken legs well with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Saute the carrot, celery, and onion in the butter and oil. Caramelize lightly, then deglaze the pan with the brandy. Transfer to the bottom of an ovenproof pan that will just hold the chicken legs. Arrange the legs skin side up. Add the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and chicken stock. The bottom half of the meat should be immersed in the liquid, but the skin should be exposed. Braise on the top rack of the oven, checking after 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and the skin crispy.
• Before serving, pour off some of the braising liquid with the vegetables. Degrease the liquid and reduce by a third. Taste as it is reducing to ensure that the salt doesn't intensify too much. If it is too salty, add a little plain reduced stock. Finish with the parsley.
• To prepare the greens: Lightly brown the onion in the oil and the butter. Chop the greens into manageable pieces and saute slowly until wilted. Add a little water to prevent sticking if necessary. When the greens are cooked through, add the anchovy and garlic and cook a minute more. Turn off the heat and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.
• Serve the braised chicken with the greens.

SAUTEED POLENTA TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Melt butter and oil in a small saute pan over low heat. Place garlic and rosemary in pan and saute until garlic turns golden. Remove garlic and rosemary. Saute polenta until browned on both sides.

CONGEE WITH CHINESE CRULLERS & SAUTEED GREENS

Steps:

• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sweat the shallot and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice and broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until the rice has broken down and the mixture is thick and porridge-like, about 1 hour. Stir with a rubber spatula occasionally so the bottom doesn't stick. Remove the ginger and season to taste.
• Divide the congee into bowls. Top with a pile of Sauteed Greens (recipe follows), a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, a drizzle of sriracha and a couple turns of black pepper. Serve with Crullers (recipe follows) on the side.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk, coconut oil and egg and knead with the dough hook for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap with plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before ready to use and allow to come to room temperature.
• Heat the neutral oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 20-by-6-inch rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 12 vertical strips just over an inch wide, then cut each strip in half horizontally. Layer one half on top of the other and using a chopstick, press down in the center to adhere. Cover with plastic while you shape the others.
• When the oil is up to temperature, take one piece of dough and, holding both ends, stretch gently to triple the length (it should stretch very easily). Drop in the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until lightly golden and puffy, gently turning with a spider. Remove to a rack and repeat in batches of 2 or 3, allowing oil to come back to temperature between each batch.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the dried chili peppers and garlic and toss around, cooking until fragrant and lightly toasty, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mustard greens, a big pinch of salt and a couple turns of black pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until wilted, tender, and bright green. Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.

CHEESY CHICKEN LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In the Ziploc bag, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
• Brush each chicken piece with the olive oil, then drop singly, into the crumb mix in the Ziploc bag and shake well to coat.
• Place each coated chicken piece together on an UNgreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in the preheated 375°F oven for 1 hour or until the chicken is 170° and the juices run clear.
• Variations: This is a hugely versatile recipe, where seasonings are interchangeable depending on the type of cuisine you're aiming for --.
• Make it a little Italian by swapping out the paprika for some italian seasoning; Make it a little Tex-Mex by swapping out the paprika and garlic powder for chili powder and ground cumin -- you get the idea.
• If you're anything like many cooks, you probably have all kinds seasonings lurking in your cupboard; Throw caution to the four winds and experiment a little -- see what you come up with!