I don’t know how you feel about French onion soup.

Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how *I* feel about French onion soup. It can be delicious. Warming, rich, sweet and savory all at once. Sometimes it’s hugely disappointing. Flat, overly sweet, only passable because of the cheesy bread on top.

Generally speaking, the ingredients are pretty cheap. Onions, stock made from leftover bones. A few herbs or spices. So maybe it’s a lack of love, or an over-reliance on bad ingredients that has made so many French onion soups lackluster.

It’s easy to understand why you wouldn’t bother making it at home. It takes an age to caramelize onions, and there’s no point in making it with beef stock if it’s not real stock. (No cubes… seriously.)

But I’m going to turn it all upside down. I offer you my totally-not-traditional French onion soup made with chicken (!) stock and roasted (!!) onions. (If you don’t believe me on the chicken stock, what about Serious Eats?)

After comparing the taste of lovingly (read: impatiently) caramelized onions versus casually roasted onions, I can tell you there are differences. But they’re not deal-breakers, especially if you would rather make a soup without staring at onions cooking for an hour. The roasting takes the same amount of time, but it’s hands off. You could even boil a quick chicken stock while you wait.

So while this cold weather hangs around at the party for too long, why not make yourself a steamy pot of cheaty French onion soup, and think about all that effort you didn’t spend on it?

4 portions

French onion soup

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On the Counter

For the soup
• 900 g onion
• 1.5 L (6 cups) chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tbsp olive oil (separated)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 100mL dry (NOT sweet) vermouth (You can substitute this with 3x as much dry white wine)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the cheese toast
• 1 slice of crusty baguette or sourdough bread per person
• 25g (1 oz) of freshly grated gruyere cheese per person

What to Do

For the soup
• Remove the outer layer of onion skin from each onion, keeping just the inner layer of papery skin. Cut off the pointy top of the onions so that just a small amount of onion is visible. Keep the root side on.
• Place the onions in a baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle each onion with a total of 1 tbsp olive oil and top with a small knob of butter.
• Roast for an hour at 150C (300F)
• Let the onions cool slightly, then peel and slice them from pole to pole into thin strips.
• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt 1 teaspoon butter over medium heat.
• Fry the onions on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add wine/vermouth. Raise the heat to high, and let it bubble away until almost all the liquid has evaporated. This should take 5 or 10 minutes (depending if you used vermouth or wine), but keep an eye on it.
• Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Give it a good stir.
• Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat so that the soup is just simmering. Cook uncovered, until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Taste it to be sure it's as flavorful as you want. Stir in a pinch or two of salt if needed.
• PS: Don't forget to fish out the bay leaves.
For the cheesy bread
• If you're using slightly stale bread, don't worry about the next step.
• Lightly toast the bread slices under the grill (broiler). Turn once to ensure both sides are just crisp.
• Ladle soup into your bowls.
• If you have oven-safe soup bowls or big ramekins, put the bread slices on top and generously sprinkle the cheese on top. Carefully transfer the bowls to a rimmed baking sheet and put it all under the grill.
• Melt the cheese until it's bubbly and lightly golden.
• If you don't have oven safe bowls, sprinkle the cheese on top of your toast slices, and put them back under the grill (broiler) until bubbly and lightly golden. Transfer them on top of the soup bowls.

7.8.1.2

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https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2016/03/21/french-onion-soup/

I’m not the biggest American football fan (except… go Jets!). But I love Super Bowl parties. Because of the time difference, it’s a lot harder to justify hosting a party for a game that starts at 11pm (British time) on a Sunday. And it’s even worse when it’s hosted on the West Coast. Woe is me, I know.

Don’t worry about me, though. It is not going to stop me from feasting, especially since Super Bowl food is so good.

Im going to admit to enjoying some of the finer “junk” foods in life, including saucy wings and 7 layer dips. I’m also going to admit that I don’t have a deep fat fryer, and something about dumping that much oil into anything feels … expensive.

So here’s a recipe for those of you who want wings but don’t want a vat of sizzling oil hanging around. Or for anyone who wants to feel a little more saintly by telling everyone these are baked chicken wings, rather than fried.

I learned the tip that makes this recipe from one of my favorite food celebs, Alton Brown. It’s clever, it’s easy and it works. Steam your wing pieces to render out the fat, making for crispy oven-baked skin. Don’t worry, you won’t dry them out, because the steaming helps with that, too.

