Chicken and Slippery Dumplings

This is it, the real thing.  And it is great but if you want it even better....boil the chicken in chicken broth instead of water; twice the flavor.

1 stewing chicken (about 4 or 5 pounds), cut up
4 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

DUMPLINGS:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lard or butter
1/2 cup hot broth, (or if you prefer, cold milk)

Season chicken with salt and pepper; Place chicken, celery, onion and carrot in a Dutch oven.

Cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken is tender (about 20 minutes per pound).

Remove chicken and keep warm.

When chicken is cool enough to handle remove the skin and discard it.

Remove the meat from the bones and return the bones to the broth in the pot. Reserve the chicken meat.

Bring the bones and aromatic vegetables to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour, covered. Strain the broth and reserve it. Discard the bones and cooked vegetables

Add water to measure 4 qts. Set aside 1/2 cup for dumplings. Return remaining broth to the Dutch oven; add Poultry Seasoning.

The Dumplings: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture forms fine crumbs. Stir in enough of the 1/2 cup of hot broth you set aside to make a firm but manageable dough.
Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil. Roll dough to 1/16-in. thickness; NO THICKER. If thick, they will be tough. Cut into 2-in. squares. Drop a few at a time into boiling broth. You want the broth to always continue to boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook dumplings uncovered until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken and serve immediately.

Pork Rillettes

This is my recipe from Australia. It is so simple we never used a written recipe.

Note:  You certainly can chop up the vegetables and include them in the rillettes spread.  This is a country French recipe and you can do with it what you please.


5 lbs. Boneless Pork Butt
1 lb. Mirepoix. (2 parts onion, one part each carrots and celery) I estimate about 2 onions and 2 carrots and 4 stalks of celery. Doesn’t matter that much.
3 cloves garlic, mashed, no need to peel
1 tsp. Thyme
2 or three bay leaves
12 cups beef or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how to do it:
Cut up your meat into about 10 more or less equally sized portions. Put in a pot with all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately to a simmer. Cover and let is gently do it’s thing for about 8 hours. At very low heat. Test a piece, it should fall apart with very little encouragement. Refrigerate it overnight.

Next morning skim off all the fat and save it. Remove the meat and set it aside. Save the broth because it makes a luscious soup base. No need to save the vegetables, but you can eat them if you like.

Now the real work: Remove all the fat and any other waste from the pieces of meast, then squeeze, mash, and if necessary chop and stir until the meat is fairly smooth enough to tolerate being spread on a cracker or slice of bread.

If you feel you need to do so, add some of the broth to make it spreadable.  You can make it ultra-smooth by buzzing it up in the processor.

Pack the spread into a pot, or pots of some kind, melt the fat and pour it over the meat, that will seal from oxygen and help preserve it. Refrigerate. When ready to serve remove the fat and spread on crackers, toasts etc. I like bread and butter pickles, onions, chopped eggs etc. on mine.

Applesauce Cookies

Oh Boy!


½ stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup chunky-style applesauce
1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup golden raisins
¼ teaspoon cinnamonPreheat oven to 350˚F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and place parchment paper until a wire cooling rack.
Mix the butter and sugars on low speed in the bowl of a standing mixer until combined.
Add egg and applesauce and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly blended.
Mix in the dry ingredients — oats, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt — and then stir in the raisins.
Drop 1½-inch balls of dough onto your baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to the wire rack. Let cookies cool completely.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Wantonly delicious.

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Chicken Salad

4 to 6 servings


4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken (about 1 3/4 pound)
1 cup walnuts, chopped, (toasted, if you like)
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped, or two green onions
2 cups halved seedless red grapes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


Toss all ingredients together. 

Celery Seed Honey Dressing

½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Paprika
4 tablespoons Vinegar
1 teaspoon Celery seed
1 teaspoon Dry mustard
1/3 cup Honey
1 tablespoon Lemon or Lime juice
1 teaspoon Grated onion
1 cup Salad oil

Mix dry ingredients. Add honey, lemon juice, vinegar and onion. Pour oil slowly into mixture, beating constantly. Serve with fruit salad.

