Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew

I stay pretty busy. Six days of the week, I do countless loads of laundry, feed our family, pick kids up at schools, keep our house semi-clean, do errands, and the list goes on and on. I am sure your list seems endless sometimes too. Whose doesn't? Needless to say, I am trying to carve out one day a week where I stop a little and take a nap/read/write (just for me--not for any blog), putting aside my mile long to do list for the day. One way I accomplish this without racking up huge eating out bills is to get out the slow cooker. I turn it on the morning, wash all the dishes and then am done for the day in the kitchen. The challenge is finding slow cooker recipes I like that don't turn into a "open up a can" fest. I want recipes that match our summer season and use some of the produce have around.

I found this recipe and was excited. It used eggplant and zucchini (not your normal slow cooker ingredients) in addition to potatoes. All three things I got in my CSA box and had languishing in my crisper (well, not the potatoes).

We all enjoyed it. My only complaint was the amount of work that went into it. I prefer my slow cooker recipes to need not a lot of prep work, but this one took a little longer with browning the lamb and sauteing onions. It also was a shorter cook time than some. However, we had no problem polishing off the leftovers throughout the week, not that we had a large amount of leftovers. It was a hit with all of us. This would be good served with rice or another grain like couscous. If you don't like the gamey lamb flavor, either substitute another stew meat or roast or trim the fat off of the lamb very well.

This makes 6 - 8 servings.

Turkish Lamb and Vegetable Stew
from Eating Well Magazine

1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1 1/4" pieces (or other stew meat/roast)
1 1/4 t salt
black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 lg onions, thinly slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried oregano
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 lg potato (or 3 -4 small ones, in my case), sliced 3/8" thick
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1 - 2" pieces (frozen green beans work fine)
1 sm eggplant, sliced 3/8" thick
1 med zucchini or summer squash, sliced 3/8" thick
6 bay leaves
3 T fresh parsley, chopped

Season lamb with 1/4 t salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1/2 T olive oil in lg skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the lamb and brown, 2 - 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Set aside and repeat with remaining lamb, adding another 1/2 T olive oil to skillet. Add to slow cooker (and all accumulated juices). Add remaining 1/2 T oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and cook until softened, 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, mashing with a potato masher or fork. Remove from heat.

Spoon half of tomato mixture over lamb. Arrange potatoes over top, followed by green beans, eggplant, and zucchini, seasoning each layer with a little salt and pepper. Spread remaining tomato mixture over top of vegetables. Top with bay leaves. Cover and cook on high about 4 hours or until lamb and vegetables are very tender. Discard bay leaves and serve hot, garnished with parsley.

Spanish Stuffed Bell Peppers

I grew up eating stuffed peppers of the rice and hamburger variety. As I watched my bell peppers accumulate, I wanted a stuffed pepper recipe that didn't resemble the stuffed peppers of my youth.

I love the internet. Instantly, 1000's of bell pepper recipes popped up and I got to choose between the traditional stuffed peppers and ethnic stuffed peppers (sometime, I really want to try Indian stuffed peppers. Mmm). I settled on a Rachael Ray recipe for Spanish stuffed peppers.

Those peppers were fabulous! I made 3 stuffed peppers and then cooked the rest of the stuffing in the oven (I knew M wouldn't eat it if it was inside a pepper). Everyone loved it! J even ate some of a pepper and little I had several servings. This is my new favorite stuffed bell pepper recipe.

My only complaint was with the leftovers. They quickly developed a very wine-y taste that I didn't notice the first time around. I think next time I may decrease the wine and increase the water/chicken broth instead. I also thought the ground chicken had no flavor and wasn't worht the extra cost. I'll substitute a mild sausage or lean ground beef next time as well. Brown rice gives the filling a wonderful texture (and more nutritional value too). The recipe calls for 6 bell peppers but you can cook however many you need (I only did 3).

Spanish Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from Rachael Ray

6 medium bell peppers (red preferable, but green will do), tops cut off
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 - 1 1/2 lbs ground meat (chicken, beef, or a mild sausage)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c golden raisins
2 t sweet paprika
3/4 c dry sherry (or a combination of 3/4 liquid between chicken broth, water, or wine)
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
2 - 3 c cooked brown rice
2 c Manchego cheese, grated

Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook until brown, breaking it up into small pieces. Add the onion, garlic, raisins, and paprika. Continue to cook until the onion s are tender, about 3- 4 minutes. Add the sherry (or other liquid) and stir to get the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 1 1/2 c of tomato sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, almonds, and cooked rice.

