This is my favorite new recipe invention. I make it whenever I have both bacon and chard in the house, as I usually have all the other ingredients on a regular basis. It is a super fast, super fancy tasting side dish. The balance of the five main flavors: salty (bacon), bitter (greens and garlic), tangy (shallot and balsamic), umami (bacon) and sweet (bacon, balsamic and shallot), is perfect, in my opinion. This version serves 2-3 (though I've been known to eat the entire recipe myself because it is so good). I have also made this with other greens, such as spinach or kale or a combination of the three. If cooking kale with one or more of the others, add it first as it takes a little longer to cook.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Chard (5-7 large leaves), washed and roughly chopped into 1/2 inch strips.
1 large shallot (or equivalent amount of onion), sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (1-2 capfuls)
Pepper to taste (optional)
Directions:
1. Fry bacon until done on medium-high. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add shallots (or onions) to pan and saute in the bacon grease until they are translucent.
3. Add garlic to pan and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant ~30 seconds.
4. Add chard to the pan, one handful at a time, stirring each addition until it starts to wilt a little and makes room for the next handful. Continue until all chard is added and then stir and saute a few minutes more until all the chard is just cooked through.
5. Drizzle the chard with the balsamic vinegar and stir.
6. Add bacon back to pan and stir it in. Season with pepper to taste, stir one more time. Turn off heat and serve.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Spicy Lemongrass Chicken
I have a cold this week. Whenever I have a cold, I crave the lemongrass chicken from King Wok, a local Vietnamese restaurant. It's perfect blend of spices never fails to sooth my throat and clear my sinuses. Unfortunately, King Wok is a bit of a drive from my house and I wasn't feeling up to showering and making the trek. So, I decided to try to make my own. This recipe is not exactly like King Wok's but it is almost as tasty and just as spicy and had the same healing effect on my respiratory system. And, my husband loved it and asked me to make it all the time, so I decided I needed to record it here. As usual, I didn't measure anything as I cooked it, so amounts are estimated and can be adjusted to taste. This was adapted from several different Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipes found online.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken, sliced thin (I used tenders that I had in the freezer but breasts or thighs would work as well.)
- 1/2 onion (or scallion or shallot), sliced thin
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1-2 tsp Fresh ginger, grated fine (I keep a lobe of ginger in the freezer and just grate some off whenever I need it. It keeps forever that way. This was not in any of the traditional recipes but I wouldn't leave it out. The ginger added a spicy sweetness that pulled all the flavors together. It's also great for colds.)
- 1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes (or 2-3 dried or fresh chilies, chopped)
- 2-3 tsp dried lemongrass (or 1 stalk fresh lemongrass sliced)
- black pepper, to taste
- soy sauce
- 1-2 tbsp tamari soy sauce (Or fish sauce, which is more traditional. I didn't have that so I substituted the tamari, which has a more complex umami flavor than regular soy sauce. More soy sauce, oyster sauce or even a bit of miso paste and water would work here as well.)
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- 2-3 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2-3 pinches of curry powder (Be careful not to let it overpower the dish. You don't want to really taste the curry powder, it should just give a little punch of flavor under the heat of the chilies)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Directions:
- Drizzle the chicken lightly with soy sauce and crack some black pepper over it. Sprinkle on the dried lemongrass and red pepper flakes and toss to blend. The more red pepper, the hotter it will be.
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok until hot
- Add seasoned chicken to pan and stir until it is mostly cooked through
- Add onion to pan with chicken and let cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and any extra liquid from chicken or onions is evaporated from the pan
- Add in garlic, ginger, curry powder and a bit more lemongrass (if using dried lemongrass to 'freshen' the flavor of it) and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic and ginger are just fragrant, or about a minute.
- Add tamari sauce and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved and both are evenly distributed.
- Squirt on some sriracha to taste, stir in and turn off heat.
