Italian Easter Bread

Easter bread was always a family tradition that my mother made during the Easter holiday. My mother used a spice called anise seed that gave the bread a slight liquorice flavor that made the house smell like the holidays. This bread can be very versatile, you could make toast with melted butter on it or French toast with real maple syrup. This recipe is easy and very forgiving for first time bread makers.

Ingredients:

1 package Rapid Rise (instant) yeast (about 2-1/4 teaspoons)
1-1/4 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour (approximate)
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

Directions:

In a small saucepan, warm the milk and butter together, just until butter melts.
In a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, salt, eggs, and sugar. Add the warm (not hot - it will kill the yeast) milk and butter. Add about half the flour and the anise seed and beat until smooth with dough hook. Slowly add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Don't worry about how much flour it ends up being, just keep adding until dough is not sticky anymore. Knead until smooth with either dough hook attachment or turn out on floured board and knead. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in the oven, but do not turn oven on. Just turn the oven light on and it will double in size, about an hour.
Punch dough down, divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece to form a 2 inch thick rope about 12 inches long and taking two pieces, twist to form a "braid", pinching the ends.
Place on three baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until double, about an hour again.
Brush each bread with beaten egg wash. Bake 350 degrees F until golden about 20 minutes. Cool on rack. Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs with Red Chard

I did a change up from spinach to using red chard with a red pepper, a Cubanelle pepper and a Vidalia onion that brought out a flavorful taste to the chicken thighs. This is an easy recipe that you could serve with brown rice or whole grain pasta or a side salad.


Ingredients:

4 to 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red pepper, sliced
1 Cubanelle pepper, sliced in rings
1 Vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 cup Marcona almonds
2 bunches red chard, rinsed, dried, roughly chopped
1 fresh bay leaf

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and brown the thighs skin-side down for 4 minutes per side. Season with the paprika on both sides. Then remove the chicken and set aside.
Add the garlic, peppers and onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the almonds, red chard, bay leaf, 1 cup of water and a liberal amount of salt and bring to a simmer. Top with the chicken skin-side up and bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Spring Risotto

This risotto is easy to make and it serves two which is nice for a quick week night dinner. Since it is Spring, I thought asparagus would be a flavorful addition to the recipe. Also, I added a little sweetness with some Medjool dates and to finish, I stirred in a little Chavrie goat cheese that added a mild, tangy taste to the risotto.

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 Medjool dates, sliced
1/2 cup asparagus, chopped
4 ounces Chavrie goat cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and keep hot.
In a medium sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat then add onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add rice then stir to coat in butter. Add wine then stir until nearly absorbed by rice. Use a ladle to add 1/2 cup chicken stock to pan and stir continuously until stock is absorbed. Add sliced dates and continue adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until nearly absorbed before adding more.
When there is about 3 additions of stock left, add asparagus and continue stirring until all stock is used.
To finish, stir in goat cheese and then add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!