Monthly Archives: September 2012

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS

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SAUCE:

4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM FILLING:

4 tbs butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12 oz), cut into 3/4″ pieces
10 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

1 lb elbow macaroni
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup coarsely shredded gruyere OR jarlsberg cheese

for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan; stir in flour until thoroughly blended; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil and thicken; add the heavy cream. cook, stirring, over medium heat until sauce is thickened and smooth, about 10 minutes. beat the yolks in a small bowl. gradually beat in some of the hot sauce. return to the saucepan. season with salt and pepper.

for the filling: melt 2 tbs of the butter in a large heavy skillet. add the chicken and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. scrape onto a side dish. add the remaining 2 tbs butter to the skillet. add the mushrooms; saute,, stirring, until tender and lightly browned. add the scallions and the garlic; saute 2 minutes. return the chicken to the skillet; add the parsley; season with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg.

cook the macaroni in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, or firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. combine the macaroni, sauce, chicken and mushroom mixture, and grated parmesan cheese. spoon into a buttered 9″x13″ baking dish. sprinkle top with the gruyere.

bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until top is browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

8 servings

SLOW BEANS BOURGUIGNON

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8 oz fresh pearl onions
1 tbs olive oil
8 oz white mushrooms, quartered
8 oz baby carrots, halved lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp minced fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp dried
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry red wine
2 (15.5 ) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground pepper

blanch the onions in a medium-size saucepan of boiling water, then drain, remove the root ends, and peel them. cut a shallow “x” in the bottom of each onion and place in a 4-6 qt slow cooker.

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. add the mushrooms and cook quickly to brown, about 2 minutes. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

reheat the same skillet over medium heat. add the carrots, cover, and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. transfer the carrot mixture in the slow cooker. add the tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, stock, wine, and beans; season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

about 20 minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms.

4 serving

BLACK BEAN SOUP

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2 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drain only one can
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans chunk chicken in water OR meat from 1 roast chicken (approx 3 cups)
black pepper to season

combine all ingredients and bring to boil; simmer 5 minutes.

12-15 servings

PUNGENT CHEESE FONDUE

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2 tbs butter OR margarine
3 tbs flour
2 cups milk
salt
paprika
nutmeg
1 lb ripe domestic cheddar cheese, finely diced

melt butter or margarine in a fondue pot. add flour, stirring until smooth. add milk very slowly, stirring constantly so that lumps do not form. add salt to taste; make sure it is stirred in thoroughly. add paprika and nutmeg to taste.

cook for 3-4 minutes over LOW heat. add cheese a bit at a tme, making sure it melts before adding more. remove from heat to a warming stand.

4 servings

KEY LIME PIE

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1 (9″) crumb crust made with graham crackers, chilled until firm

KEY LIME FILLING:

4 egg yolks
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs grated lime zest
1/2 cup key lime juice, preferably fresh

preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

prepare the filling: in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the condensed milk until smooth. mix in the zest and the juice. the mixture will be thick. pour the filling into the pie crust.

bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the filling is set and a cake tester or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. cool on a rack.

referigerate and keep cold.

makes 1 (9″) pie

TANGY BARBECUE SANDWICHES

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3 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs vinegar
2 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (3-4 lb) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

in a slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients; mix well.add roast. cover and cook on HIGH 6-7 hours, or until tender. remove roast; cool. shred meat and return to sauce; heat through.

14-18 servings

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WHY RICE KRISPIES SNAP, CRACKLE AND POP! – Rice Krisipies, also known as “Rice Bubbles” in some countries, are created by preparing rice in such a way that it will “pop” like popcorn during the cooking process, albeit much less dramatically. This popping puffs up the kernels. When the rice is finished cooking, most of the Rice Krisipies will have thin, solid walls with hollow, sealed areas inside where air pockets have formed. When cold milk is added, the sudden temperature shift causes the walls of the air pocket regions of the Rice Krispies to fracture suddenly, making a snap/crackle/pop type noise.

TRIPLE TOMATO RISOTTO WITH BASIL

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1 lb whole baby plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
about 1 qt hot vegetable broth
2 cups passata (italian pureed, strained tomatoes)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil), chopped
2 cups risotto rice
2/3 cup light red wine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

put the plum tomatoes in a roasting pan and pour the olive oil over them. mix well to coat and season with salt and pepper. roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly collapsed and the skins are beginning to brown. remove from the oven and set aside.

pour the broth and passata into a saucepan, stir well,then heat to a gentle simmer. melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden, and translucent but not browned. add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. pour in the wine and boil hard until it has reduced and almost disappeared. this will remove the taste of raw alcohol. remove from the heat.

return the risotto to the heat, warm through, then begin adding the broth, a large ladle at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has almost been absorbed by the rice. the risotto shoudl be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more broth as necessary. continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm (15-20 minutes depending on the type of rice used – check package instructions).

season to taste with salt and pepper and beat in the remaining butter, the parmesan, and chopped basil. you may like to add a little more hot brroth to the risotto at this stage to loosen it – it should be quite wet. cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax and the cheese melt. carefully ladle into warm bowls and cover the surface with the roasted tomatoes and any juices. add the basil leaves and serve immediately with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese.

serves 4

SLOW COOKER CHEESEBURGER SOUP

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1 med clove garlic, minced
1 med onion, chopped
1 med rib celery, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
2 tbs flour
3 cups chicken broth, divided
1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
8 oz reduced-fat velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
24 baked corn tortilla chips, crumbled

coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds.

add garlic, onion and celery to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are tender, about 5-10 minutes.

coat a 3 qt or larger slow cooker with cooking spray; spoon in veggies.

place same skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5-6 minutes; pour off any liquid and add meat to slow cooker.

in a small cup, combine flour and 1/2 cup of broth; stir until lump-free.

pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2 1/2 cups broth.

bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, and then pour into slow cooker; stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper.

cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 hours.

serve soup topped with crumbled chips.

8 (3/4 cup) servings

THREE-BEAN CHILI WITH CHIVE-FLECKED CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

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CHILI:

1 tbs olive oil
1 lg sweet yellow onion, chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs chili powder, or more to taste
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

DUMPLINGS:

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp minced fresh chives
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh OR thawed frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup milk OR soy milk
2 tbs olive oil

to make the chili, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in the tomato paste and chili powder and cook about 30 seconds longer.

transfer the mixture to a 4-6 qt slow cooker. add the tomatoes, beans, and water, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

to make the dumplings, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, chives, and salt in a medium-size bowl about 45 minutes before serving time. stir in the corn, milk, and oil until just combined. do not overmix.

turn the slow cooker to HIGH and drop the batter by the spoonful onto the hot chili. cover and cook on HIGH until the dumplings are cooked through, 30-40 minutes. serve immediately.

4-6 servings