FOWL PLAY
Gerard Romano spied this chicken in his hometown of Port Jefferson Station on Aug. 3. He writes, ‘When was the last time you saw chickens running around? This hen was one of three enjoying some freedom from its coup on a hot summer day.
Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]
By Barbara Beltrami
It’s that frenzied time of year when the imminent holidays take huge chunks out of not just our wallets but our time. For many of us, preparing complicated and time-consuming meals is out of the question, and it’s either takeout or something quick but hearty that can be shoved in the oven while we scramble around to attack the holiday chores. This is when casseroles can be the answer. They’re meals that the kids enjoy and can even pitch in to help prepare (if you can pry them away from their iPhones and video games). Casseroles can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen, then reheated. Here are a few that are my favorites.
Lobster Mac and Cheese Casserole
YIELD: Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 stick unsalted butter
½ cup flour
1 quart 2% milk, heated but not boiled
8 ounces Emmenthal (Swiss) cheese, grated
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces fontina cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1½ pounds cooked lobster meat
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for macaroni. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, melt all but two tablespoons butter over medium heat; reduce heat to low and, stirring constantly with wire whisk add flour, cook for two minutes, until nicely blended and a pale golden color. Still whisking, add hot milk and cook a minute or two more, until mixture is smooth and thickened; remove from heat and whisk in the cheeses, salt and pepper and parsley until well blended and smooth. Stir in cooked macaroni and lobster; transfer to greased large casserole dish or individual ramekins. Melt remaining two tablespoons butter and combine with breadcrumbs; sprinkle over mac and cheese mixture.
Chicken, Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole
YIELD: Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup uncooked wild rice or wild rice and long-grain rice blend
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup flour
1½ cups chicken broth
1½ cups half-and-half
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook rice according to package directions; set aside. In large saucepan over medium heat, melt half the butter, then cook the shallot until opaque but not brown, about a minute or two; sprinkle in flour and whisk until just blended; add broth and half-and-half and over medium heat, vigorously whisk; when smooth, simmer about 5 minutes, and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. In medium skillet over medium heat, saute mushrooms in remaining butter; add, along with chicken and rice, to butter-flour mixture; thoroughly combine and turn into 2-quart greased casserole. Bake about 30 minutes, until bubbly and barely crispy on top and garnish with parsley.
Bean and Corn Casserole
YIELD: Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green frying pepper, diced
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
One 28-ounce can + one 14-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
One 14-ounce can corn kernels, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil; add onion, garlic and frying pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour and chili powder and stir until blended. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and over medium heat, bring to a boil; continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, salt and pepper, thyme and parsley, and transfer to greased two-quart casserole. Bake until bubbly, about 40 minutes; sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
Seared Halibut with Lemon Butter Sauce
YIELD: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
Lemon Butter Sauce:
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
turmeric, to taste
salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
Halibut:
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 halibut filets (6-8 ounces each)
salt
pepper
lemon zest
herbs
Vegetables:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 small yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 small red peppers, washed, seeded and sliced into strips
Potatoes:
2 cups Idahoan Signature Russets Mashed Potatoes (from 16.23-ounce package)
DIRECTIONS: For lemon butter sauce, add white wine, lemon juice, cream, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper to saute pan. Heat on high heat and reduce to half its original volume. While lemon sauce is reducing, prepare fish and vegetables. Once reduced, remove from heat and swirl in diced butter.
For halibut, heat nonstick skillet on medium-high heat with olive oil. Season halibut with salt and pepper. Sear until deep golden brown, approximately 5 minutes each side. Remove from heat and cover with foil.
For vegetables, add olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat. Saute zucchini, squash and pepper until crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes. Keep warm.
For potatoes, prepare mashed potatoes following package instructions. To serve, plate mashed potatoes, vegetables and halibut. Drizzle halibut with lemon butter sauce and garnish with lemon zest and fresh herbs.
Note: Haddock or striped bass can be substituted for halibut.
Roasted Chicken Provencal
YIELD: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups Idahoan Signature Russets Mashed Potatoes (from 16.23-ounce package)
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup pitted black olives, halved
sauteed green beans
DIRECTIONS: Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, brown chicken thighs on both sides in hot oil. Add white wine, chicken broth, thyme sprigs and garlic. Over high heat, heat mixture to boiling. Cover and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare mashed potatoes according to package directions. In skillet, add mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and olives; cover and simmer 5 minutes longer until chicken is tender. Serve chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans.
Source: Idahoan Mashed Potatoes
As summer comes to an end and the reality of back-to-school season sets in, it can be challenging to get organized and jump back into your day-to-day routine. But even as things get hectic, it’s still possible to create delicious dishes — such as Pan-Roasted Maple Dijon Chicken and Chicken Thighs and Tomatoes — that leave you plenty of time to savor meals together as a family.