It’s worth noting that the steamed wings must sit in the fridge for at least an hour to cool off and dry.

Crispy baked chicken wings will be yours before you know it.

Since I find it hard to make a decision, I make 2 different sauces to keep it interesting. You can go any direction you want. Sweet sticky barbecue, lip-tingling spice, deep and smoky…

Well … on to the recipe.

Technique based on Alton Brown’s buffalo wings.

5

Serves 4

Crispy baked chicken wings

30 minPrep Time

45 minCook Time

2 hr, 15 Total Time

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On the Counter

Baked wings
• 10 chicken wings, or 20 wing pieces
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp (about 50 g) butter
Honey chipotle wing sauce
• 3 tbsp chipotle paste
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste
Hot wing sauce
• 3 tbsp (50 mL) cayenne sauce, like Frank's RedHot (my personal choice)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste

What to Do

Baked wings
• If you're starting with full wings, segment them into 3 pieces, at the joints. You can save the wing tips for chicken stock, but you won't need them for this recipe.
• Set water boiling in a steamer pot. Once the water is at a boil, place the wing pieces, in one layer, in the steamer. Cover. Steam them for 10 minutes, turn them over, and steam them for another 5-10 minutes to render out the fat.
• Take pot off the heat, and carefully remove the wings. With paper towels, dry them and set them onto a cooling rack, sitting above a tray.
• Refrigerate the steamed wings for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make or prepare your wing sauce, or sauces.
• Heat the oven to 200 C (390 F).
• Cover a tray with foil, and lay out the wing pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.
• Set the tray on the oven's middle rack and bake the wings for 15 minutes, skin side up. Flip them and roast for another 10 minutes. They should be at least 74 C (165 F) internally and the skin should be golden.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter and put it in a small bowl or jar.
• Brush the chicken wings with butter, and then toss them in with the wings sauce or sauces.
Honey chipotle and hot wings sauces
• In a medium bowl for each sauce, combine all the ingredients. If the sauce needs to be thinned out, add some water, 1 teaspoon at a time and stir it together.

7.8.1.2

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https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2016/02/04/crispy-baked-chicken-wings/

If you want a veggie-friendly Super Bowl snack, why not try vegetarian nachos instead?

So if you’re keeping track… it’s definitely not Caribbean Food Week anymore. But sometimes memory cards go on different vacations from you, and you only see them again after they’ve done a road trip through Europe. Either way, do you really need an excuse to make some succulent, spiced baked chicken? I’d like to think not.

Jerk chicken is what you make of it, and as long as you’ve got the basics and time to marinade, you can tweak it as you please. Just make sure you have some citrus, some (all)spice, and some saltiness. By the way – allspice goes by a few other names, including pimento. If you have a spice mix that includes pimento, you are in the right place. Don’t worry, it won’t make your chicken taste like pumpkin pie or Christmas pudding.

Technically, to get the closest to real Jamaican jerk chicken, you’d need to slowly smoke it over pimento wood. But if you’re like me and live in an apartment, or don’t have the resource to slow smoke, you can bake it and still have some really good chicken.

So there’s one more thing I need to tell you about. I got the spices I used from Grace Foods, who gave me the chance to play around a bit with some Caribbean flavors. I used their hot curry spice and ginger pimento in this recipe. You can find their products in British supermarkets, particularly in the international food section. (Plus… they’re usually more affordable than even the store brands, with just as much, and often even more quality.)

On the Counter

1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
½ tbsp ginger pimento spice
½ tbsp hot curry spice
¼ tbsp ground nutmeg
1 green or spring onion, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 tsp table salt or 2 tsp kosher salt
2 (or 4 if you like it really spicy) scotch bonnet peppers, finely chopped
juice of ½ lime
One 1 kg/2.2 lb free range chicken, cut into eighths, skin-on, OR 4 skin on drumsticks and 4 skin on thighs, OR 12 wings, OR any mix you want!

What to Do

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. If you don’t feel like chopping up the ingredients, you can chop coarsely and put everything into a food processor until it’s combined and as close to a paste as you can get. There might still be some bits, which is ok.

Coat the chicken outside and under the skin. Getting it under the skin is important so that your actual chicken tastes great, and not just the skin. Cut through the skin to make some pockets, if you need to.