- Serve over steamed white rice.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Red Beans and Sausage
Inspired by a local eatery called Yats, I have been trying to perfect my red beans and smoked sausage recipe for a little over a year. Their red beans and smoked sausage has long been a favorite of mine. Now, I haven't recreated Yats' dish, but I think I have finally made something worth writing about. With a combination of andouille sausage from Indy's best local meatery, Smoking Goose, fresh thyme and oregano from my garden, and the addition of some clove and nutmeg, I was licking my bowl clean and going back for more. This recipe made enough for a dinner for two with leftovers.Red Beans and Sausage:
1/2 of a whole Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick semicircles (grocery store kielbasa or smoked sausage would do in a pinch)
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (used green but red or orange would be better)
1 small stalk of celery, chopped (didn't actually have so I used a sprinkle of celery seed)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
few tablespoons of oil
2ish cups of chicken broth (or veggie)
1ish tablespoon of flour
2 cans of kidney or other red beans (any beans would do, really)
Seasonings, done to taste:
Paprika (sweet or ideally smoked sweet)
Cayenne
Cumin
Chipotle Chili Powder (for a bit of heat and smoky flavor, be careful with this, because it is often much hotter than regular chili powder and can make something too spicy if you add too much)
Coriander
1 Bay Leaf
fresh oregano and thyme, chopped fine (or about a teaspoon each of dried)
Hot Sauce (few dashes, used Franks Red Hot)
Ground Clove (just a little bit)
Ground Nutmeg (or allspice or cardamon and just a tiny bit)
Salt (actually, I don't think I added any, because the broth and sausage had enough for my taste)
Black Pepper
1. Brown sausage in enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot.
2. Add onions, pepper and celery stir until the vegetables have sweated down a bit. Add the garlic and let the mixture cook for no more than another minute.
3. Add enough flour to soak up any extra oil in the pan, about a tablespoon or so. I didn't measure, I just sprinkled until the oil looked mostly soaked up and a fine coating of flour formed on the bottom of the pan. Let this cook for an additional 30 seconds or so to let the flour cook. (Don't let to go too long because once garlic is added to a hot pan, you have to remove the food from the pan or add liquid within about 2 minutes or the garlic will get burnt and bitter.)
4. Add broth and beans and let come to a simmer again.
5. Add seasonings and let simmer on low heat, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened (about 20-30 minutes). Add a little water if it is too thick or let simmer a little more uncovered on med/high heat if too runny.
6. Serve over rice.
Some notes on the seasonings: I hardly ever measure seasonings when I am cooking. I added several good sized dashes of paprika, about a pinch of cayenne (because I was almost out or else I would have added a bit more), about 4 or 5 dashes of cumin, 6-8 dashes of the chili powder, 7 or 8 dashes of hot sauce and very small amounts of freshly ground coriander, clove and nutmeg. I keep my coriander and cloves and other whole spices in pepper mills so I can just grab them and add a few twists into a recipe. My advice is to add each of these very sparingly, taste and then add a tiny bit at a time until you can just barely taste each one among all the other spices. Also, if you prefer to make it more spicy, add more of the cayenne, chipotle, cumin and hot sauce.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Sauteed Bok Choi and Leeks with Bacon:
It has been a while since I've blogged here, but I wanted to remember this one. It's just something simple I threw together because I had some Bok Choi and Leeks in the fridge from GREENBean Delivery that I wanted to use up. I had forgotten to customize my order two weeks in a row, so some creativity was in order to utilize the random produce in my fridge before it became expensive compost. Luckily it turned out pretty good and even my picky husband liked it. I served it with some roasted chicken drumsticks that I slathered with seasoned butter before popping in the oven and some simple baked potatoes.
Sauteed Bok Choi and Leeks with Bacon:
1 bunch of Bok Choi sliced into ribbons, including stalks (could substitute any type of cabbage)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced into strips.
3-5 strips of bacon
1 lemon
Salt to taste
-Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry until crispy in a non-stick skillet.
-Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto paper towel, reserving the fat in the pan.
-Add leeks to hot bacon grease and let sweat a bit while stirring (about 1-2 minutes).
-Add Bok Choi and stir over medium heat until tender.
-Remove from heat, add bacon back into pan and sprinkle with the juice of the lemon. Season with salt to taste and give one last good stir.
-Serve warm.
About 4-6 portions.
Also, mostly for future reference for myself, here is the chicken recipe I came up with tonight. The technique could be followed using just about any fresh or dried herbs or seasonings one likes or has on hand. I used sage, lemon thyme, garlic, onion, lemon zest and paprika and ended up with some nice flavorful, tender and juicy chicken.
