By Gail Simmons, Food & Wine
My new book, Talking with My Mouth Full, is about my life as a professional eater: growing up in a food-obsessed family, working for star chef Daniel Boulud, getting a dream job at Food & Wine-all of it leading to my role as a Top Chef judge and Top Chef Just Desserts host. What I don't reveal in the book is how I balance all of the extreme eating. (Once, during a Willy Wonka-themed challenge, we literally had to chew the scenery.) At home, I prepare healthy meals-my mother-in-law's chicken-and-barley stew, say, or a quinoa and rice bowl with lemony tahini sauce. The recipes here are my favorites.
Plus: Top Chef Recipes
Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon
This one-pot dinner from F&W's Gail Simmons is an enriched take on classic chicken soup with rice - it's flavorful, hearty and comforting all at once.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 3/4 cups pearled barley
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped tarragon
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
DIRECTIONS
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour; shake off the excess.
- In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add half of the chicken and cook over moderately high heat until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Brown the remaining chicken in 2 more tablespoons of the oil.
- Pour off the fat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the carrots to the casserole and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Add the celery, leek and garlic and cook until starting to soften, 2 minutes. Add a large pinch each of salt and pepper and the barley. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the barley starts to toast, 1 minute. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the barley is almost tender, about 20 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the stew; cover and simmer until cooked through and the stew has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the dill and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stew into bowls, sprinkle with the tarragon and cheese and serve.
Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini
"While in Los Angeles filming the second season of Top Chef Just Desserts last year, I discovered Café Gratitude, a vegan café with a cult following," Gail Simmons says. "For me, its fresh, simple food was the perfect antidote to all that sugar. I became addicted to aptly named dishes like I Am Fortified-a bowl of whole grains with lots of cooked vegetables. When I got back to New York, I developed my own version." View the recipe here.
Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta
Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta
"When I was 18 years old, I spent the summer in Israel, working on a beautiful kibbutz," Gail Simmons recalls. "My first job there was in the chicken house, gathering eggs. I was then transferred to the kitchen, where I was charged with making eggs every morning for hundreds of hungry fellow workers. I developed an ardent affection for humble egg dishes like shakshuka, often known in Italy as Eggs in Purgatory. It's a popular dish throughout the Middle East and perfect for any meal of the day." On to the recipe.
More from Food & Wine:
Gail Simmons's Favorite Desserts
Gail Simmons's Favorite Spring Recipes
Best Doughnuts in the U.S.
Best Pie in the U.S.
Best Burgers in the U.S.
