Chicken a la King Sandwich

I don't remember - again! - where I got this recipe, but Miss Llonie used to make this for our merienda.

Take about 6 slices of ordinary white bread. Stack four slices then place a large mug, upside down, on the topmost slice of bread. Press down then cut around the rim using a small serrated knife.

Take the remaining two slices of bread and place one on top of the other. Use a narrow drinking glass to cut smaller circles of bread. You can make four with just two slices of bread. Set the bread trimmings aside–you can make pudding out of them. Take the bigger circles of bread and press them lightly into muffin pans. DO not bake them yet.

Prepare the filling. I used a mixture of shredded boiled chicken breast meat, chopped carrots, celery and cheese (cut into small cubes). I tossed everything together and stirred in a tablespoonful of milk. You can season the filling lightly with salt and pepper–just remember that cheese is salty so you don't want to go overboard with the salt.

Fill the prepared "crust" with the mixture. Arrange the smaller circles of bread on top to cover the filling. Brush some softened butter on the "cover" and the exposed parts of the "base". Bake in a preheated 170oC oven for about 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned by which time, the cheese in the filling would have melted.

Serve with a light vegetable salad and enjoy.

Kir Royale

I love this drink. My sister introduced this to me years ago. Hope to have this during the holiday season.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

4 teaspoons creme de cassis (see Note)

1 bottle (375 ml) Brut Champagne

Fresh raspberries, lemon twists (optional)

Pour 2 teaspoons creme de cassis into each of two tall Champagne flutes. Pour Champagne into each glass. Garnish with a raspberry and lemon twist.

Note: The finished drink should be tawny pink. Creme de cassis is black currant liqueur, available at liquor stores and some supermarket liquor departments. Chambord is sometimes used instead of creme de cassis.

Nutrition facts per serving: 169 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 8 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 1 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

Sesame bok choy, yellow peppers and onions

I don't remember where I got this recipe. It must have been from Chicago Tribune.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 heads baby bok choy, each cut in 2-inch pieces
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, ribbed, cut in strips
1 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro


Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add bok choy; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and onion; stir-fry 2 more minutes. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper to taste; cook, tossing to coat vegetables. Transfer to a platter; garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition information per serving: 181 calories, 30% of calories from fat, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 23 g carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 1,218 mg sodium, 10 g fiber

Pork Stir-Fry

I bought about two kilos of ground pork a few weeks ago and still had about half a kilo in the freezer. I didn't want to make Arroz a la Cubana again so I was trolling the internet for ground pork recipes and found this at the Whole Foods website. I did not have all the ingredients on hand, such as lettuce and cilantro so I made my own version of the recipe and served this with rice. I wasn't too sure how it would taste, but my family loved it, so it's now been added to our family favorites.

Serves 4

Try this Chinese pork and veggie stir-fry spooned onto crisp lettuce leaves and topped with fresh cilantro and green onions.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground pork
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound sliced button mushrooms (I used shiitake mushrooms)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry sherry (I used rice wine)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce, plus more for dipping
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped (I used basil)
12 leaves iceberg lettuce
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Method

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pork, salt and pepper and stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and red onion and stir-fry until just softened, about 2 minutes. Add sherry, soy sauce and chili sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add peppers, carrots, sprouts and celery and stir-fry until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer pork mixture to a large platter. Arrange cilantro, lettuce and green onions alongside pork and serve with extra chili sauce on the side, if you like.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 11oz/317g-wt.): 390 calories (250 from fat), 28g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 80mg cholesterol, 660mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 23g protein

Catalan Chickpeas with Sausage

I was ready to make Fabada, but it turns out I used up all the meat in the freezer so I had to make something quick for dinner where I could use the Italian sausage. I found this recipe from Martha Rose Shulman.

1 pound chickpeas, soaked in 2 quarts water for 6 hours or overnight and drained
1 bay leaf
Salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 pound fresh mild Italian sausage, sliced or crumbled
2 tablespoons diced cured ham, such as prosciutto
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or a 14-ounce can, lightly drained
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground pepper

Combine the chickpeas with enough water to cover by 2 inches in a large soup pot or Dutch, add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and skim off any foam. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste, and simmer for another hour, until tender. Drain over a bowl and retain 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Set aside.

*Advance preparation: You can cook the beans up to 3 days before doing the next step. Keep in the refrigerator.

While the beans are cooking, heat a large, heavy casserole over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook, stirring, until the sausage has browned lightly and rendered its fat. Remove from the heat, remove the sausage from the pan and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add the olive oil to the pan, heat for a moment, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, and add the garlic, sausage, ham, and green pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onion and green pepper are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, pepper, and salt to taste, cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add the chickpeas and the 2 cups of their liquid that you set aside. Bring back to a simmer, stir together, turn the heat to very low, cover and cook gently for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are very tender and the broth fantastically fragrant. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.

*Advance preparation: You can make this right through to the end a couple of days before you wish to serve it. Time will only improve it.

Keeping time / Leftovers
The dish will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator. With pasta, this becomes a scrumptious Pasta e Fagiole. It’s also great with couscous.

Apple Custard Tart

Years ago, while visiting my sister in New York, she enrolled me in Nick Malgieri's Techniques of Pastry classes at what was then known as Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (it is now called the Institute of Culinary Education). The classes were held for three Saturdays and I would ride the bus to West 23rd Street for the five-hour classes. We learned the best methods for creating doughs by hand or machine and making filling for luscious tarts and pies and pâte à choux desserts, including éclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest, and cream puffs. This was one of my favorites.