Herb Butter Baked Chicken:
6-8 Chicken Drumsticks or equivalent amount of other bone in/skin on chicken cuts.
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, though unsalted would be fine.)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped fine
8 stalks of fresh thyme, leaves and tender ends removed and chopped fine (I used lemon thyme because this is what I have in my garden this summer.)
zest of one lemon (I used the one that I later juiced for the Bok Choi and Leek dish. In fact, having this lemon left from the chicken is what made me decide to add lemon juice to the vegetables, which was a good decision. The tartness of the lemon provided some brightness and balance to the saltiness of the bacon.)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tbsp minced fresh onion or shallot
1/2 tsp or so of paprika (I used a bourbon barrel smoked paprika, though any sweet paprika would work, it's mostly for color.)
-Mix softened butter with all herbs and seasonings.
-Wash and pat chicken dry.
-Smear a good portion of the seasoned butter onto each piece of chicken and place in a baking pan.
-Bake at 325 for about 45 minutes and then raise heat to 400 for last 15 or so, watching to be sure the skin doesn't start to burn. (Cooking times may vary for different cuts of chicken.)
Sauteed Bok Choi and Leeks with Bacon:
1 bunch of Bok Choi sliced into ribbons, including stalks (could substitute any type of cabbage)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced into strips.
3-5 strips of bacon
1 lemon
Salt to taste
-Chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry until crispy in a non-stick skillet.
-Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon onto paper towel, reserving the fat in the pan.
-Add leeks to hot bacon grease and let sweat a bit while stirring (about 1-2 minutes).
-Add Bok Choi and stir over medium heat until tender.
-Remove from heat, add bacon back into pan and sprinkle with the juice of the lemon. Season with salt to taste and give one last good stir.
-Serve warm.
About 4-6 portions.
Also, mostly for future reference for myself, here is the chicken recipe I came up with tonight. The technique could be followed using just about any fresh or dried herbs or seasonings one likes or has on hand. I used sage, lemon thyme, garlic, onion, lemon zest and paprika and ended up with some nice flavorful, tender and juicy chicken.
Herb Butter Baked Chicken:
6-8 Chicken Drumsticks or equivalent amount of other bone in/skin on chicken cuts.
1 stick of butter, softened (I used salted, though unsalted would be fine.)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped fine
8 stalks of fresh thyme, leaves and tender ends removed and chopped fine (I used lemon thyme because this is what I have in my garden this summer.)
zest of one lemon (I used the one that I later juiced for the Bok Choi and Leek dish. In fact, having this lemon left from the chicken is what made me decide to add lemon juice to the vegetables, which was a good decision. The tartness of the lemon provided some brightness and balance to the saltiness of the bacon.)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tbsp minced fresh onion or shallot
1/2 tsp or so of paprika (I used a bourbon barrel smoked paprika, though any sweet paprika would work, it's mostly for color.)
-Mix softened butter with all herbs and seasonings.
-Wash and pat chicken dry.
-Smear a good portion of the seasoned butter onto each piece of chicken and place in a baking pan.
-Bake at 325 for about 45 minutes and then raise heat to 400 for last 15 or so, watching to be sure the skin doesn't start to burn. (Cooking times may vary for different cuts of chicken.)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
This year was Thanksgiving with my husband's family. Usually, I bring only one dish that is traditional for my New England family, such as my mom's manicotti, that doesn't go over well with my husband's Midwestern family. This year, I changed tactics and brought 4 dishes from a variety of traditions, all of which went over well with someone. It was the first year I felt my culinary efforts were really appreciated by this clan. I was particularly proud because everything was my own recipe, made up on the fly. My contribution consisted of: Southern style mixed greens, butternut squash soup, cranberry sauce and an apple pie. I used mostly organic/locally grown ingredients from Farm Fresh Delivery, a grocery delivery service here in Indianapolis that specializes in local/organic foods. (They are this busy localvore's dream come true.) All of these dishes already do or could easily be adapted to accommodate any vegetarian or vegan members of your Thanksgiving gathering, as noted below. Here are the recipes, though, as you'll notice, the measurements are generally estimated, because I rarely measure when I'm cooking:
Southern Style Mixed Greens:
This is the only recipe I made the day of. I came down early to help my mother-in-law and cousin-in-law finish getting everything ready. Usually I come down and help them the night before, but it didn't work out this year. So, as we were prepping the dressing and making the gravy, I simmered my greens on the stove really quick. This dish was my biggest hit, overall. I believe "kicks ass" was the phrase my husband used. There wasn't much left when we were packing up leftovers. I think it's going to become a permanent part of my Thanksgiving contribution. While there's always a lot of good food at my in-laws Thanksgiving, there are never enough vegetable dishes, in my opinion. This could be made with vegetable broth and without the bacon to accommodate vegans/vegetarians.