Ranch Beans

2 (16 ounce) cans pork and beans
1 (16 ounce) can butter beans
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans , drained
½ lb bacon
1 lb . ground beef
1 onion , diced
2 tablespoons molasses
3 teaspoons dry mustard
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup ketchup


Brown bacon and dice; brown ground beef and onion.
Mix beans in crock pot.
Add remaining ingredients (meat, molasses, mustard, sugars and ketchup).
Cook 5 to 6 hours in crock pot on medium-high or
can be baked in oven, covered, at 350 for 1 hour.

Cafe de Paris Butter

This is a "compound" butter, meaning that it is not just butter, but a compound or mixture of butter with herbs and spices.  They're fairly common and can be quite simple.  This one is not simple, but it is probably the best.  You encounter it abroad, in Australia, but never here in the U.S.  It is worth it. 

I've included the recipe for Maitre d'Hotel Butter in the New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp recipe.  You can just mix a few herbs into softened butter and it's likely to be pretty good.  Melted on steaks, chicken, chops, in pasta, or when a sauce you've made needs a little enrichment.

2 lbs butter

4 1/2 ounces  French Shallots

4 1/2 ounces  onions

3/4 cup white wine

1 3/4 ounces  anchovy fillets (drained)

1 tbsp  minced garlic

1 3/4 cup parsley

1/3 ounce sage

2/3 ounce fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon  marjoram

1 teaspoon thyme

3/4 tbsp English mustard

2 teaspoons curry

2 teaspoons paprika

4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

3 1/3 tbsp lemon juice

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1. Finely chop onion and schallots.
2. Make them reduce along with white wine.
3. Mix with garlic, anchovies and all herbs.
4. Link all these ingredients with melted butter.
5. Mix quickly to make it foam.
6. Book in air-proof containers – or plastic wraps -  and keep in the fridge

If fresh herbs and spices are not available, you can use of dried ones with taking care of reducing their amount.
The english mustard can be replaced by any type of mustard.
Butter made with fresh herbs sustains a shorter time.

Tips:

If you freeze compound butter, do it in small portions that will allow you to dose more easily and to limit losses since like any other frozen product, it should not be refrozen.

Café de Paris Butter is recommended to accompany grilled meat and fish.
In the end, you can drop some compound butter in a deglazed sauce for example, or spread on croutons… You can use this tasty homemade butter directly on toasts too.

Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad

1 (5-pound) seedless watermelon
1 Vidalia or red onion, see note please
1/4 cup vinegar

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

6 whole mint sprigs

Cut the flesh from the melon and cut into bite size pieces, removing and discarding the seeds, and set aside. Peel and slice the onion into rings.  NOTE.  If it's a big onion I don't like onion spaghetti in my salad.  Cut it into quarters and slice paper-thin.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk until salt is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, a few drops at a time.

Add in the chopped mint, taste, and adjust seasonings.
In a large bowl, combine the melon, onion, and feta. Pour the dressing over the melon mixture and toss gently until everything is coated and evenly mixed. Garnish with mint sprigs.

To serve, divide salad among individual plates and garnish with mint leaves.

Horseradish, Dill Pickle Potato Salad

For Aspiring Good Cooks. Never cool your boiled potatoes in cold water, either running or still. Spread them out on a sheet pan while hot and allow them to cool naturally before peeling. If they are warm, so much the better. Warm potatoes will soak up the flavor, of added ingredients-hot ones repel it. 

I do not peel mine, some people do.  If you do, wait until they are at room temperature. By the way, it's a lot more trouble to peel potatoes before you boil them.  They have a tendency to be watery if you peel them beforehand.  You can also use differently colored potatoes for added visual interest.

3 pounds small (2-inch) potatoes
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup sour cream (or 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (frustratingly, couldn’t find these)
1 tablespoon Dijon or Creole mustard
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles chopped

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, cool them to room temperature and quarter them. In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and fold over the potatoes. Adjust seasoning to taste — you might add another tablespoon of vinegar if you feel it needs more of a top note.