Put all the chicken pieces into a big zip-top bag, and let it marinade for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, and ideally for 8 hours if you can. You can make the marinade the night before and get the chicken ready in the morning for night-time cooking.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 200C/395F. Rub a little bit of oil on the inside of a roasting tray or baking dish that’s big enough for all the chicken to be in one layer. Get the chicken out of its bag and into the roasting tray.

Bake the chicken, uncovered, for 25-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the temperature inside is 74C/165F. The time difference depends on the size of the pieces you use – wings and boneless breast pieces will take less time, while thighs and bone-in breast will take the longest.

Serve it up with some coconut rice and beans and garlicky sautéed spinach for a full on Caribbean-inspired feast.

I have to admit, I surprised myself when I first tried this recipe from the Able & Cole cookbook. It’s not what I’d normally go for, and I’d never try it if it was on a restaurant menu. But we had every ingredient (and not much else), and it was actually really good.

Thinking back though, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that I’ve been scared off from anything orange flavored.

About 6 years ago, I went to Rome for the first time. There was some really amazing food, but there was also some really dreadful food. One of those meals included the absolute worst dish I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, and maybe even ever. Tortellini and salmon in a peppercorn sauce.

Doesn’t sound too bad, I know. Bear with me.

So we chat, we drink wine, we watch fellow tourists roam the cobblestone alleys around the Spanish Steps. (Note: don’t eat so close to the big tourist spots.) Dinner comes out.

What’s that? Is that my dish with the 3 shredded pieces of smoked salmon? And a gloopy orange sauce? Well, I’ll give it a try. What have I got to lose?

Except maybe a tooth because… yep… those are whole peppercorns trapped in thick, gooey bright orange sauce, like future fossilized amber.

And what does the goo taste like? Imagine the cheapest, fakest orange flavored marmalade in the world. And then put the saltiest cheap cuts of smoked salmon in it.

You can understand why it’s taken me a while to embrace oranges again.

Thankfully, for whatever reason, my mental aversions to orange flavor is fading slightly. After all that, I hope I haven’t put you off trying this easy weeknight meal, because it really is good. I promise.

Some recipe notes: You can cut down on the amount of chicken you use if you’re going to bulk it up with sides, like rice and vegetables. I tend to include steamed broccoli, or green beans, and maybe rice if it’s a small portion of chicken.

Adapted from the Abel & Cole Veg Box Companion
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

On the Counter

4 (free range) chicken breast pieces, about 900g or 2 lbs, total
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oranges, cut into 4 segments each
1 red chilli pepper
pinch of milled rock salt or kosher salt
few grinds of fresh black pepper
handful of fresh parsley

What to Do

Preheat the oven to 200 C/390 F.

Season (aka rub up on) the chicken with oil, then salt and pepper. Put the chicken pieces in a roasting tray, not touching. Lay the orange segments around it.

Bake the chicken for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the chile and mince or crush the garlic. Chop the parsley, too, but set it aside for the end.

When the 15 minutes are up, drizzle honey over the chicken, then sprinkle the garlic and chilli pepper over it.

Put it back into the oven and cook it for another 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 80 C/180 F.

Squeeze one or two of the orange segments onto the chicken. Remove it, stir up the juices in the roasting tray, and top the chicken with sauce and parsley.

PS: What was your worst restaurant meal ever?

Steamed asparagus is a beautiful thing. Actually, asparagus in all forms is delicious. One of my favorite sneaky ways to bump up the excitement of steamed asparagus is to add some finely minced (or pressed) garlic and a little bit of salt before cooking it.

Get ready for next-level steamed asparagus. Did you know that asparagus is a great source of fiber? It also has lots of vitamins A, C and E… which is all the proof you need that asparagus is great, really.

By the way, if you want to save your lovely little spears from untimely wrinkling, wrap the ends in a damp paper towel and store them in the refrigerator.

Except for the asparagus, this is a one-pot meal, which means not only is there less cleaning to do, but you get all the delicious flavors and healthy (and not so healthy) bits together in a luscious sauce.

Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes

On the Counter

2 large free-range chicken breasts, split or 4 small chicken breasts
100 mL (1/2 cup) chicken stock or white wine
200 g (1/2 lb) white mushrooms
1 tbsp butter (or olive oil, if you’re dairy-free)
handful of chopped fresh parsley
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves
1 shallot
16 spears of asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

What to Do

Season the chicken liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.