-3 bunches of greens (I used one bunch each of collard, kale and spinach, but you could use whatever.)
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-3-4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled (I used some jowl bacon that was in my grandmother-in-law's fridge because I forgot to get it myself, but whatever sort of bacon would work.)
-2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
-water (enough to finish covering the greens in the pot)
-a couple tablespoons of red pepper flakes
1. Wash and chop the greens, removing any thick stems.
2. Throw everything into a big pot.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour until greens and onion are tender.
4. Serve warm.
(This recipe could easily be made in a crock-pot, but it will probably take a little longer for the vegetables to get nice and tender.)
Butternut Squash Soup:
This one wasn't to every one's taste, but several people really enjoyed it. Missy, my BFF/cousin-in-law and her oldest son/my god-son, Isaac, were particular fans of this soup. And, I really like it, so I didn't mind bringing home a little extra leftovers of this. I made it the night before and we had it for dinner with grilled cheese sandwiches, which made a nice easy pre-Thanksgiving gluttony meal at the end of a long day of cooking. I then divided it into containers and brought about 2/3 with me to the get-together and re-heated it in a crock pot. I freezed the other 1/3 for a quick, easy meal later in the month. Though I used my homemade chicken stock, because that's what I had, this could be easily made with vegetable stock without changing the flavor to accommodate any vegetarians or vegans.
-5 or 6 small butternut squashes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped into chunks. (Enough to fill a large soup pot about 2/3 full of squash)
-2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks (I used a few handfuls of the baby carrots)
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-3 celery stalks, chopped into chunks
-Enough chicken or vegetable stock to cover all the vegetables in a large pot
-2 cans of coconut milk
-nutmeg, cardamon and ginger to taste (probably 1/2-1 teaspoon of each)
-salt to taste
-a tablespoon or two of sugar (optional, I left this out this time because Missy was just diagnosed with diabetes and the soup is fine without it. If you would like it a little sweeter, you can add sugar to taste at the end.)
1. Place all the vegetables in a large soup pot and cover with chicken broth.
2. Boil vegetables in the broth until they are tender.
3. Spoon vegetables, in batches, into a blender with some of the broth and blend until smooth.
4. Pour blended veggies and broth back into pot and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Let it come to a boil one more time.
6. Serve warm.
Cranberry Sauce:
I love cranberry sauce, but I hate the stuff that comes in a can. So, I made my own. I added apples to help the finished product thicken, as apples are high in pectin, and also to stretch the recipe. At the last minute, I decided to throw in some packages of slivered almonds I had in the pantry, and I'm glad I did. The slight crunch was a nice texture in this dish. I was very pleased that my husband, in particular, really liked this sauce.
-2 cartons of cranberries
-2 oranges
-2 Winesap (or whatever firm, sweeter type you like) apples, peeled and chopped fine
-2 small packages of slivered almonds (about a cup or so, could substitute any nuts you like)
-1-2 cups of sugar
-about a cup of water
-a dash of salt
1. place the cranberries in a sauce pot.
2. Zest both oranges completely and add zest to pot. (I just zest it straight into the pot)
3. Juice the oranges and add juice to pot.
4. Add sugar and enough water to cover the cranberries. In this step, you may want to use less sugar than the full 2 cups. You can always add more later if it's too tart.
5. Bring to a boil and let boil until cranberries pop open (about 5 minutes)
6. Turn off heat and add apples and nuts. Check flavor and add salt and any extra sugar to taste.
7. Let cool and chill, Serve cold or at room temp.
Apple Pie:
Apple has always been my favorite pie. When I was a kid, I always asked for apple pie for my birthday instead of cake. Earlier in the fall, I invested in three large bags of some hearty winter apple that keep for several months in the fridge. Among the varieties I choose, Idas are my favorite for making pies. They keep their shape amazingly well when cooked. I use these for the majority of my pie apples, but I mix in some of the other varieties for depth of flavor and variety of texture. I got several compliments from my husband's uncle Junior on my pie, which meant a lot, because he is something of a pie connoisseur and his wife is by far the best pie maker I know. She always brings a pecan pie to Thanksgiving and, it is always perfect. To know that my apple pie even deserved to be on the same dessert table as hers, let alone won compliments from her husband, was an honor.
-About 8-10 apples, depending on their size, peeled and chopped (I used 4 Idas, 1 mutsu and 3 small Winesap, because that's what I had.)
-1/2-1 cup sugar
-2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon)
-1/2-1 teaspoon each of cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, depending on your tastes
-dash of salt
-3-4 tablespoons of quick cook tapioca (This is my secret fruit pie ingredient. It really makes the filling set up well and absorbs a lot of the moisture from the fruit, keeping the crust relatively dry, even on the bottom.)
-pie crust for top and bottom crust. I use either the all butter or all butter with almond flour recipes found here. (For vegans, use a vegetable shortening pie crust recipe instead.)
-One egg and an amount of water roughly equal to the amount of egg, beaten to make an egg wash. (optional, leave out if cooking for vegans.)
1. Prep your pie crust according to whatever recipe you like.
2. Mix rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Roll out bottom crust and place in pie pan.
4. Put filling into crust and spread to form an even layer.
5. Roll out top crust, lay over fruit, cut excess off with scissors, crimp and seal edges.
6. Brush top with egg wash (I actually use paper towel instead of a pastry brush and blot it on more than brush it, which I find to be easier.)
7. Cut 6 vent slits in the center of top crust and bake in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until crust is golden (about 30-40 minutes more).
9. Serve warm or at room temperature. Do not refrigerate if serving the next day, as it causes the crust to get soggy. (Don't worry, it will get eaten well before it even thinks about spoiling.)
Southern Style Mixed Greens:
This is the only recipe I made the day of. I came down early to help my mother-in-law and cousin-in-law finish getting everything ready. Usually I come down and help them the night before, but it didn't work out this year. So, as we were prepping the dressing and making the gravy, I simmered my greens on the stove really quick. This dish was my biggest hit, overall. I believe "kicks ass" was the phrase my husband used. There wasn't much left when we were packing up leftovers. I think it's going to become a permanent part of my Thanksgiving contribution. While there's always a lot of good food at my in-laws Thanksgiving, there are never enough vegetable dishes, in my opinion. This could be made with vegetable broth and without the bacon to accommodate vegans/vegetarians.
-3 bunches of greens (I used one bunch each of collard, kale and spinach, but you could use whatever.)
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-3-4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled (I used some jowl bacon that was in my grandmother-in-law's fridge because I forgot to get it myself, but whatever sort of bacon would work.)
-2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
-water (enough to finish covering the greens in the pot)
-a couple tablespoons of red pepper flakes
1. Wash and chop the greens, removing any thick stems.
2. Throw everything into a big pot.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour until greens and onion are tender.
4. Serve warm.
(This recipe could easily be made in a crock-pot, but it will probably take a little longer for the vegetables to get nice and tender.)
Butternut Squash Soup:
This one wasn't to every one's taste, but several people really enjoyed it. Missy, my BFF/cousin-in-law and her oldest son/my god-son, Isaac, were particular fans of this soup. And, I really like it, so I didn't mind bringing home a little extra leftovers of this. I made it the night before and we had it for dinner with grilled cheese sandwiches, which made a nice easy pre-Thanksgiving gluttony meal at the end of a long day of cooking. I then divided it into containers and brought about 2/3 with me to the get-together and re-heated it in a crock pot. I freezed the other 1/3 for a quick, easy meal later in the month. Though I used my homemade chicken stock, because that's what I had, this could be easily made with vegetable stock without changing the flavor to accommodate any vegetarians or vegans.
-5 or 6 small butternut squashes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped into chunks. (Enough to fill a large soup pot about 2/3 full of squash)
-2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks (I used a few handfuls of the baby carrots)
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-3 celery stalks, chopped into chunks
-Enough chicken or vegetable stock to cover all the vegetables in a large pot
-2 cans of coconut milk
-nutmeg, cardamon and ginger to taste (probably 1/2-1 teaspoon of each)
-salt to taste
-a tablespoon or two of sugar (optional, I left this out this time because Missy was just diagnosed with diabetes and the soup is fine without it. If you would like it a little sweeter, you can add sugar to taste at the end.)
1. Place all the vegetables in a large soup pot and cover with chicken broth.
2. Boil vegetables in the broth until they are tender.
3. Spoon vegetables, in batches, into a blender with some of the broth and blend until smooth.
4. Pour blended veggies and broth back into pot and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Let it come to a boil one more time.
6. Serve warm.
Cranberry Sauce:
I love cranberry sauce, but I hate the stuff that comes in a can. So, I made my own. I added apples to help the finished product thicken, as apples are high in pectin, and also to stretch the recipe. At the last minute, I decided to throw in some packages of slivered almonds I had in the pantry, and I'm glad I did. The slight crunch was a nice texture in this dish. I was very pleased that my husband, in particular, really liked this sauce.
-2 cartons of cranberries
-2 oranges
-2 Winesap (or whatever firm, sweeter type you like) apples, peeled and chopped fine
-2 small packages of slivered almonds (about a cup or so, could substitute any nuts you like)
-1-2 cups of sugar
-about a cup of water
-a dash of salt
1. place the cranberries in a sauce pot.
2. Zest both oranges completely and add zest to pot. (I just zest it straight into the pot)
3. Juice the oranges and add juice to pot.
4. Add sugar and enough water to cover the cranberries. In this step, you may want to use less sugar than the full 2 cups. You can always add more later if it's too tart.
5. Bring to a boil and let boil until cranberries pop open (about 5 minutes)
6. Turn off heat and add apples and nuts. Check flavor and add salt and any extra sugar to taste.
7. Let cool and chill, Serve cold or at room temp.
Apple Pie:
Apple has always been my favorite pie. When I was a kid, I always asked for apple pie for my birthday instead of cake. Earlier in the fall, I invested in three large bags of some hearty winter apple that keep for several months in the fridge. Among the varieties I choose, Idas are my favorite for making pies. They keep their shape amazingly well when cooked. I use these for the majority of my pie apples, but I mix in some of the other varieties for depth of flavor and variety of texture. I got several compliments from my husband's uncle Junior on my pie, which meant a lot, because he is something of a pie connoisseur and his wife is by far the best pie maker I know. She always brings a pecan pie to Thanksgiving and, it is always perfect. To know that my apple pie even deserved to be on the same dessert table as hers, let alone won compliments from her husband, was an honor.
-About 8-10 apples, depending on their size, peeled and chopped (I used 4 Idas, 1 mutsu and 3 small Winesap, because that's what I had.)
-1/2-1 cup sugar
-2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon)
-1/2-1 teaspoon each of cardamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, depending on your tastes
-dash of salt
-3-4 tablespoons of quick cook tapioca (This is my secret fruit pie ingredient. It really makes the filling set up well and absorbs a lot of the moisture from the fruit, keeping the crust relatively dry, even on the bottom.)
-pie crust for top and bottom crust. I use either the all butter or all butter with almond flour recipes found here. (For vegans, use a vegetable shortening pie crust recipe instead.)
-One egg and an amount of water roughly equal to the amount of egg, beaten to make an egg wash. (optional, leave out if cooking for vegans.)
1. Prep your pie crust according to whatever recipe you like.
2. Mix rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Roll out bottom crust and place in pie pan.
4. Put filling into crust and spread to form an even layer.
5. Roll out top crust, lay over fruit, cut excess off with scissors, crimp and seal edges.
6. Brush top with egg wash (I actually use paper towel instead of a pastry brush and blot it on more than brush it, which I find to be easier.)
7. Cut 6 vent slits in the center of top crust and bake in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until crust is golden (about 30-40 minutes more).
9. Serve warm or at room temperature. Do not refrigerate if serving the next day, as it causes the crust to get soggy. (Don't worry, it will get eaten well before it even thinks about spoiling.)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Apple, Onion and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I am on a major apple kick this weekend. We're finally getting some nice cool fall weather, which always reminds me of apple picking excursions with my parents when I was a little kid. Also, I had a bunch of apples in the fridge that needed to be used before they went bad. I started off the day by making an apple pie, which came out lovely. I've finally begun to feel comfortable making pie from scratch and this was my first successful apple pie. But it was the entree at dinner that was something worth blogging about. I found a recipe online for chicken stuffed with apples and cheddar cheese, both of which I had plenty of in the fridge. However, the recipe seemed kind of bland and labor intensive, so I adapted it by adding more flavor and using one of my favorite techniques for cooking chicken: baking it in butter. The result was the perfect blend of savory and sweet:
Apple, Onion and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, butterflied and pounded thin
2 Apples, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup Onion, also chopped small
1/2 cup plus a handful shredded cheddar cheese (more or less, I didn't measure, it doesn't really matter)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped fine (Could substitute dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick of butter
Preheat oven to 425. Cut up butter and place in a glass baking dish. (I used a glass pie pan, but any glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold it all will work.) Place the pan in the oven as it warms up for a few minutes to start melting the butter just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
-Mix together the onions, apples, half cup of cheese, sage, salt and pepper in a bowl.
-Spread stuffing mixture onto the pounded chicken breasts and carefully roll them up.
-Place rolled chicken breasts into the buttery pan. Spread any leftover stuffing mixture on top of the chicken breasts and top with some extra cheese to hold it all together as it cooks.
-Bake, basting with the melted butter about every 15 minutes, until the chicken is done and the topping is nice and browned (about 45 minutes). If the topping is starting to brown too much before the chicken is done, reduce the heat to about 350 until it's done.
-Serve warm.
This recipe would be very easy to adjust for personal preference. Use more or less onion, and cheese in the filling, to suit your tastes. You could add some chopped ham or crumbled, cooked bacon to the filling.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna use the rest of the apples to make some homemade apple sauce!
Apple, Onion and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breast:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, butterflied and pounded thin
2 Apples, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup Onion, also chopped small
1/2 cup plus a handful shredded cheddar cheese (more or less, I didn't measure, it doesn't really matter)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped fine (Could substitute dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 stick of butter
Preheat oven to 425. Cut up butter and place in a glass baking dish. (I used a glass pie pan, but any glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold it all will work.) Place the pan in the oven as it warms up for a few minutes to start melting the butter just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
-Mix together the onions, apples, half cup of cheese, sage, salt and pepper in a bowl.
-Spread stuffing mixture onto the pounded chicken breasts and carefully roll them up.
-Place rolled chicken breasts into the buttery pan. Spread any leftover stuffing mixture on top of the chicken breasts and top with some extra cheese to hold it all together as it cooks.
-Bake, basting with the melted butter about every 15 minutes, until the chicken is done and the topping is nice and browned (about 45 minutes). If the topping is starting to brown too much before the chicken is done, reduce the heat to about 350 until it's done.
-Serve warm.
This recipe would be very easy to adjust for personal preference. Use more or less onion, and cheese in the filling, to suit your tastes. You could add some chopped ham or crumbled, cooked bacon to the filling.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna use the rest of the apples to make some homemade apple sauce!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Stuffed Chard
This recipe happened by a happy accident. I wanted to try this recipe I had seen in an article about this french vegetarian restaurant. It had been about a week since I read it, and I thought it had said Swiss Chard stuffed with Ricotta and Mozzarella, but it actually said Risotto and Mozzarella. Not wanting to go back to the store for risotto rice, or go through the effort to make risotto, I searched for a different recipe I could try or alter to use the ricotta. I found one that called for goat cheese and rice, which was similar enough to the ingredients I had on hand to give me some guidelines for preparing the dish. What I came up with was a very altered, and more yummy in my opinion, form of this recipe. The measurements, like with all my recipes, are a bit vague. This is the sort of dish where you can add a little more or a little less of something and still come alright. Anyway, here it is, enjoy:
Stuffed Chard with Ricotta, Rice and Almonds:
5-7 leaves of chard
1 15oz container of ricotta cheese
1 cup of brown rice
1 big handful of fresh herbs (I used mint, thyme, cinnamon basil and a little cilantro, because
that is what I had in my garden that seemed to fit together with the
dish.)
