It seems we barely get cleaned up from one reception, and it’s time to prepare for another. We have many events happening on a regular basis and they almost always are accompanied by the serving of food or refreshments of one kind or another. At a recent reception we revised an old favorite that met with a great response. We served this hot chicken salad in little cream puffs and they disappeared so quickly we couldn’t keep the trays filled.
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Hot Chicken Salad Puffs
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME65 - 70mins. |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
Hot Chicken Salad Puffs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl mix the chicken, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion salt, spices, onion and almonds.
- Transfer to the baking dish, and top with Cheddar cheese and crushed potato chips.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Fill cream puffs, arrange on platter and serve.
Cream Puffs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two baking sheets.
- Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, heat until the butter has melted and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously until the mixture smooths out and follows the spoon around the pan; this should take less than 30 seconds.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- It will still feel hot. Transfer the dough to a mixer.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time; the mixture will look curdled, but when you add the last egg it should become smooth.
- Beat for 1 minute after adding the last egg. You will have a stiff, smooth batter.
- Drop the dough by Tablespoonful’s onto the prepared sheets.
- Leave about 2″ between them.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, till they have puffed, they are medium golden brown and they look dry.
- Remove baked puffs from the oven and use a sharp knife to cut a slit into the side of each puff, for steam to escape; this will help prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Return the puffs to the oven for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
- Slit each puff in half around the circumference and fill with a heaping Tablespoonful of chicken salad.
- Replace the top.
We are still picking kale and digging up parsnips in our garden, and both are tasting so so good. From the garden straight to the stove….how much fresher could you ask for your vegetables to be, and what could taste better with these wonderful vegetables than a nice plump whole roasted chicken smothered with herbs and filled with your favorite stuffing? It seems we can never have this too often at the convent.
Most people seem to be sold on roasted vegetables these days and they are great. But to me the magic key to making them better than ever, is to roast them together with the meat or poultry with which they are being served.
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Chicken And Roasted Vegetables Extraordinaire
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME30minutes |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Season a whole chicken with onion salt and pepper and herbs.
- Place in roasting pan large enough to hold vegetables as well. Surround the bird with equal amounts of parsnips, carrots, potatoes and onions.
- Roast uncovered at moderate temp 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until juices begin to appear - stirring from time to time.
- Add chicken broth, water, or a splash of wine as needed making sure that every bit of flavor, fat and juice is being absorbed by scraping and stirring.
- Remove bird to a smaller pan to finish cooking, once the vegetables have reached the softness you desire.
Some meals can be almost as enjoyable to prepare as to eat. Short ribs are an example of this, especially in cold blustery weather as we have been having this winter. Cooking them is a most pleasurable culinary experience, engaging all the senses from start to finish.
Thick well cut ribs are a joy to handle while rubbing in the seasonings. Then there is the visual thrill of watching them beautifully brown before your eyes in the sizzling hot skillet. This begins to produce a mouthwatering aroma to savor, while slowly nursing them along to desired tenderness.
As a final treat to the senses, I hear the sound of delighted exclamations from those coming to dinner whose appetites are peaked from shoveling snow out in the cold. Could anything be more heartwarming and rewarding than that? Well yes….sitting down and eating one of my most favorite meals with them!
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Braised Short Ribs
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME2 1/2-3hours |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Season short ribs with salt and pepper
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.
- Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 Tablespoons of drippings from pot.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in wine, Worcestershire and then add short ribs with any accumulated juices.
- Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
- Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.
- Cook until short ribs are tender, 2–2 1/2 hours.
- Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup.
- Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with onion salt and pepper.
These short ribs are even better when they are cooked the day before.
Last week the Food Network pronounced chicken to be currently the most popular choice of meat, and kale the most popular vegetable. I was not surprised about the chicken. I was a little surprised about the kale, but also delighted because we still have a vibrant crop of it in our garden….healthy and wholesome as ever having survived wind, sleet, rain and snow….just like the old fashioned US Postman of the past.
I think most cooks would agree that it’s wise to always have a supply of chicken on hand, especially boneless breasts. They have saved many a chef from disaster in a time of crisis or emergency.
My recipe is one I concocted on the spur of the moment when I was suddenly called on to produce an unscheduled and completely unexpected meal in a very short period of time, using only what was on hand, and available from the freezer, fridge, and pantry. To my surprise and delight it was a success that received many compliments, while no one eating it ever knew the circumstances under which it came to be.
Citrus Chicken Cutlets on a chiffonade of garlic-sautéed Kale
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Citrus Chicken Cutlets
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown chicken in butter and oil.
- Remove and set aside in warm oven.
- Add thinly sliced onion to pan of chicken drippings and simmer slightly.
- Remove onions and add to chicken.
- Next stir remaining ingredients into pan of chicken drippings and simmer all together into a sauce. Leave sauce in pan. Remove from heat.
- Cut kale into long thin strips and sauté in oil with garlic.
- Cover and simmer until tender, adding water as needed.. Add salt to taste.
- Place chicken and onion slices in pan of sauce heating thoroughly until chicken is completely cooked but still tender and juicy.
- Serve on top of kale, pouring pan sauce over all and garnishing as desired.
Whenever we have Shepherd’s pie for dinner I know for certain that there will not be any leftovers for lunch the next day. Simple as it is, people love its old fashioned goodness, and even those who never take seconds can’t seem to resist having just a little bit more.
Just yesterday, I learned that sweet potatoes may be one of the greatest sources of beta carotene and Vitamin A – thus very good for you. So why not put a little autumn spin on our Shepherd’s pie and top it with tangy orange-zested sweet potato instead of white? I gave it a try and to my delight it did exactly what I what I hoped for……a thick golden crust that was gorgeous to look at and mouthwatering to eat.
Served alongside a mixed green cranberry vinaigrette salad this became a most satisfying homespun November supper.
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Autumn Shepard's Pie
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME30minutes |
PREP TIME |
READY IN |
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put meat, onions, salt, thyme, pepper and if available bone and pan drippings, in a pot or pressure cooker and cover with water.
- Cook or boil them until the meat and onions are both soft. Boil the liquid down until flavorful.
- Add the wine and thicken with flour.
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Place meat mixture in a pie dish (the peas may be added) and top with mashed sweet potatoes.
- Bake until golden brown and bubbling through, about 30 minutes.