Slice the mushrooms, chop the shallots and mince the garlic. Set 1/4 of the garlic aside. Slice the asparagus spears longways, either in half or quarters, depending how thick they are. You can then chop those pieces in half (or not!).

In a wide, flat bottomed pan, like a frying pan or skillet, heat the butter until it’s melted and bubbly.

On medium high, sear the chicken breasts (skin side down if it’s skin on) until it’s browned, about 4-5 minutes but have a peek underneath to confirm. If it’s sticking to the pan, give it more time. Flip the chicken and do the same again.

Remove the chicken and set it aside, covered.

Add a little more butter if needed, lower the heat and fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes, until they’re soft, stirring occasionally. Then the garlic goes in for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms, and sautée. They’ll release a lot of liquid. Stir frequently until they’re soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn up the heat, stir in the wine or stock and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping (with a wooden spoon) the bottom.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer it for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is at 65C/ 144 F degrees, or isn’t pink in the middle.

With about 5 minutes left on the chicken, set a 2-tiered steamer pan boiling. Add in the asparagus, 1/4 of the garlic and a pinch of salt. Steam for 2-3 minutes until bright green. Don’t let them go further or they’ll be too soft.

Once the chicken is done, remove the pan from the heat and stir in lemon juice and parsley.

Serve on its own, or with a salad or brown rice. It’s also good as leftovers!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to the BBC Good Food Eat Well show in London, thanks to LexusUK. It was the first year that BBC has put on an event specifically about healthy eating. It was an interesting day, and better than I expected, though there were even more mushy brown “energy” bars and recipe box delivery services than I could have imagined.

Some of the highlights included trying some amazing hot and cold smoked anchovies from The Fickle Fish, and catching up with Riverford Organics, who I’m already a customer of and pretty much love.

The top moment, though, was getting to spend some time with Gizzi Erskine. If you don’t know her, went from working in a body-piercing shop to becoming a TV chef, and such an interesting person to talk to. For a cooking demonstration, she made a Chicken and Orzo soup that I said I just had to write about on my blog. Obviously it didn’t occur to me to get a photo with her – I think I still need some practice with selfie-ing.

And, with a head cold brewing this week, I could think of nothing more comforting and delicious than a rich, tomatoey chicken soup. Once you start making it, the promise of what’s to come is almost too much to bear. I might be guilty of picking the crispy browned chicken skin off and snacking on it…

I mean look at that browning… how could I resist?

I made a few adjustments to suit my taste and seasonality, like cutting down on the lemon and orzo portions and using canned tomatoes instead of fresh. (There is no way I’m going to find good tomatoes in March.) Check out the original recipe if you want to compare!

Serves: 4 (or 6 if you want smaller portions)

On the Counter

1 liter chicken stock
1 liter filtered water
150g (5.25 oz) orzo pasta (or white rice for a gluten free option)
1 medium free range chicken, cut into 8/10 pieces, or 8 thighs and drumsticks
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 400ml (14.5 oz) can of tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsp olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves or regular spinach, chopped
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, desemmed and chopped
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt
Black pepper

What to Do

Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat until it’s shimmering.

While the oil’s heating, season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and black pepper.

Fry the chicken, skin-side down to start, in batches until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes each side until the skin is brown and toasty. If it’s sticking to the pan, it’s not ready yet.

Take them out of the pan and set the chicken aside.

Lower the heat and add the onion, sauteeing for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until they’re soft. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes and sautee for another minute.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, making sure that there are no big chunks. Turn the heat up to medium-high.

Pour in the chicken stock and filtered water and then add the chicken and thyme.

Cook for 25 minutes, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by 1cm.

Remove the chicken. and leave it for a few minutes to cool. Pull the chicken off the bone and shred it. Add the chicken back into the soup, along with orzo. Cook for another 10-11 minutes, stirring frequently so the orzo doesn’t stick.  Add the spinach, and stir it in until it wilts. Add the parsley, lemon juice and zest. Serve!

This also makes great leftovers!

I knew there would be things that I’d miss when I moved from the US to the UK. Watching my favorite sport, for one thing. (Ice hockey, if you’re curious.) The convenience of 24 hour public transportation. NY style pizza. Lately, it’s been Buffalo wings. Maybe it’s all the talk about deflate-gate, another Super Bowl rooting against the Patriots, or maybe it’s the great wings I had last time I was home, but I just can’t stop thinking about Buffalo wings.