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup or so of chopped onion (more or less if you like)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (more or less if you like)
1 2oz package of blanched almonds (You could toast them if you like. I added them as an after
thought, so I didn't bother. Also, you could use pine nuts
instead, if you like pine nuts. I can't stand them.)
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest (Not sure, just add enough until you can taste it, but not more.)
fresh ground pepper to taste
a dash or 2 of cinnamon (You don't want to really taste it, but I promise it will be better if it's
there.)
lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
olive oil
1. Cook the rice according to the package.
2. (While rice is cooking) Cut the chard leaves off the stems in two pieces. I used scissors and just cut along the stem on each side. Blanch the leaf pieces one at a time in a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water, about 30-60 seconds per leaf. Stack them with a sheet of paper towel between each to let them dry a bit after blanching. Set them aside until you are ready to stuff them.
3. Once the rice is cooked and cooled a bit, mix in the ricotta, lemon zest, parmesan, chopped herbs, onion, chopped or pressed garlic cloves, almonds, pepper and cinnamon. I mixed in on the same pot the rice was cooked in so I didn't have another dish to wash. Preheat the oven now, to 400 degrees so that it is hot when you are done filling the chard.
4. Spoon a bit of the rice filling onto each chard leaf piece and roll up. Each leaf may take more or less filling depending on the size. I cut most of the larger leaf pieces in half before stuffing. Place each rolled leaf onto a buttered baking pan large enough to fit all the stuffed leaves. It's alright to pack them in a bit. Dot filled pan with pieces of butter and drizzle with a little olive oil. (You can just do one or the other instead of both if you like. If you want to leave out the butter, god forbid, grease the bottom of the pan with oil instead.)
5. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, to heat through and melt the yummy butter. Remove from oven, squirt down stuffed chards with some lemon juice, to taste, and serve warm.
Stuffed Chard with Ricotta, Rice and Almonds:
5-7 leaves of chard
1 15oz container of ricotta cheese
1 cup of brown rice
1 big handful of fresh herbs (I used mint, thyme, cinnamon basil and a little cilantro, because
that is what I had in my garden that seemed to fit together with the
dish.)
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup or so of chopped onion (more or less if you like)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (more or less if you like)
1 2oz package of blanched almonds (You could toast them if you like. I added them as an after
thought, so I didn't bother. Also, you could use pine nuts
instead, if you like pine nuts. I can't stand them.)
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest (Not sure, just add enough until you can taste it, but not more.)
fresh ground pepper to taste
a dash or 2 of cinnamon (You don't want to really taste it, but I promise it will be better if it's
there.)
lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
olive oil
1. Cook the rice according to the package.
2. (While rice is cooking) Cut the chard leaves off the stems in two pieces. I used scissors and just cut along the stem on each side. Blanch the leaf pieces one at a time in a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water, about 30-60 seconds per leaf. Stack them with a sheet of paper towel between each to let them dry a bit after blanching. Set them aside until you are ready to stuff them.
3. Once the rice is cooked and cooled a bit, mix in the ricotta, lemon zest, parmesan, chopped herbs, onion, chopped or pressed garlic cloves, almonds, pepper and cinnamon. I mixed in on the same pot the rice was cooked in so I didn't have another dish to wash. Preheat the oven now, to 400 degrees so that it is hot when you are done filling the chard.
4. Spoon a bit of the rice filling onto each chard leaf piece and roll up. Each leaf may take more or less filling depending on the size. I cut most of the larger leaf pieces in half before stuffing. Place each rolled leaf onto a buttered baking pan large enough to fit all the stuffed leaves. It's alright to pack them in a bit. Dot filled pan with pieces of butter and drizzle with a little olive oil. (You can just do one or the other instead of both if you like. If you want to leave out the butter, god forbid, grease the bottom of the pan with oil instead.)
5. Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, to heat through and melt the yummy butter. Remove from oven, squirt down stuffed chards with some lemon juice, to taste, and serve warm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)