Pour remaining 1/2 c of tomato sauce and a touch of water into a baking dish. Fill each pepper halfway up with rice mixture. Top with a little cheese and then fill to the top with more of the rice mixture. Top with some more cheese (so four layers--rice mixture-cheese-rice mixture-cheese). Set pepper in baking dish. Repeat with all the peppers. Put the leftover filling, if there is some, into a casserole dish and sprinkle generously with cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 375 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Savory Summer Muffins

I don't have much to say about this one. Amazing, right? The kids didn't like them much, but Curtis and I did. This a great recipe for those times that summer squash/zucchini may seem overwhelming.

This will make about 18 or so muffins.

Savory Summer Muffins
adapted from Sundays at Moosewood

3 c flour
4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 c cheddar cheese, grated
1 c zucchini or summer squash, grated
3 T parsley
2 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c melted butter

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Add cheese, squash, and parsley. Toss lightly to mix. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then whisk in the buttermilk and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just blended (not smooth or anything like that). Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling them 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Rolled Eggplant

I've been finding rolled eggplant recipes since I started looking for eggplant recipes. I always thought it looked like too much work. However, after trying it, I've decided it's less work than a moussaka and even eggplant parmesan.
This is a great recipe. I used my homemade tomato sauce for the sauce which I think is partly what made it so good. In the pan, it reminded me of seafood (I am blanking on which one right now) with it's creamy centers and edge of purple. We enjoyed this and I will definitely make it again.

This serves 4.
Rolled Eggplant
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

1 1/2 lb Italian or Asian eggplant (choose the skinny kind instead of the large, fat kind), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/4" slices
1/4 c plus 2 T olive oil
5 oz bulk Italian sausage (or links with casings removed)2 c your favorite tomato (pasta) sauce
1 c ricotta
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces (or 4 oz grated mozzarella)
4 T parmesan cheese, grated
1 T parsley, chopped


Brush the eggplant with 1/4 c olive oil on both sides. Season with coarse salt. Place in a single layer on one or two baking sheets. Bake in preheated 450 degrees oven until lightly browned on bottom, about 10 minutes. Turn slices and bake another 5 - 7 minutes, until eggplant is tender but still holds together. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 350. (You can just turn the oven off as well).
While eggplant roasts, cook the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, 2 T Parmesan, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread 1/2 of sauce on bottom of 9" baking dish (either round or square is fine). Place a spoonful of cheese mixture at the top of each eggplant and gently roll up. Place upright or laying down in the dish with sauce. Repeat until all eggplants are used. Spoon the remaining sauce between and on top of rolls. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly. Serve immediately.

Greens Adobo

Our CSA boxes are getting rather thin at this time of the summer. That's understandable. It's hot here. Since the beginning of August, we've had temperatures near or over 100 degrees every day. That's enough to stress out any plant. We hang on for the next month or so, dreaming of the greens that are going to be appearing in October/November.

This summer, dreaming of the greens hasn't been quite as far-fetched. Through non-traditional greens, we are getting small amounts of greens in our CSA boxes. It's wonderful in a summer of eggplant and a variety of peppers. Thanks to purslane (also known as a weed) and sweet potato greens, my diet isn't totally devoid of greens this summer.

Evidently, sweet potatoes greens are commonly eaten else where. Sweet potato greens are high in vitamins A, C, and Riboflavin (B2). They also contain calcium, dietary fiber, potassium, phosphorus and are high in protein. The greens are commonly eaten in West Afriaca, China, Taiwan, and the Phillipines to name a few places.

To prepare the sweet potato greens, remove them from the thick stem (the tender stem can be eaten) and string them--like string beans. I've never actually stringed them, but I may try that next time (the string is supposed to be tougher).

I adapted a Filipino recipe to use these greens. Curtis and I both like it, the kids not so much, but we'll keep working on them.

Greens Adobo
adapted from Sundays at Moosewood

3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 T olive oil
5 c sweet potato greens (or beet greens, chard, or mustard greens), washed, well drained, and chopped
2 T soy sauce
1 T white vinegar
black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the garlic until golden. Remove and set aside. Add the greens to the hot skillet and toss over high heat until wilted and at desired tenderness. Turn off the heat. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper, and golden garlic. Serve at once.

