Pulled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

D will tell you - if somewhat tiredly - that I am loath to make the same dish twice. Maintaining this site means constantly searching for new recipes to tell you about, and returning to an old favorite means passing up the opportunity for a new dish, which, if we love it, means a new post. Aside from re-testing recipes I'm planning to blog, I've settled into a somewhat maddening pattern of behavior: I make a recipe, love it, rave about it, promise to add it into the rotation, and then blithely move on to something unfamiliar, leaving the old-new favorite on the (overloaded) back burner for eternity. If I could break that habit just once, it'd be for these jerk chicken sandwiches.

It started the way no other jerk chicken story has ever started: with rolls. Before jetting out of the house on Friday morning, I glanced in the fridge and probably uttered an expletive as I realized I'd forgotten that I'd put up pizza dough the previous day, hoping to make pizza when I got home from work. I didn't get home till 9, and neither did D, making pizza night unrealistic. But the dough had fully risen in the fridge, and I'd have hated to waste it. So I threw caution to the wind, punched it down, and formed it into rolls. Rolls that turned out seriously, honestly, delicious. They were so good, I made a second batch.

The good thing about serving rolls for dinner is that you don't need to make challah. Sometimes, there just isn't enough time for that. Having crossed that off my list, I started brainstorming what our guests might like to eat on/in their rolls. That's when I remembered this jerk chicken recipe I've wanted to make for ages. Sure enough, you could make it in the crock pot - easy! - and you were meant to eat it atop crusty French rolls, which by some miracle I now had.

Done.

Friday was so busy and involved so much running around that I actually showered twice. To say I threw this dinner together somewhat haphazardly would be an understatement. I tossed some asparagus and cauliflower under the broiler as the rolls baked, and made one dressing to use on both. I made the easiest cake ever. And I made this jerk chicken, which - if you use boneless chicken thighs - involves little more than browning chicken, mixing together a bunch of things you probably already have, and then letting them get to know each other for a few hours in the crock pot. In a pinch, you can even skip the browning.

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I told you I made my own rolls, and I've included the (very easy) recipe for those below. But you can definitely buy the rolls instead. That'd bring this dinner within reach for a weeknight. And since I don't think our work lives will be getting less busy anytime soon, I just might put some jerk chicken in the crock pot tomorrow night. If I were in town for Memorial Day weekend, I'd definitely do it again then. I told you, it's a recipe you'll want to make again and again.

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Pulled Jerk Chicken Sandwichesadapted from Chow.com

As I said above, this recipe does have two steps - browning the chicken and braising it in the marinade - but the browning can be skipped in a pinch. If you do skip the browning, simply add the rub ingredients to the crock pot along with the rest of the marinade ingredients.

Another note about cooking this recipe: it can be made either in a crockpot or in a dutch oven. If making in a crockpot, turn the crockpot onto warm before starting on the chicken, so that it'll be hot by the time the chicken is browned. In that case, you can use whatever pan you'd like to brown the chicken: stainless steel and cast iron both work.

If making the chicken in a dutch oven, you can do both the browning and braising in that same pot.

For the chicken: 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground allspice 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 4 pounds dark-meat chicken (I liked a mix of drumsticks and boneless thighs) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the marinade: 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 cup molasses 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/3 cup soy sauce 10 peppercorns 5 garlic cloves, smashed 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups cilantro (about 1 bunch), coarsely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced into 1/4-inch coins 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, sliced into rounds

Brown the chicken: Combine spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken and rub in to coat all over. Set aside. If using a slow cooker, turn on "warm" setting.

Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in either a heavy-bottomed metal pan or a dutch oven (see headnote) and turn heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, place chicken in pan in a single layer - you'll likely do this in batches - and cook until underside is golden brown. Flip and repeat with the other side. When both sides have browned, remove chicken to a plate (if doing the braising in that dutch oven) or to your slow cooker. Chicken will still be raw inside. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.

Combine marinade ingredients in dutch oven or slow cooker, and stir chicken and marinade together. Set dutch oven over lowest heat and cover, or cover slow cooker (set to "warm"), and cook chicken until falling off the bone or shredding when prodded with a fork, 5-8 hours. (Drumsticks are especially forgiving on cooking time, which is why I like them, but thighs - even boneless thighs - will do just fine.)