Chicken Thighs and Tomatoes
YIELD: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
4 chicken thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
1 cup white wine
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juice only
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 400 F. In cast iron skillet, toss tomatoes with pinch of pepper, kosher salt and light drizzle of olive oil and place in oven. Roast tomatoes for 20 minutes. Set aside. Heat skillet on stove top. Once hot, sear chicken thighs. Flip chicken and sear bottom side for about 1 minute. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. With pan still hot, pour in white wine. Once wine has settled, add minced garlic. Add juice of one lemon. Return chicken thighs and tomatoes to skillet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes and serve.
Source: Edna Valley Vineyard
Pan-Roasted Maple Dijon Chicken with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts
YIELD: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
16 Brussels sprouts (about 8 ounces), bottom trimmed, outer leaves removed and halved
2 cups diced (1/2 inch) butternut squash
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS: In saute pan large enough to hold chicken in single layer, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan, skin side down, and saute about 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken from pan and reserve. In same pan, add butter. Allow butter to melt over medium heat. Add sprouts and squash to pan and saute, tossing occasionally, until outsides are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan and hold separately from chicken.
Turn heat to high and add stock, syrup and mustard. Stir and bring to boil, stirring to scrape up brown bits on bottom of pan. Add chicken back to pan, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook over medium-low heat 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken registers 170 F with instant read thermometer. Add vegetables back to pan, cover again and cook another 8 to 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Move chicken and vegetables to serving platter, placing vegetables around chicken. Turn heat to high and boil sauce until it is reduced and slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.
By Susan Risoli
Benner’s Farm doesn’t slow down for the summer.
Since 1751, this working farm in Setauket has been an oasis for anyone who cares about a way of life that surprises as much as it teaches. Bob and Jean Benner bought the 15-acre property in 1977. They still run the place, but now their sons Dave, Sam and Ben handle much of the outdoor work, while daughter Kirsten, who used to teach in the farm’s community education program, now lives in New England.
The Benners host a summer camp for children, toddlers to teens, including a full-day showing of how to care for the animals and the gardens. Times Beacon Record Newspapers spent a day at the farm for a firsthand look at life as a Benner.
7:50 a.m. The Benners and their staff of counselors are getting ready for the campers. Some of the children have seen farm animals up close.
“They have backyard chickens and such,” Bob Benner says.
Most, however, have never been at a place like this, and Benner calls it “amazing, to see how quickly they warm up to it.” Today, the children will do farm chores and help feed the animals.
Pancake the chicken and her baby, Waffle, go by. This chicken has flown the coop, preferring to hang out with the cow. She’s actively raising her chick.
This is unusual behavior, Benner says, as modern chickens have been bred to spend more time laying eggs for profit and less time nurturing babies.
Pancake walks briskly, clucking constantly to Waffle, who runs on teeny legs to keep up.
“She’s showing the chick how to eat and how to be,” Benner says.
There are always some chickens that forsake the safety of the coop for an independent life in the open, says Benner. And when they do, “they have to live by their wits.”
8:30 a.m. The lambs are getting antsy.
“Their stomachs are talkin’,” says Sam Benner.
One runs to the fence and makes a tentative baa. Soon, three others follow. Now the group is singing a loud, indignant chorus of appeal for their breakfast. Benner tells them they have to wait until the campers get there.
Farm life is satisfying, says Dave Benner, but the hours are long. When it’s time for “spring baby-watch,” he says, “any time the animals go into labor, we have to be there to help ‘em, for as long as it takes.”
Each animal has a distinct personality. Take Shrek, the little pig born in April. “Shrek is a handful,” Benner says, looking over at the piglet that, in the span of about a minute, has pushed his nose through the fence, run around his pen, rooted in the dirt and enthusiastically munched a snack.
10 a.m. The campers are here. Some are gathering hay from the barn. The littlest ones sit on counselor Michaela Pawluk’s lap, as she teaches them how to milk Zoe the goat. The milk is used to feed baby animals, Pawluk says, or is made into cheese.
Other kids wield rakes and shovels. Counselor Nick Mancuso is helping them make a feng shui-themed rock garden.
All the children have a multitude of questions. Nine-year-old Teppei says the animals “are funny sometimes. The chickens look like they’re playing running bases, because they’re running back and forth.” Teppei says he was surprised “at how big cows can get, at a really small human age.” He drew that conclusion after meeting Minnie, the Benners’ massive two-year-old cow.
2:30 p.m. Afternoon on the farm is a time for noticing — the feel of the strong sun, the sound of water rushing out of a garden hose into the goats’ drinking basin, the fragrance of oregano as a breeze blows across the herb garden.
Grown goats and sheep are out of the barn, grazing on the grass. Their babies rest in the shade, leaning on each other with their eyes closed. Minnie the cow is like a big puppy, licking the arms of any human she can reach, her soulful brown eyes trusting and calm.
7 p.m. Campers are long gone, and grown-ups are gathering on the farm for an outdoor bluegrass concert in the pasture. The sheep are starting to hunker down in groups.
Minnie and Shrek are beside themselves with joy as people gather to admire them. But soon, even they will settle down for the night. Tomorrow will be another busy day.
