Empanadas

I've been out of town, but while I was away I did a little experimental cooking. It's always nice to have a willing guinea pig! One of the things I'd wanted to try for a long time was empanadas, but there are so many different recipes out there. Then I came across this recipe, which seemed to match everything I was looking for, especially a flaky crust that doesn't use crisco or lard. We all loved it! The only thing I did differently was to use ground turkey thighs instead of beef or veal, but the flavors are so rich you can't tell. The almonds, olives, raisins, and tomatoes in the filling blend perfectly with the meat and warming spices like cinnamon, cumin and cloves. The dough uses cream cheese, and it was tender and flaky. I ended up with twice as much filling as needed, though, so now it's in the freezer all ready to go for another day.

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Muffaletta

It's been pretty warm here recently. And while we're nowhere near New Orleans, a no-cook muffaletta sandwich sounded like just the right thing tonight. On a loaf of ciabatta that had been split in half, I spread a mixture of ground olives, a little smoked paprika aioli, French jambon, muenster and mozzarella cheeses, and roasted red and yellow peppers. All of this was weighted down in the fridge for several hours, and then sliced up into several big, delicious wedges.

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Mediterranean Chicken Stew

When it's gloomy and cold outside, this is the dish to make. Chicken thighs are braised with artichoke hearts, capers, green olives, and lemon zest and juice--all strong flavors, but they blend together perfectly, and the juices flavor the potatoes as they cook. Eating this, you can almost imagine yourself in a sunny town in the Mediterranean, glass of wine in hand. Mediterranean Chicken Stew 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry and cut into 2-3 pieces each 2 Tbs flour 1 tsp each salt and pepper 2 Tbs olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbs capers, drained and minced Grated zest and juice of one lemon 1/2 c dry white wine 1 3/4 c chicken broth 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1 package (8-9 oz) thawed frozen artichoke hearts (quartered, if they aren't already) 1 c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 c pitted green olives, chopped coarsely lemon wedges, optional

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken, close the bag, and shake to coat.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken (without the extra flour) in a single layer and cook, turning once, until browned, 4-5 min. total. Remove to a plate.

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, capers, and lemon zest and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until reduced by half, about 2 min. Add the broth, potatoes, and chicken and return to a simmer. Lower the heat slightly to keep simmering, cover, and cook 10 min.

4. Add the artichokes and stir. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced, 8 to 10 min. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice to taste, and olives. Serve hot, with lemon wedges on the side, if desired.