When the chicken is ready, remove bones and shred meat into small strips. Return shredded chicken to pot or slow cooker with sauce until ready to serve.

Serve on halved crusty rolls (recipe below) with plenty of napkins.

Crusty Rollsadapted from Jim Lahey

3 3/4 cups flour 2 1/2 teaspoons instant or other active dry yeast 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon sugar 1 1/3 cup room-temperature water

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the water and use a large fork or your hand to mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. The dough will be stiff, not wet and sticky. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Divide the dough in half, and divide each half into 4. Shape each ball into a roll by gently tucking the edges under and into a point at the center of the roll on its bottom. (There are several videos online explaining how to shape dinner rolls, if you'd like more detailed instruction, but it isn't a particularly fussy process.) At this point, rolls can be placed into oiled plastic bags and frozen, or refrigerated the same way for upto 1 day.

When ready to bake the rolls, preheat oven to 450°.

Put balls on a lined baking sheet, leaving a good 2 inches of space on either side of each roll if you want them to come out round and with fully crisp crusts. (For rolls more square in shape and with crusts only on top, you can put them closer together on the baking sheet, and they'll bake up more like pull-apart rolls. Again, your choice.) While the oven preheats, proof the rolls for about 45 minutes. Then bake 40-45 minutes, until tops are golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped.

Let cool completely, then slice in half, top with chicken and a ladleful of sauce, and serve.

Wheatberries with Melted Leeks and a Poached Egg

Leeks aren't exactly a spring vegetable - they've been at the market most of the winter - but spring brings those young, skinny leeks, seemingly born anew in the warm weather, and I positively love them.

It takes a while to soften the big, sturdy leeks of winter, but the spring ones submit almost effortlessly, melting into butter just like shallots would. After not long at all, the leeks are impossibly mild and sweet. They make everything better.

I tucked this first batch into a bowl of just-cooked wheatberries. I left the two to mingle for a few minutes, as the wheatberries went from steaming hot to just warm. Meanwhile, I snipped some fresh chives and poached an egg the control freak way. And then, I sat on our deck, broke my egg over the wheatberries, and ate lunch.

If this is all too pure for you, there are plenty of ways to doll it up. Add some flaked salmon or snapper; toss in some marinated tofu; or chop up some chard or spinach and fold it into the berries. If you're feeling crazy, pour the wheatberries, leeks, and greens into a gratin dish, top with a couple raw eggs, grate some hard cheese overtop, and tuck the dish under the broiler for a few minutes. <That's lunch for company.

Wheatberries with Melted Leeks and Poached Eggs

Serves 2, maybe with leftovers

1 cup wheatberries 3-4 baby leeks or 1-2 large leeks 2 tablespoons butter 4 chives, minced 2 eggs

Bring a pot of salted water (or part water, part broth) to a boil over high heat. Add wheatberries, and once the water has returned to a boil, lower heat, cover pot, and cook about 1 hour, adding extra water if needed, until wheatberries are tender.

Meanwhile, clean the leeks. Slice off the root end of the leeks and the dark green tops - you'll only be using the white and light green parts. Quarter the leeks lengthwhise, then slice them crosswise into small pieces. Clean very well: I do this by dumping the bits of leeks into a strainer set over a bowl, filling the bowl with water, swirling the leeks around to free the dirt, and then straining them by pulling the strainer out of the bowl. If your leeks are from the market, you'll probably need to do this several times to get the leeks thoroughly clean. It's worth it - gritty leeks suck.

Add the butter to a shallow saute pan set over medium heat. When butter has melted, add leeks and a healthy pinch of salt. Stir to combine, and when leeks start to hiss, add a couple tablespoons of water. The water is especially important with bigger leeks, which need some help softening. Now, cover the pan (if you don't have a cover, tin foil will work), turn the heat to medium-low, and let the leeks melt, stirring occasionally and adding more water if it looks like they're browning before they're soft. This should take about 20 minutes. When leeks are melted and soft, remove from the heat.

Drain cooked wheatberries and transfer them to a large bowl. Add leeks and fold together to combine.

