Chicken And Meat Stock Lidias Recipes

CHICKEN AND MEAT STOCK (LIDIA'S RECIPE)

Steps:

• Rinse the poutlry pieces in a colander under cold running water and drain them well. Place them in an 8- to 10-quart stockpot. Pour in the cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for a minute or two and you will see foam rising to the surface. Skim off and discard the foam, lower the heat to a strong simmer, and cook 1 hour, occasionally skimming the foam and fat from the surface. Add the remaining ingredients excep the salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to simmering. Cook, partially covered, 2 to 3 hours, skimming the foam and fat from the surface occasionally. Strain the broth through a very fine sieve, or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheese cloth or a clean kitchen towel. Season lightly with salt. To use the stock right away, wait a minute or two and spoon off the fat that rises to the surface. The last little traces of fat can be "swept" off the surface with a folded piece of paper towel. It is much easier, however, to remove the fat from chilled stock-the fat will rise to the top and solidify, where it can be easily removed. Meat Stock For a rich meat stock, simply substitute 3 pounds meaty veal and beef bones-like beef shin, veal shank bones, and/or short ribs-for 2 pounds of the chicken/capon bones and all the turkey bones. Continue as described above.

CHICKEN WITH EGGPLANT (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees.
• Trim the eggplants, and peel if you prefer. Lidia stripes them,
• Slice on an angle, so that you have 12 good slices in all.
• Dredge the eggplant in flour that has been seasoned with salt, pepper & Italian seasoning.
• Heat a large skillet (preferably with a lid), add enough oil to coat the bottom, and fry the eggplant on medium-high heat until caramelized on both sides.
• Set aside on paper towels to drain while you make the chicken.
• Lightly pound the chicken breasts and dredge in the seasoned flour.
• Reheat the same skillet on medium heat, add two tablespoons of oil and tablespoons of butter, swirling to mix.
• Cook the chicken until caramelized on the one side.
• You want the chicken to brown--but do not try to hasten the process by cooking it on high heat.
• You want to do it over gentle heat so as not to toughen the meat.
• Turn them over to caramelize on the other side, and top each breast with two slices of eggplant, then a spoonful of sauce, two basil leaves, and a good sprinkling of cheese, and as much Italian seasoning as you want.
• Let cook for about two minutes, turn up the heat to medium-high, add the wine to the pan, then the remaining tomato sauce.
• Shake the pan a bit to mix, add in the last two tablespoons of butter and shake again to mix.
• Put the lid on the pan (if your pan does not have a lid, cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray) and finish cooking in the oven--approx 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve with a flourish.
• Try to use homemade tomato sauce, this is one of those dishes where you will be greatly rewarded for using the homemade sauce.
• To cut down on the fat/calories, you can grill or roast the eggplant instead.
• It is this final oven cooking that makes the chicken meltingly tender and the wine, tomato sauce and butter transform themselves into an incredible sauce.

CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• Rinse the poultry pieces in a colander under cold running water, and drain them well. Place them in a stockpot with an 8-to-10-quart capacity. Pour in the 5 quarts water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for a minute or two and you will see foam rising to the surface. Skim off and discard the foam, lower the heat to a strong simmer, and cook 1 hour, occasionally skimming the foam and fat from the surface.
• Add the remaining ingredients except the salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, 2 to 3 hours, skimming off the foam and fat occasionally.
• Strain the broth through a very fine sieve, or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. If you plan to use the stock right away, wait a minute or two and spoon off the fat that rises to the surface. The last little traces of fat can be "swept" off the surface with a folded length of paper towels. It is much easier, however, to remove the fat from chilled stock-the fat will rise to the top and solidify, where it can be easily removed.
• For a rich meat stock, simply substitute 3 pounds meaty veal and beef bones-such as beef shin, veal shank bones, and/or short ribs-for 2 pounds of the chicken or capon parts and all the turkey wings. Continue as described above.

LIDIA'S ITALY RECIPES: CHICKEN TROMBINO RECIPE - (3.5/5)

Steps:

• Cut each chicken breast on a bias with a sharp chef's knife, making two slices out of each breast. Season chicken all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread flour on a rimmed plate, then dredge chicken in flour and tap off excess. Melt the butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces, and brown the other side, about 2 minutes more. When the chicken is browned, pour the tomatoes, roasted peppers, oregano, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt into skillet. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the separate ingredients come together as a sauce, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the dish with the provola and shredded basil. Cover the skillet, and simmer just until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes more.