Dr Pepper Sauce for Baby Back Ribs

Vegetarians Beware. You may want to just leave this blog now because I am about to launch into singing the praises of meat, in particular, baby back ribs coated in Dr. Pepper sauce. Curtis and I have different opinions of this sauce--I think it is about the best rib sauce ever. Curtis is not convinced--I haven't figured out why, because it really doesn't get any better than this.

Before I go much farther, I must state a small disclaimer. I did not make these ribs. Curtis did. I made the Dr. Pepper sauce that went on the ribs. Curtis made the rub, marinated the ribs overnight, smoked the ribs on the Big Green Egg, and basted the ribs with the Dr. Pepper Sauce. I made the Dr. Pepper Sauce. Thus, the recipe I share is the recipe for the Dr. Pepper Sauce, not how to smoke ribs. I, unfortunately don't know how to do that. I could learn, I suppose, but barbeque is my one chance to get Curtis to cook, so why would I learn?

The Dr. Pepper Sauce gives the ribs more of a tangy flavor than an overly sweet flavor. Plus, I just love Dr. Pepper in general and anything with Dr. Pepper in it. (Yes, I am definitely becoming a full-fledged Texan--at least I don't love Big Red yet. I think that's the last step). I used Dr. Pepper made with cane sugar this time, instead of high fructose corn syrup. I don't think it made a significant taste difference--it was more just the idea of avoiding HFCS as much as possible in my life.

Enough rambling already. Without further ado, here is Dr. Pepper Sauce for Baby Back Ribs.

Dr. Pepper Sauce for Baby Back Ribs
from SeriousEats.com

3 T unsalted butter,
1 T onion powder (or 1 lg onion, chopped)
1 t garlic powder (or 4 cloves garlic, chopped)
12 oz (1 3/4 c) Dr. Pepper
1 c ketchup
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c Worcestershire sauce
3 T tomato paste
2 t ground ancho or New Mexican chile powder
1 t kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. If using actual onions and garlic (not powder), add and cook until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. If using powder, add them to the butter and all the other sauce ingredients. Cook until flavors are blended and sauce begins to thicken, about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. If you used onion and garlic, let cool 10 minutes and puree. If you used powder, just cool and store in refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Use sauce to brush on ribs for the last 15 -20 minutes of smoking time to allow sauce to caramelize. Serve sauce alongside ribs.

Purslane and Peach Salad

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know my parents' had what I considered a massive garden when I was growing up (and they still do---just with some flowers and raspberry bushes thrown in now). One summer, I remember that we were required to work in the garden an hour every day. Most of this was spent picking off potato beetles to later drown in motor oil or pulling weeds. I spent a lot of time pulling this weed. Little did I know that some 20 years later I would be paying money to buy purslane, the weed I spent hours trying to rid my parents' garden of.

Purslane is really healthy for you from what I understand--healthier than spinach, in fact. It's high in Omega-3's. Plus, it's completely free if you have a garden to weed (just goggle it first to make sure you are in fact planning on eating purslane and not something else). I made a simple salad of ours. I saw lots of more elaborate recipes--eating purslane is more common in other cultures. I didn't feel like elaborate though and made the simplest recipe I could find that looked good: Purslane and Peach Salad.

Curtis loved it. J ate some of it (he is actually eating salads now, glory be!!). M and little I didn't, but they aren't salad eaters yet (I still have hope). Curtis loved the texture of the leaves and it wasn't too bitter (like summer arugula often is).

I found this recipe off of seriouseats.com. It's not so much of a recipe as just a few things thrown together. Perfect for a side salad that presents wonderfully and requires minimal work.

Purslane and Peach Salad
from seriouseats.com

purslane
a peach (or two, depending on how much purslane you have), sliced or cut into chunks
one small red onion, thinly sliced.

Combine all ingredients. If you are using a particularly juicy peach, you won't need any dressing. Otherwise toss very lightly with good extra virgin olive oil or grapefruit balsamic vinegar (if you can find it).

Israeli Couscous and Lentil Salad

After trying Israeli couscous in the eggplant salad a few weeks ago, I've been hooked. Seriously hooked. I've made the eggplant salad a second time to share at a potluck. Then I decided to try a recipe that I've had dog-eared in a cookbook for a couple of years.

Why didn't I try this sooner? I loved it. Curtis liked it ok and M even tried the couscous (but not the lentils). The dates are essential--it gives the salad a nice sweet taste, just the right amount. This is definitely a summer salad keeper!