Shrimp Mousse

2 cups plain yogurt, room temperature
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise, room temperature
6 cups boiled, chopped shrimp
2 Tablespoons Knox Unflavored Gelatin
juice of 2 lemons mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
½ cup finely minced green onion
½ cup finely minced celery
½ cup finely minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced pimientos
½ cup salsa picante (fresh or boughten)
½ tsp. Crystal Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp. Lea and Perrins

Mix together the yogurt, cream cheese, and mayonnaise. Fold in the shrimp. Dissolve the gelatin in the lemon juice and cold water, and heat in the top of a double for 5 minutes, stirring.

Fold the gelatin mixture into the cheese/shrimp mixture. Gently add the minced vegetables and seasonings, blending well. Adjust the seasonings. Pour into a 2-quart mold and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Salmon Rillettes

Truly inspiring. Just make sure the rest of the meal is as good as the appetizer.

8 ounce  piece of salmon, preferably wild, bones removed
salt
5 tablespoons  butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into thin strips, then cut into ½-inch  pieces
¼ teaspoon chili powder

Season the salmon on both sides lightly with a bit of salt. Put on a plate with a Tablespoon of water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 4 minutes, until it flakes easily.

In a medium-sized bowl, mash together with a fork the butter and the olive oil until very smooth; otherwise there’ll be big chunks of butter in the finished rillettes.

Stir in the lemon juice, then the chopped chives and smoked salmon.

Remove the skin from the salmon (if it has any) and flake the cooked salmon over the mixture, then fold the pieces of salmon into the rillette mixture along with the chili powder.

Season with salt, if necessary.

Scrape into a serving dish, cover, and chill for at least two hours. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Storage: The rillettes can be made up to two days before and refrigerated. They can also be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to two months.

Chicken Liver Pate

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 eggs
1 lb. chicken livers
¼ c. flour
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
2 c. butter
½ c. heavy cream-Plus 2 T. Brandy if you like

Combine onion, garlic and eggs in a blender at high speed for 1 minute. Add livers and blend 2 minutes. Add flour and remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into well-greased 1 quart baking dish and cover with plastic wrap, then with foil. Set in pan of hot water and bake for three hours at 325 degrees. Remove foil and plastic and allow to cool. Recover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve on squares of pumpernickel.

Fiesta Dip

1 can black eyed peas
1 red pepper diced 1 green pepper diced
1 red onion diced

Rinse and drain peas corn

Add: 2 tbs Tiger Sauce (in the sauce section of the market)3/4 cup white sugar (I used a little less)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 veg oil (I used about 3 Tbs instead of 4 Tbs)

Mix and let stand overnight.

Drain liquid before serving with tostito scoops This also works great as a salad topper/dressing.
1 can shoe peg corn, can be any corn, or use 2 c. frozen corn

Barbequed Meatballs

1-½ pound Ground Beef
¾ cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1-½ teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste
FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
Canola Oil
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion
1 dash Tabasco
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread.

French Onion Salisbury Steak

Gussied up but really good. Cheese toasts?  That's toast with cheese melted on it.
4 Serves


1 1/4 lbs ground chuck
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons scallions, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cheese toasts
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley ( garnish)
4 teaspoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine chuck, parsley, scallion, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape into 3/4 to 1-inch thick oval patties.

Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 teaspoon flour. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saut

Add onions and sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; sauté 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown.

Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine, and then add the salt and thyme.

Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over.
Garnish with parsley and Parmesan.é pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and sauté 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.

Baked Beef Brisket

Lots of flavor, cooked long and low, what's not to love? 
14 servings

While the typical southern grill master will look for a large, heavy, untrimmed beef brisket, it is more practical in this recipe to look for a three to five-pound beef brisket that has been moderately trimmed of excess fat.

 

A beef brisket that is too large or fatty will present problems in the oven; the least of which is its ability to fit in a roasting pan.

Note: Be sure the brisket you select is fresh. A corned-beef brisket will not yield good results.