When you crave something, and I mean really can’t-stop-thinking-about-it crave, there isn’t much that can fill the void except the exact thing you want. If you want Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food, frozen yogurt is not going to cut it. In my case, nothing but real, good, bright orangey red spicy messy Buffalo wings would do. Thankfully, I found somewhere that’s as good as advertised here in London called Sticky Wings, on Brick Lane in East London.

I’ve been a few times already and sampled most of the menu with my fellow wings crew. There are 4 different varieties of wings on offer, either bone-in or boneless. You can choose from American Buffalo (with what I’m pretty sure is Frank’s Red Hot sauce), Sticky Wings BBQ, Jerk Twist and Hot Chilli.

I’ve tried everything but the Jerk Twist (maybe next time…), and while everything was good, the American Buffalo win. While we got a sample selection the first time around, we were all converted to American Buffalo on the next visit.

The Hot Chilli offer a real kick, but it’s not all spice. They’re juicy and flavorful, though your lips will probably be tingling. The StickyWings BBQ sauce version was tasty, but if I had to find a negative, they were a bit sweeter than I would normally like my wings.

In short, it’s worth trying them all, but you’ll probably find yourself drawn back to the American Buffalo wings, and they definitely deliver. They also offer generous pots of homemade dipping sauces for 40p extra, and both the ranch dressing and blue cheese are worth getting – though I’m a sucker for blue cheese, so that wins every time.

When it comes to the sides, though, I have to say that I was disappointed. The onion rings didn’t seem to have any real onions in them, and they were soggy – not quite what I hoped for. I had high hopes for the jalapeño balls, but they were mostly fried cream cheese balls with very little jalapeño bite. The battered and deep fried garlic mushrooms were interesting, but after about 2, I was over them.

My suggestion would be that if you’re getting sides, stick to the fries that automatically come with your wings, and make use of the Frank’s Red Hot sauce on the table, and maybe an extra pot of blue cheese dressing.

And then – there’s dessert. There is only one option on the menu, the Funky Cheesecake. In my international experience, I haven’t had great luck with cheesecake, generally. I have to say, this behemoth was worth it, though. It’s a sharing portion, for sure. For one person, I think the combination of profiteroles on top of cheesecake covered in caramel would be overwhelming, but with a few bites each, you’ll crave it for next time. Bonus: the crunch crumb crust is one of the best I’ve had in a very long time.

[instagram url=http://instagram.com/p/bosL-2Ol0T/ width=400]

If you’re in London and looking for a Buffalo wings fix, Sticky Wings has you covered. It’s nowhere fancy, and you could almost miss it for its cornerside location among the Indian restaurant hawkers and the kebab shops. This isn’t a hipster-chic destination that takes itself too seriously, but a great East London-run place where you can get some amazing wings and a bottle of Sam Adams, and make it out for under £15.

As an aside: I know this is traditionally a recipe blog, but I believe you can get a lot of inspiration from the experts. Eating out is like a research expedition, and while I haven’t yet made successful Buffalo wings, you can rest assured that once I make some I’m happy with, they’ll be up here.

If I had to pick a night when I was least interested in cooking, I would have to say Wednesday night. It’s the middle of the week and there is no weekend in sight. It’s usually not the most inspiring work day, but it’s not quite takeout-Friday. The Wednesday slump is all too real.

Anyway. Wednesday, at least in my world, is the day where I want something comforting and tasty, but without much hassle.

I introduce to you: marmalade roasted chicken.

All you need to make this on a dreadfully dull Wednesday night is: chicken (legs/things), whole grain mustard, orange marmalade. That’s it. I swear.

And hear me out on the marmalade thing. I really didn’t think I would like it, but for whatever reason, I got myself a jar of rhubarb and orange marmalade from a jam maker in Edinburgh. I tried it on chicken. Sold. Then the next time I went back, I got their orange and chili marmalade. Another winner. I wrote the recipe with the expectation that you won’t have chili and orange marmalade hanging around… but if you do, even better.

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but really it’s inspired by Nigel Slater, one of the major names in UK food writing. I think one of the best things about Nigel Slater’s recipes is that they range from the super-easy and totally satisfying to the complex and..  well… still satisfying.

