5 Quick and Easy Recipes from Local Chefs

The best cooks have their favorite recipes—so easy they can barely be called recipes. Here, some of the Greenwich Wine + Food Ambassador Chefs share their go-tos.

Stavros Karipides
Famous Greek Kitchen in Greenwich, CT

“I love to cook my Xorio (Country) Chicken dish for my family (or like my children refer to it, Daddy’s ‘lit’ chicken). I am often barbecuing this chicken in the summer and even adding oven potatoes to it in the cooler months. Either way it’s always a favorite in my house.”Xorio Chicken
Serves 2 to 4

• Whole chicken, quartered
• Large pinch salt and pepper
• Half handful dry oregano
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Sprigs of rosemary, thyme, parsley
• Olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• Mustard saffron cilantro (optional)

1. Put quartered chicken in a bowl with a large pinch of salt and pepper, half handful dry oregano, zest of 2 lemons and a few springs of rosemary, thyme and parsley.
2. Coat with olive oil and cloves of grated garlic.
3. Refrigerate two to three hours, before grilling, roasting or pan frying chicken, depending on your mood.
4. You can kick things up a notch by adding mustard saffron cilantro!

Nadia Ramsey
Méli-Mélo, Greenwich, CT

“My Belgian grandmother was [a] magical [cook] with any type of chicken dish. I love this one—it is easy, delicious and very economical to prepare. It reminds me of the coziness of our Belgian kitchen when I was growing up. I also very much enjoy it, when I come home, as a late supper.”

Belgian Style Chicken Drumsticks
Serves: 3

• 5 or 6 drumsticks, rinsed in
  cold water and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon Montreal chicken
  spices (McCormick brand)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 carrot, cut lengthwise and in
  2 inch cubes
• 6 small Brussels sprouts,
  cut with little star at bottom
  for faster cooking
• ½ a butternut squash, peeled
  and cut into 6, 2-bite portions

1. In a bowl, add spices to chicken
   and toss.
2. In a deep skillet with lid, melt butter with olive oil.
3. When hot, place the drumsticks in the skillet and let them cook 4 minutes before you turn them over (using tongs). You want them to be crispy; rotate the cooking for the next 10 minutes, then add a ½ cup of water and cover with lid.
4. Add vegetables and cook 10
   more minutes.

David White
Bianco Rosso in Wilton and Trumbull, CT

“One of my favorite dishes to prepare in winter months is braised beef short ribs with white chocolate parsnip purée, pan seared brussels sprouts and a red wine rosemary reduction. I have prepared this dish for hundreds of occasions and in my restaurants. For nice fall and winter days, short ribs are one of my favorite comfort foods.”

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Serves:6 to 8

• 6 (about 4 pounds) bone-in or boneless short ribs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ white onion, diced
• ½ cup carrot, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 cup red wine (White likes Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1 cup beef or veal broth
• 2 sprig fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Season all sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a heavy, oven-safe pot over high heat. Add in olive oil and allow to heat briefly.
4. Sear short rib in olive oil, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pot and set aside.
5. Add in onion, carrots and celery, sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
6. Pour in red wine and reduce by half; add beef broth.
   Bring to a simmer.
7. Add in meat, placing a rosemary sprig on top.
8. Cover and transfer to preheated oven for about 2½ hours, until meat is tender.
9. For the best short rib, you want to make this the day before your dinner. Let them cool down overnight in braising liquid. The liquid will add back all the favor into the short rib.
10. The next day, take short ribs out of the liquid and reduce liquid until thick enough to coat short rib for reheating in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot.

Zachariah Campion
Bailey’s Backyard, Ridgefield, CT

“This is a recipe that has found its way back into my kitchen time and time again by virtue of good taste and ease. It’s a crowd pleaser that I whip up on special occasions; when I want to impress and when I need a familiar dish that I love. I generally save the dish for the colder seasons as a comforting meal everyone can enjoy.”

Seared Parisian Dumplings
Serves: about 6

• 1 ¼ cup milk
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• black and white pepper, to taste
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• Simmer all ingredients except flour and eggs.

1. Add 2 cups all purpose flour and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring with wooden spoon.
2. Add mixer with paddle for 30 seconds to allow steam out, so the heat does not cook the eggs. Add them 1 by 1 to the mix to make dough—do not overmix.
3. Put in pastry bags and cut into dumplings; drop into boiling water and cook until double in size.
4. Skim dumplings out of the water and set aside to allow to cool.
5. In a non-stick pan on high heat, use a small amount of oil to cook dumplings until golden brown all around and puffy.
6. Hit them with a little lemon juice and finishing salt, and serve immediately.

Samantha Benjamin
The Dessertist, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

“Once my daughter was born it was my mission to create the best chocolate chip cookies ever. After many trials, I finally succeeded. These chocolate chip cookies perfectly capture the essence of what a chocolate chip could and should be. They are soft and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. They are hearty, but light and have just the right amount of salt and chocolate. Not only do I make these for my daughter and her friends, but they are a staple at all of our family events. [My customers] order them by the dozen.”

Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes: 12 large Cookies or 2½ dozen Mini Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking power
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole oats
• 1 ½ cup chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. In a bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well mixed. Add chocolate chips and mix.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a spoon, place dollops of the cookie dough on the sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden.