Recipe(tried): Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers and Key Lime Pie a la Ravenna

Hi Everyone!

Well, here I am, posting tonight's dinner at my home. Fall is in the air and I have thoroughly enjoyed perusing and buying some new cookbooks this summer. Yesterday, my Fall flowers were planted...zinnias, asters, yellow lantana. They look so beautiful! The yard and gardens this year surely took me away from posting and cooking. I am sure looking forward to cool weather! And, cooking some new dishes...One of the most interesting recipes I came across is from The Jimtown Store Cookbook. This recipe is a fun one if you like chopping and slicing and dicing and shredding. I for one, was in the mood for the kitchen work along with a cold glass of wine! The aroma from this dish fills the kitchen with a delightful bouquet and the rich, mohogany-reddish hue is a sure invitation to serve this ragout with bread to sop up those delicious juices!

I will be serving this dish with a crisp greens salad drizzled with vinaigrette and crusty bread. For dessert, a yummy, cool Key Lime Pie!

Bon Appetit!! Gina

Basque Chicken Ragout With Sausages and Sweet Peppers

serves 8

1/4 c. olive oil
1 lb. chorizo cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 med. onion, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 greem, washed, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips (Original recipe calls for 6-8 peppers!)
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 28 oz. can of plum tomatoes with juices
kosher salt
2 t. paprika
1 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. sugar
6 chicken breasts with bones and skin (Original recipe calls for a whole chicken to be baked in oven for 1 hour after splitting it...too much work! Just do the chicken breasts, it's easier!)

Put the chicken breasts skin side up on a foil lined pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Bake in 400 oven for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. When cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and shred meat with your clean fingers. Set aside.

In a alrge skillet over med-high heat, warm the olive oil, add the sausage and cook til lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and reserve. Do not discard oil or clean skillet.

Set the skillet over low heat, add the onions and garlic and cook stirring occasionally til they begin to brown. Add the ppers, raise the heat to high and cook til they begin to brown too. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer, scrape the browned bits up too. Lower the heat, add the tomatoes and thoroughly break them up with the side of a spoon. Stir in 2 t. salt, the paprika, black pepper, sugar, chicken and chorizo. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot in soup plates or bowls.

Key Lime Pie a la Ravenna
from Bake It To The Limit

Makes one 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie, 8 servings

For the crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Freshly grated zest of 1/2 lime

For the filling
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice
4 large egg yolks
Freshly grated zest of 1/2 lime

For the topping
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup lime juice
8 large egg yolks
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon lime oil (optional; see Note)

For the whipped cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the crust, place the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and zest in a bowl. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate, and press with your fingers to create an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. Use a flat bottomed glass to facilitate pressing the crumbs along the bottom and to help with the edges. Keeping the glass flat, move toward the edges; it will press the crumbs along the sides, creating an even layer all around. Blind bake the crust for 5 to 7 minutes, or just until it starts to brown. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Whisk together the condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks and zest. Pour the mixture into the partially baked crust. Bake for 10 minutes. Then return the pie to a wire rack to begin cooling.

While the filling is baking, prepare the topping. Place the sugar, lime juice and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler. Cook over simmering water until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. When you draw a spoon across the bottom of the pan, it should leave a small path. Stir in the lime oil, if using, off the heat.

Gently pour the curd topping over the pie, completely covering the filling. Let the pie cool to room temperature on the wire rack. Then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Right before serving, prepare the whipped cream. Whip the heavy cream and sugar together until medium-firm peaks form. The cream should be whipped beyond the soft-peak stage, but not too stiff. Spread the whipped cream over the pie, all the way to the edges. Make peaks by repeatedly touching the cream with the back of a spoon, drawing the cream up and out. Serve immediately.

Note: Lime oil, made by Boyajian, can be ordered from Williams-Sonoma or found at some specialty food stores. It is the distillation of oils from lime zest and has an incomparable flavor. If necessary, substitute the finely grated zest of 1 lime for the oil.