Israeli Couscous and Lentil Salad
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

1/4 c French lentils
4 1/2 qts water
2 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous
1 cinnamon stick
2 T olive oil
1 t freshly grated lemon peel
3 T lemon juice
1/2 c diced bell peppers
1/4 c dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 T fresh mint, minced
black pepper, to taste

In a small sauce pan, combine lentils, 2 c water, and 1/2 t salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain well and set aside. While the lentils simmer, bring the remaining 4 qts water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in the couscous, cinnamon stick, and salt. Cook for 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Remove and discard cinnamon stick.

In a serving bowl toss together lentils, couscous, and remaining ingredients. Let the salad rest for 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors marry.

Peppers Stuffed with Feta

Oh yes--I know the posts are sporadic these days--a couple of good weeks, followed by a quiet week or two. Thankfully, I've still been cooking through these quieter times.

I found at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago the August/September issue of Saveur. I have never looked at recipes from there before, but bought without hesistation when I saw it. The reason? The cover. It stated "The Greece Issue" and had a picture of stuffed red peppers. That was all I needed.

Since then I've cooked four recipes from the magazine: Roasted Beets with Garlic-Potato Spread (which Curtis thought was a little pointless, because according to him, you can't improve on roasted beets), Rosemary Chicken (which I loved, that recipe will be coming), Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (which was a waste of frying food--I think the recipe would have been much better with the meatballs baked and it wouldn't have taken that much longer), and Peppers Stuffed with Feta (the cover photo). Peppers Stuffed with Feta made the cost of the magazine all worth it.

This was a case of pepper roulette again, but the feta helped temper the spiciness. I used 6 Anaheim chiles, which I thought was great to be able to use so many peppers with one recipe. Curtis and I both loved the recipe (kids didn't try it--I know better than that!) as did our friends we shared it with.

This serves 4 - 6.

Piperies Gemistes me Feta (Peppers Stuffed with Feta)
from Saveur Magazine

6 4-5"-Anaheim Chiles
9 oz feta, crumbled
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T plain yogurt (Greek is preferable)
1 T fresh parsley, minced
1/2 t lemon zest
1/4 t dried oregano
2 egg yolks
1/4 c Parmesan Cheese, grated

Roast chiles on either gas grill or broiler. Roast until skin is softened. If peppers get a little charred, gently remove the charred skin with a knife. (To roast on a broiler, put peppers on a baking sheet and broil on a rack placed 6" from broiler element. Turn peppers once.) Let cool.

Combine feta, oil, yogurt, parsley, zest, oregano, and egg yolks in a large bowl with either a hand mixer or pastry blender (I used the pastry blender). Carefully make a lengthwise cut in the peppers from the stem to the tip of the pepper (leave the stems on). Scoop out seeds and ribs. Stuff each pepper with feta filling. Transfer peppers to an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Refrigerate stuffed peppers for 30 minutes. Sprinkle peppers with grated Parmesan. Broil peppers until cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Since I finally bought a slow cooker after being without for many, many years, I am trying to use it more frequently. I've discovered starting a recipe first thing in the morning, leaving it alone for 8 - 10 hours, and then having a meal ready at suppertime is a pretty good deal. Plus, I am able to avoid heating up my house as much or I don't need to be at the mercy of Curtis and the Egg (I know I could learn how to barbeque, but why?). Thus, I am ever on the search for new recipes that aren't just soups or stews.

With the heat wave that's stifling the East Coast (By the way, we just hit 100 degrees in my part of Texas. We've had rainy days on occasion. Such a nice respite from last summers 70+ days of 100 degrees weather), slow cooker recipes are more prevalent on good food blogs.

This was fabulous. The prep work was minimal--I get annoyed with slow cooker recipes that has a lot of upfront work. If I want to do a lot of prep work, I'll not bother with getting out the slow cooker! We made these into tacos and quesadillas. I saved the juice from the crockpot, cooled it and skimmed the fat off the top. It made a great sauce for pouring over the pork when I reheated it for may other meals.

This recipe will feed a small army (12 - 16 people). Either plan on feeding a lot, eating it all week, or freezing some to save for later.

