Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté & Colcannon Cakes

Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté One of the things I love about cooking is how some ingredients, tossed together on a whim, can turn out unexpectedly well. Like two people meeting for the first time, instantly recognizing they will be friends forever (has that ever happened to you?) Dear broccoli, meet toasted almond, and her friends grilled chicken, sesame oil, and red chili flakes. You are all going to get along swimmingly. This was one of those what-can-we-put-together-for-dinner-with-what-we-have-on-hand meals that was a surprising success. We almost always have broccoli in the fridge, because it keeps well, and I could eat it practically every day without tiring of it. Toasted almonds are another well-loved pantry item—great for snacking, and good for you too. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are usually not my favorite (give me bone-in, skin-on thighs any day), but they are wonderfully convenient when you want a quick meal. No fuss. The big "ah hah" with this dish? Broccoli and toasted almonds are meant for each other. With a little sesame oil and chili flakes, you don't even need the chicken, so feel free to skip it if you want to go meatless with this one. But, it's great with the chicken too. Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté Recipe Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes The amounts are estimates, adjust to your taste. INGREDIENTS 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts Kosher salt Olive oil Your favorite spice rub for grilling (optional) 1 lb broccoli florets 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes (more to taste) 1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil Freshly ground black pepper METHOD 1 Put a 2 quart pot of salted water (about 1 Tbsp of salt) on to boil. While the water is heating, start the chicken cooking in the next step. 2 Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning on all sides. Use at a minimum some salt. Or if you have a favorite spice rub, you can use that too. Heat a grill pan, or prepare a grill, for high, direct heat. (If you don't have a grill pan or grill, use a cast iron skillet, and only season the chicken with salt.) Rub some olive oil all over the chicken breasts. Grill the breasts for a few minutes on each side to get some nice char marks, then lower the temperature to low and leave on the grill until the breasts are just almost cooked through. They'll cook a little longer in the sauté pan, so they can still be a little pink in the middle at this point. Remove from pan or grill, set aside for a minute, then thinly slice. 3 Once the chicken has cooked and the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets to the salted boiling water. Allow the water to come back to a boil, and once boiling again, let cook for about 1 minute. Drain. 4 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the red chili flakes. Once the red chili flakes are sizzling, add the broccoli florets, sliced grilled chicken, and toasted almonds. Drizzle dark sesame oil over the broccoli and chicken, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss and cook until all of the chicken pieces are no longer at all pink in the center, a minute or two. Serve immediately. Yield: Serves 4. Colcannon Cakes Have you ever made colcannon? It's a traditional Irish mashed potato dish with lots of greens. If there's a heaven for kale, it's this, mixed in with mashed potatoes and butter. Colcannon cakes, or the Irish version of potato latkes, are what you make with leftover colcannon. The only thing is, colcannon is so good, who has leftovers? So, you may just have to make a new batch to make these cakes. Or just make twice as much colcannon as you think you might need, just so you have enough to make these cakes. Oh my these are good. We liked them with a little fresh lemon juice squeezed on top. I had one with a runny egg for breakfast. Yum! Colcannon Cakes Recipe Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 50 minutes You can also add some chopped fresh parsley to the colcannon mix. Here's a fun idea for breakfast, serve the colcannon cakes with a poached egg on top! INGREDIENTS Colcannon: 2 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks Salt 5 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 lightly packed cups of chopped chard, kale, spinach, or cabbage 1/2 cup of green onion greens, chopped 1 cup milk or cream Colcannon cakes: About 3 cups of colcannon 1 cup flour 1 egg 2-3 teaspoons salt 4 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil Lemon for garnish METHOD 1 Make the colcannon first (see our colcannon recipe.) Put potatoes in a pot, cover with cold, well salted water by an inch, bring to a boil, and cook until fork tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and remove them from the pot. Melt the butter in the still warm pot, add the chopped greens, cook for 3-4 minutes until wilted, then add the green onions and cook for another minute. Add the potatoes, milk or cream to the pot, mash until everything is well mixed. 2 Mix the egg, flour and salt in with the colcannon. You may want to chill the mixture for 15 minutes or longer to make it easier to shape the patties. Form into little cakes of whatever size you want, but make them flat so they will cook through without burning. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour until the mixture is easy to shape. 3 Heat the butter or vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place the formed patties in the pan so they are not touching. Lower the heat to medium and gently fry until golden, abou 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side. Let the cakes rest on a paper towel while you cook the others. Serve with slices of lemon. Yield: Serves 4-6 as an appetizer.