SAUTEED ASPARAGUS / GREEN BEANS / MUSHROOM

Ingredients:
1 doz firm asparagus, peeled
or
1 doz green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
or
8-10 oz button mushroom sliced

3-4 garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley or dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
water

Preparation:

• In a large skillet boil water and salt. Add asparagus/green beans. Return to boil, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Shock them in cold water.
• Heat butter in a saute pan on medium-low and add garlic, parsley, oregano, black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds. Add salt.
• Add the asparagus/green beans/mushroom. Mix and cover to cook. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.
• Sprinkle water if they stick to the bottom.
• Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add lemon juice just before taking them down.

Tips:

• Cut about 11/2 inches off the asparagus from the bottom before peeling. Lightly peel from bottom to the head.
• It is not mandatory to boil and shock the asparagus and green beans. They can be sauteed as is.

GARLIC CHICKEN

This is a Halloween recipe published by the Globe magazine. What better way to keep the vampires at bay than with garlic.

Ingredients:
40 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 chicken (about 3 pounds) cut into 8 serving pieces(or 3 pounds of bone-in thighs)
2 tsp  minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
oil

Preparation:

• In a saute pan heat oil over low heat and add the garlic and a pinch of oil.
• Cover and cook the garlic stirring often to prevent them from sticking. Cook till the garlic cloves are browned and softened about 25-30 minutes.
• Remove the garlic to a small bowl leaving as much oil in the pan as possible and set aside.
• Rinse and dry the chicken pieces and very lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining oil over medium high and add the chicken. Do not crowd them, brown them in batches if necessary.
• Cook them undisturbed, until browned for about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and cook till brown for another 4 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a large plate. Pour out all the oil only leaving about 2 tsp oil in the pan.
• Heat the oil at medium and add thyme, rosemary and bay leaves and cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
• Add the wine and adjust the flame to medium- high and bring to strong simmer.
• Simmer stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half.
• Now add chicken broth and return to strong simmer till the liquid is again reduced to about half.
• Add the chicken pieces along with any accumulated juices and half of the garlic cloves and return to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and tender for about 40 minutes turning the chicken over. If there are chicken breasts add them after 20 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a serving plate and remove the bay leaves.
• With a wooden spoon thoroughly mash the garlic cloves in the pan to thicken the sauce. Add the remaining garlic cloves.
• Adjust the heat to medium-high and bring to a strong simmer stirring vigorously. About 4 minutes.
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter. Add in lemon juice and most of the parsley and stir
• Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Top the chicken witht he sauce and the remaining parsley and serve.