1 10-inch pate sucree (sorry Nick, but I bought 9-inch pie crust. Too lazy to make one!)

1 Golden delicious apple
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Roll the dough into a 14-inch disk and line a 10-inch tart pan with it. Chill the dough several hours or overnight.

2. Peel, core, halve and slice the apple into 1/8-inch thick pieces, arrange on pastry, overlapping. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

3. In the meantime, combine cream, eggs, sugar, Calvados or vanilla. Beat by hand until well blended; strain and reserve.

4. Bake tart at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until apples and crust are cooked through. Open oven; pour custard cream over, being careful not to let it overflow. Return tart to oven for 5-10 minutes, or until custard is set but not colored or puffed.

For other fruit and custard tarts, omit Calvados.

Roasted Potatoes

This sounds like a good snack.

Cut up potatoes with skin on, toss with salt and olive oil and shove them under the broiler at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. Yukon gold are best.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Recipe from Faye Hess

1 whole chicken, skin removed and chopped into pieces

1 large onion, chopped into large pieces

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 large eggplant, cut into chunks

4 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

1 can chickpeas

1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I use yeast-free vegetable stock cubes + hot water)

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more, if you prefer things a little spicier)

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt to taste

1. Mix all the dry spices in a bowl and split into 2 portions.2. Marinate the chicken with salt, about 1tbsp of the minced garlic and 1 portion of the mixed spices. Leave the chicken to marinate as you chop and prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot. Once hot, fry the chicken pieces until almost cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

4. After removing chicken, do not clean pot. Use the same pot to fry the garlic, onions and ginger till onions are slightly translucent.

5. Add the tomatoes, broth and the other portion of the spices. Bring to boil.

6. Add the eggplant and salt to taste.

7. When the eggplant is half-cooked, add in the chicken pieces.

8. Simmer to reduce the liquid to get to a stew-like consistency.

9. While simmering, open can of chickpeas, drain, rinse well, then drain.

10. Add in the chickpeas, and allow the stew to simmer for another 5-10minutes.

Bok Choy with Shiitakes and Oyster Sauce

Bok choy and mushrooms are two of our favorite foods and oyster sauce is a one item we always have in our pantry so this recipe from Mark Bittman is perfect.

Photo and recipe from New York Times.

OYSTER sauce, the gooey brown condiment often used as the only seasoning for steamed greens in many Chinese restaurants, can taste pretty good. Admittedly this isn’t the most nuanced way to cook Chinese-like food at home, but buying the right stuff really helps.

The idea is to avoid oyster sauce made entirely with artificial ingredients. Look for one that contains at least a hint of oysters (“oyster extract” is common) and no MSG.

Decent oyster sauce can lend a strong, briny taste to almost anything, especially greens like steamed bok choy or gai lan (Chinese broccoli). I’m partial to adding mushrooms, especially with bok choy, whose stems become creamy when cooked long enough. For flavor’s sake, I’d also rather stir-fry than steam.

Here, I’ve paired both dried and fresh shiitakes; I cook the dried along with the bok choy (and garlic, of course) while crisping the fresh separately and serving them as a garnish.

Nothing is wasted: I use the mushroom soaking liquid to give the bok choy a flavor boost. Still, what really pulls this together is the oyster sauce, added at the end of cooking. It’s a not-so-secret ingredient that turns a simple dish into something more.

Time: About 20 minutes

1/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds bok choy, trimmed

1/4 cup peanut oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)

1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

1/2 to 3/4 cup commercial oyster sauce.

1. Soak shiitakes in one cup of very hot water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Trim mushrooms and chop. Separate leaves and stems of bok choy; cut stems into 2-inch lengths and slice leaves into ribbons.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. When oil is hot, add bok choy stems, garlic if you are using it, reconstituted mushrooms, and about 1/4 cup reserved mushroom water. Cook, stirring frequently, until stems are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil; sauté fresh shiitake mushrooms over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until they begin to brown and crisp on edges.

4. In large skillet or wok, add bok choy leaves and oyster sauce and toss gently to combine; continue cooking until greens wilt, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately, topped with crisp mushrooms.

Yield: 4 servings.

Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage

PHOTO CREDIT: Luca Trovato Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage As hearty as chili and with flavors of old-world Italy, this classic never gets old. Prepare this easy recipe for the family ‑- the perfect dish for lunch or dinner! Serving: 6 1 pound dried cannellini or great northern beans, washed and soaked overnight 2 quarts fresh water 2 medium onions, 1 cut in half and the other chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped sage 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed and crumbled 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 celery, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, drained Read more: http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,813gcc5k,00.html#ixzz0U9hZaJQg Drain the beans. Combine the drained beans with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, reduce the heat to low and add the halved onion, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, half the sage and the bay leaf. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and cover. Allow to simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are very tender. Drain over a bowl and measure out 2 1/2 cups of the broth. Discard the halved onion and bay leaf. While the beans are cooking, heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage. Stir until the sausage has browned lightly, about 7 to 11 minutes. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and parsley. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, the remaining sage, reserved beans and reserved broth, and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper. Serve hot with passed grated Parmesan cheese and country bread. Source: Rori Trovato