All you have to do is…

Season the chicken.

Mix the marmalade and mustard… then coat both sides with marmalade and mustard

And put it in the oven to bake!

Marmalade Roasted Chicken

On the Counter
Serves: 4

4 chicken thighs or leg quarters
4 tbsp orange marmalade
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
black pepper

What to Do

Season both sides of the chicken with black pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F.

In a small bowl combine marmalade, mustard and chili flakes.

Coat the chicken pieces on both sides with the marmalade mustard mix. Start with the bottom.

Place the chicken on a roasting tray covered in foil (this stuff gets sticky!), skin side up.

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, but start checking at about 25 minutes for a golden brown color. Once the glaze browning, it doesn’t take long before it burns.

If you’re looking for a side dish, might I suggest some roasted broccoli?

The best-laid plans…

Lately I’ve come to discover that I’m inspired to blog at the wrong times. I have about 3 or 4 posts in draft form, some with photos, and some just with recipes.

I have some that seem like they would be ready for prime time – until I try to write something about them. Then, I have times when I can’t be bothered to take the camera out for something I’m just whipping up quickly. Of course, lately that means as soon as I take my first bite, I realize I should have been ready to blog about it.

Like in this case. For now, all I have are photos snapped quickly on my iPhone, too hungry to bother getting a photo this time.

But this is the kind of meal I should have had my camera ready for – inspired by a recipe that was inspired by another recipe, and similar to many meals before it.

It also tastes a bit decadent, which, maybe it is, but it has coconut milk … and coconut milk is good for you. And tasty. And dairy-free. And creamy. And usually pretty cheap.

While I can’t say it’s Thai food, I can definitely say that it has Thai-inspired vegetables and flavors, plus some other fun ingredients that don’t sound like they’ll work, but they do. The creamy coconutty chicken sauce, the soft and meaty shiitake mushrooms and the sweet and colorful red peppers all hang out together in harmony.

PS: My Kitchen Counter has an instagram account now! Check me out @mykitchencounter.

Note: If you’re hard-up for star anise, you can skip it, but even for a liquorice-hater like me, it added a nice dimension that I wouldn’t miss out on.

Inspired by the Kitchn.

Serve (over rice, if using rice) with sauce and vegetables on top. Garnish with chopped scallions (spring onions) and cilantro (coriander leaves), and with lime wedges on the side.

It’s getting cooler in London now, the Christmas season is quickly approaching, and all I can think about is hearty, warming meals. (And cheese. And sweaters. )

American Thanksgiving was just yesterday, but to my disappointment, I hadn’t had the chance to plan a real celebration this year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but since I’ve been here, I’ve never celebrated on the day. After all, last year I made pasta. This year I had drinks with friends and ate some leftovers that are sort of like turkey… but not quite.

This is one of the most soothing and savory dishes that I’ve discovered since I’ve started collecting recipes, years ago. The chicken is so tender and soft, and the rich, deep tomato flavor follows you around like a puppy. Comforting and lovely.

Tomatoes, stock (or wine if you’re feeling saucy), vegetables, chicken pieces and one pot and before you know it, dinner is done. I haven’t tried a vegetarian version, because I think that another version of it would be a different recipe entirely, but it’s on the list of future experiments.

Check out those spices, and the purple carrots from our veg box.

On the Counter

Serves: 4

1 tbsp olive oil
8 chicken drumstick and thigh pieces, skin-on
2 onions, sliced into thick rings
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, cut into chunks
2 celery sticks, cut into chunks
12 oz or 400g can plum tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups (700ml) chicken stock
1/2 cup sweet white wine (optional)
1 tbsp Coleman’s mustard
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and black pepper
Fresh parsley or cilantro (coriander) for garnish

What to Do

Heat the oil in a large soup pot until it shimmers. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add the onions, sauté and occasionally stir until soft and translucent. Add carrots and celery, cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season vegetables with a pinch of salt.

Pour in the tomatoes and juice, plus the stock. Crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, breaking them up as much as possible. Stir and add tomato paste, paprika, mustard, oregano and thyme. Add in the browned chicken, season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat. Place the lid on and simmer for 45-55 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to your taste.

When serving, top each bowl with a few sprigs of fresh parsley or coriander.

Just try to say no to a hearty stew on a cold, dank day. I don’t think it’s possible.