Le Creuset has had a big sale going on at amazon.com for a while now and it made me wonder if perhaps, just maybe, that might possibly mean they’re going to introduce a new color. And wouldn’t it be a lovely thing if that meant they finally released a pink version of their dutch oven for Spring?! I’d die and go straight to pastel heaven if that happened. Come on Le Creuset! Make a girl’s dreams come true! My KitchenAid needs a friend.

Everyone’s favorite Food Network hottie, Giada De Laurentiis, graces the cover of the latest Crate and Barrel catalog that arrived in my mailbox this week. She’s rolling out speciality oils and spices and grinning all the way to the bank. I poke fun now, but I’m a total celebrity chef junkie so no doubt a bottle of that oil will inevitably find its way into my kitchen. I truly don’t have any self-control whatsoever.

That same catalog got me ridiculously over excited about a so-called cookware stand that could potentially cure the mess that is my pot and pan cupboard. Then I flipped out over a set of pristine bowls printed with fresh herbs that look so real I did a double take. In addition, these tomato and lettuce dish towels printed in vibrant red and green would be the perfect purchase for any cook in need of a little winter cheer. That means me. I looked like a drowned rat by the time I got home last night after a day of traipsing to and from the office in torrential downpours.

I was actually inspired to make Arroz con Pollo after watching an Ingrid Hoffman episode where she sashayed her way through the traditional Latin dish in record time. Instead of using her recipe, which unfortunately had a few less than stellar reviews as well as ingredients that seemed a little out of place to me, (including ketchup and green beans) I opted to try the Cooks Illustrated version of the dish.

It took forever to make. From the time I started chopping to the time that I served dinner I “slaved” over the stove for more than 2 hours. I was so excited to try this savory cilantro and pepper flavored chicken and rice, but by the time it was actually plated I was practically falling asleep at the table. Not to mention that I munched on plump cocktail olives intermittently the whole time I was prepping and totally ruined my appetite. I’m an olive addict. It’s humanly impossible for me to eat just one.

My dilemma now is that I can’t eat the leftovers. There’s a gigantic Chefmate Dutch Oven full of Arroz con Pollo in my refrigerator and every time I think about it I feel queasy. Thankfully Chris thinks it’s great and has been kind enough to eat a bowl for dinner the last few evenings. Does this ever happen to you? I remember when I first started cooking sometimes if I had to handle poultry too much I’d get freaked out and not be able to eat whatever I made. I suppose this is some weird residual food anxiety on my part so please don’t let my ridiculous taste buds color your judgment. I did thoroughly enjoy an entire bowl of the dish initially (especially those delightful olives).

I made two slight alterations to the recipe below. For color purposes I added a whole diced red pepper in addition to the green pepper, and I also used olives stuffed with pimentos instead of separate amounts of olives and pimentos.

Chop, Chop, Chop	Marinate
Sofrito	Cook the Chicken
Add Sauce, Broth & Water; Simmer	Add Rice, Capers & Olives; Bake
Meanwhile…Make Corn Muffins	Stir Every 10 Minutes for 30 Minutes
Shred the Chicken (Ouch! It’s Hot!)	Marinate Again in Vinegar, Oil, and Cilantro
Combine	Feed an Army

Arroz con Pollo (Originally Published in the September 2006 Edition of Cooks Illustrated Magazine)

6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
Table salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar plus 2 additional teaspoons
Ground black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
3 cups medium-grain rice
1/2 cup green olives (manzanilla), pitted and halved
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup jarred pimentos, cut into 1/4 by 2-inch strips
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl; using rubber spatula, mix to make smooth paste. Add oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to garlic-salt mixture; stir to combine. Place chicken in bowl with marinade. Coat chicken pieces evenly with marinade; set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro; stir to combine. Push vegetables to sides of pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to clearing in center of pot, skin side down, in even layer. Cook, without moving chicken, until outer layer of meat becomes opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. (If chicken begins to brown, reduce heat to medium). Using tongs, flip chicken and cook on second side until opaque, 2 to 4 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and water; stir to combine. Bring to simmer; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add rice, olives, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir well. Bring to simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. After 10 minutes, remove pot from oven and stir chicken and rice once from bottom up. Return pot to oven. After another 10 minutes, stir once more, adding 1/4 cup water if rice appears dry and bottom of pot is beginning to burn. Cover and return pot to oven; cook until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender but still holds its shape and temperature of chicken registers 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes longer.

Using tongs, remove chicken from pot; replace lid and set pot aside. Remove and discard chicken skin; using 2 spoons, pull meat off bones into large chunks. Using fingers, remove remaining fat or dark veins from chicken pieces. Place chicken in large bowl and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and pimentos; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on top of rice, cover, and let stand until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Sometimes checking email in the morning just sends me into a complete fit of envy. For instance today I received the most beautiful and tempting ad from Sur La Table introducing the full line of Carribean Blue Le Creuset. Of course it’s more gorgeous than words and I want the entire set. Obviously I can’t justify such an impulsive purchase (since I do already own a very nice array of All-Clad stainless and the much talked about Target Chefmate Dutch Oven) but I might be able to justify just a little taste of bright blue stoneware, especially as it’s on sale. To splurge or not to splurge, that is the question.

Asparagus is my favorite vegetable so I jumped at the chance to try the Asparagus Parsley Pesto Risotto Bake featured in the April issue of Rachael Ray’s magazine. Admittedly, I was a little freaked out by the whole “risotto bake” part of the title. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was going to work, but my curiosity at testing out the baking capabilities of my new Target Chefmate Dutch Oven won out over my apprehensions. Not to mention, that as much as I love risotto, it can be a bit labor intensive stirring a hot pot of rice continuously for 20-30 minutes. In fact, I’ve been known to read a book in order to combat culinary boredom during that step.

Anyway, the dish ended up having a decidedly “Spring-like” feel, taste, and look and I really loved that the asparagus stayed crisp and turned a gorgeous shade of green after its brief baking time. Unfortunately, the first evening that I ate it I really wasn’t happy with the outcome. I felt that something was missing, but then I ate leftovers of the dish on two consecutive days and it was 3000 times better. In fact, I would actually go so far as to categorize it as delicious! Upon sitting overnight the lemon and parsley pesto really had a chance to flavor the dish to a whole new level that just wasn’t there during the initial serving. To remedy this issue, next time I plan to bake the Arborio rice completely in chicken stock (substituting extra stock for water) and also adding lemon juice, white wine, and extra zest to the dish as well. Practice makes perfect…

Onions Again	Toasty Rice
Add the Stock	Parsley, Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Lemon
Add Cheese & Asparagus, Bake Again	Spring Has Sprung

Oh happy day! I have been trying to hunt down the Target Chefmate Dutch Oven ever since I read about it in Cooks Illustrated after Christmas. I naively thought that I would be able to simply walk into Target, pick up this bright red pot and start cooking stews to my hearts content. I vividly remembered seeing them all over the place before the article came out, but of course none were to be found as soon as the Test Kitchen declared this $40 item to be on par with the much more expensive Le Creuset versions. I still covet the Le Creuset, but for the penny pinching time being I’ll happily make do with my Target knock off. However, please note that should Le Creuset ever decide to make pastel additions to their cast iron line my credit card will be making a command appearance. Just imagine the brilliance of a pink Le Creuset — “Le Sigh…”