Slow Cooker Carnitas
from the Kitchn

1 ( 6 - 8 lb) bone-in pork butt, also called pork shoulder or boston butt (or if you can, buy meat labeled carnitas)
2 T coarse salt
1 T cumin
1 T black pepper
1 T dried oregano
2 t cinnamon
1 t cayenne or chili powder, or to taste
8 cloves garlic, smashed
4 chipotle peppers, canned or dried (optional)
1 c tomato juice
1 c orange juice

Trim excess fat off meat and discard fat. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours. Meat will fall off the bone and shred very easily. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from juices and place in large bowl. Remove bone from meat and shred using a couple of forks or a pastry blender (it really works well!).

Refrigerate juices. Once fat has congealed, skim the fat off the juices. Save the juices to top meat with when reheating.

For tacos, serve on your choice of tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, chopped red onion, lime wedges, and roasted chiles (if you have an overabundance of chiles like I do).

Stone Fruit and Arugula Salad

Your small tender leaves
Jagged and peppery recalls
Cooler days to come

Crisp, ripe stone fruits dance
with pungent cheese, hazelnuts
unexpected joy

Yes, this salad inspired haiku. Probably more if I sat and thought about it for too long. I wouldn't have put this combination together. When I think of fruits on my salads, I think strawberries, oranges, occasionally blueberries. It never occurred to be to add stone fruits like peaches, plums, and apricots. I am sure you could just choose one of the fruits and skip the others, but why?
Hazelnuts I always just paired with chocolate or raspberries or other dessert things. This combination is great.

Stone Fruit and Arugula Salad
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

2 T rice vinegar
1 t honey
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
6 c (more or less, I never measure my greens...), baby arugula
2 small firm (but yet ripe) plums, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
2 small firm (but yet ripe) apricots, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
2 small firm (but yet ripe) peaches, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4" thick
1/4 c hazelnuts
1/4 c firm blue cheese, crumbled

Toast the hazelnuts: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place hazelnuts on rimmed baking sheet and toast 7 - 10 minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and skins flake off easily (test one or two nuts carefully). Remove from oven and dump nuts on one half a dishtowel. Fold dishtowel over to cover and roll the nuts between the top and bottom layers of the towel. Roll nuts that still have skins clinging to them between your fingers. If not all the skin comes off, that's fine, but most of the skin should. Coarsely chop skinned hazelnuts and set aside.

In a small glass jar, combine the vinegar, honey, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake vigorously until vinaigrette is emulsified. Set aside. (You can also do this by slowly drizzling olive oil into vinegar and honey, whisking constantly to emulsify. I find the shaking route much easier and more effective).

In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, fruit, and hazelnuts. Add half of the vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste and add more vinaigrette if necessary to assure the arugula is lightly coated with dressing. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve.

Chicken with Salsa Verde

We are currently in pepper overload, as I suspect many who subscribe to our CSA are. I am working on staying on top of the peppers, but find myself falling behind on the red anaheim peppers. The larger, milder yellow/green peppers aren't a problem, nor are the hot, hot small red/green peppers (they usually don't even darken my doorstep, instead heading straight for the trade box at our pick up spot). I was excited to find this Rick Bayless recipe which was easy to adapt to be spiceless for the kids to spicy for the grown ups.

As good as this was the first day, I discovered the best way to eat these as leftovers. I shredded the leftover chicken and put a small amount inside a hot tortilla. I poured some of the salsa verde over top and then microwaved briefly. Instant green chicken enchiladas! The leftovers were as fabulous as the first meal.

To make this spiceless, just omit the 2 fresh chiles and proceed with the recipe at browning the chicken breasts.

This serves 4.

Chicken with Salsa Verde
from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless via Serious Eats.

2 fresh poblano or anaheim chiles
2 T vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs total)
salt
1 lg white onion, sliced 1/4" thick
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 c cilantro, roughly chopped
1 c chicken broth
2 - 3 T Mexican crema, heavy cream, or creme fraiche

Roast the chiles (click here for a link to chile roasting if you need some advice). Remove blackened skin from chiles, discard seeds and membranes, and cut into 1/4" strips. Set aside. Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and place in skillet. Cook until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside. Cook the onions until just beginning to soften, about 4 minutes, adding more oil to the skillet if necessary. Meanwhile, blend the tomatillos and cilantro in a food processor or blender (it may take a couple of batches). Pour tomatillo/cilantro mixture into skillet with not yet tender onions. Cook until sauce is very thick, about 8 minutes. Add the broth, chile strips, and crema. Stir well and season with 1 t salt. Return chicken breasts and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked, about 8 - 10 minutes. Serve.