Social Sundays – Chicken Puttanesca, Celeriac Puree, and Buckwheat Orange Cake! Image 1
Laugh, Social Sundays

Social Sundays – Chicken Puttanesca, Celeriac Puree, and Buckwheat Orange Cake!

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Social Sundays is tomorrow, but I thought I would publish this menu a day ahead to give you plenty of time to plan, shop and cook.  This Social Sundays Menu is loaded with fun flavorful foods that almost feel like fall.  I’ll admit I like summer for the outdoor adventures, but fall is my true love when it comes to cooking and baking.

I thought we could ease into my favorite time of year starting with Chicken Puttanesca.  Puttanesca is an Italian style sauce with olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies.  Some people turn their noses up when it comes to anchovies, but they are mild in flavor, and melt when heated with olive oil. They give the sauce an extra something special – sort of Umami taste with a hint of the sea.

I used whole chicken legs in this recipe, which are a thigh and leg attached, but you can use just thighs or even breasts if you don’t prefer dark meat.  I marinate the poultry for at least 3 hours ahead of time to infuse it with flavorful seasoning.  The puttanesca sauce is an additional bonus to the already delightful roasted chicken legs and offers a tangy compliment to this delightful entree.

For our side dish – Celeriac Puree.  Celeriac or celery knob, is a variety of celery cultivated for its root. This edible bulb is delicious when steamed and pureed, similar to how you prepare mashed potatoes. Celeriac is a much creamier than traditional celery with a unique herbaceous taste. I enjoy this puree because it is light in calories and big on flavor.

Our dessert this week is Buckwheat Orange Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Cream. Buckwheat is a gluten-free grain, not related to the wheat family, that is dark in color, but light in texture. The most familiar food made with buckwheat flour are blinis.

I love to bake with buckwheat flour because it gives breads, cakes, muffins and other desserts an earthiness without being too heavy. If your preference is gluten-free, buckwheat is a great alternative to the starch based gluten-free flours.  This recipe is not totally gluten-free, but you can always substitute gluten-free flour for all purpose flour, as a nice alternative.

So, invite some family and friends and cook as a group to celebrate the beginning of a new season with this Social Sundays Menu!  Don’t forget to keep me posted on your cooking endeavors!

Buckwheat Orange Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

Social Sundays – Chicken Puttanesca, Celeriac Puree, and Buckwheat Orange Cake! Image 2

Ingredients

2/3 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free flour

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup orange juice

Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

1 cup mascarpone cream

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract + 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

(Serves 8)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour, buckwheat flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to remove any lumps.

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2.  In a stand mixer, blend the eggs with the sugar and olive oil for 2 minutes or until light and creamy. Then, add the vanilla extract, orange zest and orange juice, mix again for 1 minute.  Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.  Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.

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3.  Place the cake in the oven to bake for 40-50 minutes or until when a toothpick is inserted it comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Using a table knife, loosen the cake around the perimeter and invert onto a cake stand or plate.  Let the cake cool to room temperature, using a sieve, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  When ready to serve, whip the mascarpone, heavy cream and vanilla bean paste, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Slice the cake into wedges and dollop with the mascarpone vanilla cream.  Enjoy!

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Buckwheat Orange Cake 060 (640x480)

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Celeriac Puree

Social Sundays – Chicken Puttanesca, Celeriac Puree, and Buckwheat Orange Cake! Image 3

Ingredients

4 Celeriac bulbs

1 quart whole milk

salt

pepper

(Serves 4-6)

To Prepare:

1. Wash and trim the rough sides off of celeriac bulbs. Cut each bulb in half and then dice into 1-inch pieces.

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2. Place the diced celeriac into a saucepan and pour all of the milk in to cover. Heat the mixture over medium heat until simmering. Cook until celeriac is soft fork tender, about 20 minutes.

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3. With a slotted spoon, remove the celeriac and place in a food processor. Add back most of the warm milk with the celeriac and puree to a desired consistency.  Salt and pepper Celeriac Puree to taste. Keep warm in a light oven or over a bowl of warm water, and serve with Chicken Puttanesca. Enjoy!

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Chicken Puttanesca

Social Sundays – Chicken Puttanesca, Celeriac Puree, and Buckwheat Orange Cake! Image 4

Ingredients

2-4 whole chicken legs

Marinade

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

juice of half a lemon

1/3 cup olive oil + more for cooking

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Puttanesca Sauce

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/4 capers, drained

1 shallot, minced

2 anchovy fillets

14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt

pepper

(Serves 2-4)

To Prepare:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Wash and pat dry chicken legs with paper towels.  In a small casserole dish, add the Dijon mustard, rosemary, lemon juice and olive oil.  Whisk until the ingredients are combined and place your chicken legs inside to coat.  Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

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Puttanesca Chicken 009 (640x480)

2.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a oven proof skillet and place on medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to smoke, add the chicken legs. Cook the chicken legs for 3 minutes and then flip over to brown the other side.  Cook another 3 minutes and then place the chicken in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.

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3.  While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop the kalamata olives, dice the shallot and rinse the capers and anchovies, set aside.

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4.  Remove the chicken from the oven and place the roasted legs on a plate and cover with foil, while you make the puttanesca sauce.  In the same skillet as the chicken was cooked, add the anchovies and shallots.  Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the anchovies are melted.  Add the tomatoes, olives and the capers, stir.  Continue to cook the sauce for 3 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes to the sauce and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

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5.  Pour in chicken broth and wine, stir.  Let the sauce reduce for 4 minutes.   Add the chicken and jits5juices back into the puttanesca sauce and cook for 5 additional minutes.  Serve your Chicken Puttanesca with Celeriac Puree.  Enjoy!

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Puttanesca Chicken 082 (640x480)

 

 

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