Poach the eggs when you're just about ready to eat. There are many ways to do this; my favorite is to poach them in the shell, in just-barely-hot water. I get that isn't exactly unfussy, so you can also just simmer a shallow pot of water with a couple teaspoons of vinegar, swirl a fork around the pot a couple times to get the water moving, add a couple eggs, and poach them for about 2 minutes until the white is just

Spoon the wheatberries into bowls, set the poached eggs on top, and sprinkle the chopped chives over everything. Break the eggs, mix into the wheatberries, and enjoy.

Moroccan Chicken with Apricots

This is a story about the time when I finally learned to cook for my in-laws.

It shouldn't be so hard, really. I love to cook. I do it pretty much every day. I have a food blog, for heaven's sake. But in the past, cooking for the in-laws has proven more than I could handle. Don't believe me? Just ask my father-in-law. Ask him about the time I bought frozen peas - the man loves peas - and then forgot them in the freezer. Ask him about the time I toiled over an apple pie (his favorite) only to realize that I'd ruined it with too much orange zest. Just don't mention all those times I've made chicken. A different kind, every time, and never worth making again.

This weekend, I nearly repeated my past mistakes. Thursday evening, I had maple parsnip cake in the oven, and smoky chiles in a blender along with all the ingredients for mole poblano. I blended it smooth, dunked my finger in for a taste, and....shit! That stuff was spicy. Of course, I loved it. It burned, a long, slow burn that lingers on your tongue and builds with each bite. But people, it was seriously hot. That's when I had the honest moment: between you, me, and the blender of mole, my father-in-law doesn't do spice.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I started on that mole recipe, but there I was, 2 hours later, with lots of mole that I really couldn't serve for Friday night dinner. Instead of plugging forth stubbornly (yea, I just admitted to being stubborn; first step, right?), I piled that mole into a jar, tucked it in the fridge, promised myself top-notch enchiladas later in the week, and went back to square one. Square one, in this case, was an innocent-seeming recipe for chicken with apricots.

I've always had a soft spot for tagines. Though this chicken dish is made in a regular pot, it has the flavors and textures of a good chicken tagine. The chicken and apricots were meltingly tender, yielding to the slightest prod of a fork. The liquid - little more than water, spices, and honey - had transformed into a deeply flavorful sauce, which we happily poured over golden-crusted rice (a Persian dish called tahdig, and a story for another time).

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When I tweeted a picture of this chicken using instagram, several of you got excited and asked for the recipe. Your wish, my command. Enjoy.

A note about the site: some of you emailed and tweeted me this past week with concerns about the blog. You were searching for granola with tahini, or hamentaschen for Purim, but you got sent to a page that....well, let's just say it wasn't promoting food. I've got some great folks working hard to make the s-p-a-m go away once and for all. Site's clean for now - here's hoping it stays that way. Thanks to all of you for your patience. Now let's go eat some chicken.

Moroccan Chicken with Apricotsadapted from, sigh, an old Gourmet recipe

Makes 4 servings

The original recipe is called Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds. But it isn't really a tagine, since you don't cook it in a tagine. Also: I omitted the (1/3-cup) blanched almonds. Not a big fan of nuts in saucy things. Chicken in saucy things, on the other hand, is delicious. And the apricots - amazing.

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1 (3-lb) chicken, cut into 6 pieces, wings and backbone reserved for another use 1 medium red onion, halved, then sliced 1/4 inch thick 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 5 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped 5 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons mild honey 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 1/2 cup dried Turkish or regular apricots

Stir together ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, turmeric, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat well.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Brown half of chicken, skin sides down, about 8 minutes. Flip, cook about 3 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. Brown remaining chicken in the same manner, adding any spice mixture left in the bowl.

Add onion and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add cilantro and parsley to the pot, reserving a handful for serving. Then add water, honey, cinnamon, apricots, chicken, and any juices accumulated on plate. Reduce heat slightly and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

If you're serving this for a dinner party and need to start it in advance, feel free to cook it low and slow instead. I've cooked it in a 275-degree oven for 1.5 hours. Like I said, meltingly tender.

Serve the chicken over either rice or couscous, topped with parsley and cilantro.