Oven Baked Brisket in 3 Easy Steps

1. Peel and slice 1 whole onion.
2. Make the dry rub and the sauce.
3. Apply the seasonings to the brisket and bake.

Dry Rub Recipe for Barbequed Smoked Brisket

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl combine all dry rub ingredients.
2. Stir well to combine and set aside.

Sauce Recipe for Oven Smoked Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons strongly brewed black coffee
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon A-1 Steak Sauce

Instructions:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a pint or quart-sized jar with a tight fitting lid.
2. Cap the jar and give it a few vigorous shakes; set aside.

Oven Baked Beef Brisket Recipe

Pre-heat oven to 250°F.

1. Place the sliced onion in the bottom of a roaster pan large enough to accommodate the brisket.
2. Arrange the onions so that they are mostly in the center of the pan; so that the brisket will rest on them as it bakes.
3. With the dry rub, liberally season the brisket by rubbing the seasoning on every surface of the meat. Sometimes briskets have splits and folds. Make sure that every surface is well seasoned. It is expected that the entire dry rub recipe will be used on a four-pound brisket.
4. Place the seasoned brisket on the bed of sliced onions, fat side up.
5. Pour the entire smoking sauce recipe over and around the brisket.
6. Tightly seal the roasting pan with a sheet of aluminum foil or a snug-fitting lid.
7. Place in the center of pre-heated oven and bake for 4½ hours.
8. Remove from oven and allow brisket to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing to enjoy.

Brisket is best when thinly sliced against the grain. It is delicious served with traditional barbeque fare such as potato salad, baked beans, and corn-on-the-cob.
If you are in the mood for something lighter, though, try it with a side of mustard greens, garlic bread and Waldorf Salad.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers,  New Orleans Style!  None betterJust like at Two Sisters Kitchen on N. Derbigny Street　

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon file powder salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 pound cooked ham, finely chopped
1 pound baby shrimp
1 (16 ounce) package unseasoned dry bread stuffing mix
6 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 cup plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Heat oil in a large pot over low heat. Saute onion, celery and chopped green pepper for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Season with parsley, Creole seasoning, file powder, salt and pepper.

Increase heat to medium high, and add ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Stir in ham, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in stuffing mix.


Stuff each bell pepper half, and lightly sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place stuffed bell pepper halves in ungreased baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Japanese Hamburger Steak

 

Panko is Japanese bread crumbs-substitute any bread crumbs.  Yes, this is real Japanese cuisine and it's good in the same way that Tom Joad's mom's hamburger steak was good.

1 lb ground beef
½ onion
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup panko
pepper (to season)
vegetable oil, for frying
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Chop onion finely. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and saute onion well and set aside. 2 Put egg and milk in a bowl and mix well. Add breadcrumb in the bowl and mix lightly and set aside. 3 Put beef in another bowl and add cooked onion and breadcrumb mixture in it. 4 Season the beef mixture with salt and pepper. Mix the meat well with hands well. Make four meat balls and toss each ball from one hand to the other hand repeatedly. 5 Make four hamburger patties and indent the center of each one with a finger. Heat oil in a pan and saute hamburgers over medium heat. 6 Turn over and saute the other side. Add 1/4 cup of hot water in the pan and put lid and steam hamburgers for a few minutes. 7 Remove the lid and cook until the water is gone. Transfer hamburgers into individual plates. 8 Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in the pan after hamburgers are removed. Mix quickly over low heat to make sauce. Pour the sauce over hamburger.
　
　
　
　
　

Hot Tamale Pie

An updated classic.

¾ lb. ground turkey or beef
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup diced green bell pepper
¾ cup diced red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 can (15 ounces) pinto or red beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned peppers (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces)  shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread mix
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook turkey, onion, bell peppers and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Sprinkle turkey mixture with cumin.

Add beans, tomatoes with juice, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, if desired. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and cilantro.

Spoon turkey mixture evenly into prepared dish, pressing down to compact mixture.
Combine corn bread mix, milk and egg. mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter evenly over turkey mixture to cover completely.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until corn bread is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.