Chicken & Spinach Enchilada Casserole

My friend Tara asked me for this recipe this morning. I haven't made it in ages, but it sounds just perfect for dinner tonight. This recipe is based on one from Martha Stewart. It was in one of the first cookbooks I purchased with her name on it, probably around 1990. I used to make these enchiladas for parties and work luncheons....one of my 'go to' dishes. When I wrote my cookbook many years later, I included my version of Martha's recipe. It was definitely a fan favorite. You can place the chicken/spinach mixture on individual tortillas and roll them, or place the tortillas in layers. You can also use the meat from a rotissierie chicken to save the first step. Enjoy!

Chicken & Spinach Enchilada Casserole

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups sour cream
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
9 flour tortillas (taco size)
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack (plain or with jalapenos)

Place chicken in a deep skillet and add water or stock just to cover. Poach on medium heat until cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. While chicken is poaching, sweat the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft.

Remove and cool chicken before shedding or cutting into chunks. Place in a mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the cooked onion, spinach, sour cream, chilies, cumin and milk. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Add half to the chicken and stir to combine.

Layer three tortillas in bottom of dish and top with 1/3 chicken mixture. Repeat process two times, ending with a layer of tortillas. Cover with remaining sauce, spreading evenly, and top with cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly, approximately 45 minutes.

Holiday Party Food, Pt 2

Well, the big day has come and gone, but there is still much to celebrate! I love the days between Christmas and New Year's. And that week is the perfect time to have friends over for a cocktail and some snacks. In fact, as soon as I get this post-Christmas morning mess cleaned up, we have several friends that we can't wait to have over. And depending on everyone's schedules, the visiting may last into the days after New Year's. Here are some things I will have on hand. You can't go wrong with a Christmas Margarita. We do 2 cups tequila, 1 cup triple sec, and 1/2 cup each of cranberry juice and orange juice. Make in a pitcher and keep in the refrigerator. A glazed ham can be sliced and served at room temperature, and made into sandwiches with small rolls or biscuits. I bought a Boar's Head Sweet Slice ham and glazed it with 1 cup Dijon mustard mixed with 1 cup apricot-pineapple preserves. Bake at 325 for an hour or so, depending on weight, until heated through. And finally for today, here is the easiest recipe for artichoke dip. Ever. Thaw one box frozen artichoke hearts, then coarsely chop them. Mix with 1 cup mayo, 1 cup grated parmesan, and 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake in a small casserole dish at 375 until puffed and bubbly. It takes minutes to make, and everyone always loves it! :)

White Bean & Sausage Soup

I love to make soup. Everything goes in one pot, and you can use up all those leftover bits crowding the refrigerator. And leftover soup is even better! It always tastes better the second day. I make soup once a week, maybe every other week, and I make every soup pretty much the same way. I chop up onion, celery and carrot and saute in olive or canola oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Yesterday I added a pound of bulk sausage and cooked it along with the veggies. Here is the most important step for flavor - after the sausage is cooked through deglaze the pan with a few inches of chicken stock and boil for several minutes. This step creates that long simmered flavor without the extra time. Next I added three cans of small white beans (I drained and rinsed them first). Then more chicken stock to cover by a few inches and bring it to the boil. I added more salt and pepper and a tablespoon of chicken base. Simmer until the beans start to break down slightly and thicken the broth. Another great thing about making soup is that you can 'stretch it' for more guests by just throwing some more stuff in the pot....which is what I will have to do this evening. Last night when I was cleaning up I accidentally dropped the soup pot, sending a shower of beans all over the place. I didn't lose all of it, but boy did Murphy have a nice feast. :)

French Onion Soup

I received a five pound bag of yellow onions as part of my last organic veggie share, so I've had French Onion Soup on my mind. I grabbed a pile of cookbooks off the shelf to see if there was anything interesting to add to my usual recipe....not really. The key to good onion soup is slow cooking the onions until they are a rich brown and meltingly tender. I usually deglaze the pan with beef stock, but this time I took Ina Garten's advice and deglazed with 1/4 cup sherry before adding the stock. I found recipes for French Onion Soup in two different cookbooks by Garten, both pretty much the same. She is never one to shy away from butter, and she certainly likes some booze in her soup....along with the sherry she called for cognac or brandy, plus white wine. I brought my soup to a rolling boil and then turned off the heat to let it hang out and blend the flavors. When I tasted it later I added a bit of beef base and some more salt (I seasoned the onions with salt and pepper as they were cooking in the canola oil). To get that delicious crusty top, it is best to start with cold soup. I filled two bowls, added some croutons, and then the shredded gruyere. Put the bowls on a sheet pan and place in a hot oven until bubbly and golden.