Mushroom Pea Curry

It's a week after New Years, and I'm talking about vegetables. Could  I be more predictable?

Yes, it's that time of year when everyone you know has committed to hit the gym 3 days a week, quit cursing, and eat less meat. Personal experience tells me that while everyone clamors to steal my spot at spin class for a few weeks after the holidays, by mid-February, I've got my bike back (even if I have to call before 6 to reserve it - and yes, it's that worth the early wake-up: Dave is my overenthusiastic spinning instructor who hasn't bought a record since "Walking on Sunshine," and I love him for it.)

I've made resolutions before. A couple Augusts ago, I spent an inspiring day with my friend Cathy (known to the interwebs as Mrs. Wheelbarrow), and felt so fired up by all the things we'd made that I spontaneously made a list of Kitchen Resolutions. You know what? I've done all but two - I'm pretty proud of that.

Still, when it comes to traditional New Years resolutions, I'm more of a tweaker, preferring incremental changes to whole-hog lifestyle makeovers. While eating minimal meat was how I was raised, it's also a lifestyle choice I've consciously adopted. I try to avoid meat and poultry from animals not raised sustainably, which means most of the meat served at large functions and in typical restaurants is off-limits. I also keep a kosher home, and there's no way around the fact that kosher sustainable meat is incredibly expensive; I buy it only a few times each year. As such, I'm always on the lookout for interesting vegetarian dishes. This time of year, with all those Meatless Monday resolution-makers, I've got plenty of company.

A few weeks back, before climbing onboard for two family vacations (more about those later), a slew of holiday parties, and really more cookies than I feel comfortable counting, we made Indian food for dinner. I steamed basmati rice with saffron. I grilled up some impossibly smooth, silky avocado chapatis. We made Jen'sCurryflouwer Surprise. And then there was this: mushroom and pea curry from the queen of Indian cooking, Madhur Jaffrey. It's the best curry I've made to date.

I like that this curry has a thick, substantial texture even without potato. You could make it even more substantial by adding paneer, but I like it just as is, over rice, with some raita on the side. The sauce is rich from tomato and diced onion and Jaffrey isn't shy with the spices. One last plus: while some mushroom dishes get mushy after some time, this curry will keep for days. Call me crazy, but I think it may even improve as it sits.

Mushroom Pea Curry 2

I've made this twice for us, and brought a big container to friends who just had a baby. We all think it's a winner. So don't kick those "vegan 'till 6" resolutions to the curb just yet. There's plenty of flavor in this curry, no meat needed.

When your Indian leftovers run out, here are some other meatless recipes I've made and loved, from around the web:

• Black bean and espresso chili from The Kitchn
• Fideos from Deb at Smitten Kitchen (vegetable stock worked well here)
• Double broccoli quinoa from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks (I made it with cavatappi)
• Silken comfort tofu from Food52 (use a tablespoon of soy in place of the fish sauce)
• Eggplant involtini from Nigella Lawson

Mushroom and Pea CurryAdapted from Madhur Jaffrey Serves 4 as part of a larger meal (i.e. we made it with rice, raita, and another curry, and it was enough for two meals for each of us)

1 tablespoon ground coriander 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons ghee or canola oil 1/4 cup diced onions (about 1/2 a medium onion) 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and finely grated 1 1/2 cups diced tomato (fresh or canned) 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, halved lengthwise (quartered if very large) 1 10-oz. bag frozen peas, defrosted (if not, no biggie)

Combine dry spices with 1 1/2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and mix to form a paste.

Put ghee or oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onions. Stir to coat with oil, and saute for 3-4 minutes, until onions are browned at the edges. Add ginger and spices, stir to coat, and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomato. Stir and cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, for about 4 minutes, until tomato has softened. If tomato sticks to pan excessively, add a splash of water.

When tomato has softened, add 2 cups of water and the salt. Stir and bring to a boil; then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add mushrooms, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat again and cook 10 minutes. Add peas, stir to combine, and cook 5 minutes more over medium-low heat, until warmed through. At this point, check and adjust salt level.

Serve with basmati rice and raita (this one from Elise at Simply Recipes is really lovely).