Chicken with Mushrooms

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

A wonderful combination of baked chicken breasts, mozzarella, and mushrooms.  Serve with hot cooked rice or noodles.  Add a tossed green salad and dinner is ready.


Ingredients:

3 cups sliced mushrooms
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Place half of the mushrooms in a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Dip chicken into beaten eggs, then roll in bread crumbs.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Brown both sides of the chicken in the skillet.  Place the chicken on top of the mushrooms, arrange the remaining mushrooms on top of the chicken, top with the mozzarella cheese.  Add the chicken broth to the pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.

Cholay (Curried Chickpeas)

Prep time:    20 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Ready in:     45 minutes
Serves:        6

This is a very flavorful recipe from Northern India, usually eaten with fried bread like bhatura or puri.  I like to serve it over rice for a very filling meal.  You can also try it as a quick snack over toasted bread.  This recipe is much quicker to make if you use precooked canned beans, but I like the authentic flavor that comes from doing it the hard way.

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 tea bag
1 bay leaf
2 (15/5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
 1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons grated garlic
 3 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
 2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons ground turmeric (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
ground cayenne pepper, to taste
1 pinch garam masala (optinal)

Directions:

1.  Place the 2 cups of water, tea bag and bay leaf into a pot, bring the water to a boil.  Reserving about 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, stir the beans into the boiling water.  When the beans are heated through, discard the tea bag and bay leaf.  Remove from heat.  Drain the beans, reserving the water, and set aside.

2.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the sliced onion until tender.  Remove from heat, cool and mix in the reserved garbanzo beans, 1 tomato and 1/2 the cilantro leaves.  Set aside.

3.  Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Blend in the coriander, ginger, and garlic.  Cook and stir for 15-20 seconds, until lightly browned.  Mix in the turmeric.  Stir the chopped onion into the skillet, and cook until tender.  Mix in the remaining tomatoes,  Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring the tomato liquid to a boil and cook about 5 minutes.  Stir in the boiled garbanzo beans, sliced onion mixture, and enough of the reserved water to attain a thick, gravy-like consistence.  Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, Garnish with the remaining cilantro leaves to serve.

Grandmother's Jelly Cookies

Yield: 36-42 cookies
Oven Temp:  375ºF
Time:  7-9 minutes


Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 slightly beaten egg white
Finely chopped almonds and/or pearl sugar or granulated sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar icing
1/4-1/2 cup currant jelly  (Shown is black currant jelly)


1.  Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar; beat well.  Add egg; beat till well combined.  Beat in as much flour as you can.  Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.

2.  Divide dough in half.  Roll one portion on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness.  Using a star shaped or scalloped round cookie cutter, cut into 2 1/2-inch shapes.  Roll out second portion to 1/8-inch thickness; cut with a 2-inch star shape or scalloped cookie cutter.  Using a 3/4 or 1 inch cutter, cut a circle from center of smaller shapes.  Reroll dough trimmings.

3.  Brush tops of 2 inch shapes with egg white; sprinkle with almonds and/or pearl sugar or granulated sugar.  Arrange all shapes on a lightly greased cookie sheet; bake in 375ºF oven for 7 to 9 minutes or till bottoms are lightly brown.

4.  Transfer to wire racks; cool.
     Place a small amount of jelly in centers of 2 1/2 inch cookies, sugar side up, and press together showing jelly in the center.

Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Fingers

Yield: 8 Servings
Oven Temp: 325ºF
Time: 35 mins.


Ingredients:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 (packed) cup brown sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 3/4 cups mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325º F.  Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and salt for about 1 minute.  Beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed and add flour in 3 additions, beating just until blended.  Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Transfer dough to an ungreased 13 by 9 inch baking pan.  Press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan with your fingers.   Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.   Do not under bake.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Cut the shortbread in the pan, lengthwise and crosswise into quarters, then lengthwise into 32 rectangles.  Let cool in the pan.

Melt the remaining chocolate and the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring until smooth.  Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, place on wax paper.  Let stand until chocolate is set.  Cookies may be made up to 4 days ahead and stored, tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Serves: 8


Ingredients

12 ounces dried black beans, picked over and rinsed (2 cans, drained and rinsed)
salt

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 chipotle in adobo, minced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

In a large saucepan, cover the beans with cold water and bring to a boil.  Cover and let stand off the heat for an hour.

Drain the beans.  Return them to the pot and cover with 3 inches of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer over a low heat until tender, about 1 1/2 hours; season generously with salt during the last 10 minutes.  Drain and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.  Cover the saucepan and simmer the quinoa over a low heat until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Spread the quinoa on a plate and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and chipotle.  Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until blended.  Add the black beans, quinoa, scallions, red onion, yellow and red peppers and cilantro.  Season with salt, toss to combine and serve.

Make ahead.  The black bean and quinoa salad can be refrigerated overnight.

Roasted Porchetta (Recipe courtesy of Omar Michael Miller, Dressel's Public House.)

Prep time:          30 mins.
Cook time:         1-to 1 1/2 hours
Serves:               ten 7-ounce servings


Ingredients

1 whole pork butt (bone removed by butcher)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
11/4 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons fresh ground fennel seed
2 tablespoons fresh zest of lemon and orange
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, slice open the butt, following the fat cap, until you are able to roll it flat.

Making a paste with the olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, fennel seeds and zest.  Take half of the salt and sprinkle the exposed inside of the butt.  Do the same with half of the black pepper.  Pour the herb paste onto the butt.  Spread evenly into the meat.  Roll the meat up back onto itself creating a large pinwheel of pork and herbs.  Secure the roast together using butchers twine.  Sprinkle the outside of the roast with the remaining salt and pepper.

Place the butt onto a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan.  Place the butt into the oven and cook for 1 to    1 1/2 hours or until the inside is 140 degrees F.  Let cool and slice.

Eggplant Caponata (recipe courtesy of Mario Batali)

Prep time:     15 mins.
Servings:         8
Cook time:    15 mins.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped into 1/2-inch dice
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon hot chili flakes, plus extra for garnish (**I used 1/4 teaspoon**)
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (to yield 4 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup basic tomato sauce, recipe follows (I used canned tomato sauce)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 sprigs mint, chopped
1 baguette, sliced into 3/4-inch rounds and toasted on a grill or in the oven.

Directions

In a large 12-14 inch saute pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking.  Add the onions, pine nuts, currants and chili flakes and saute for 4-5 minutes until softened.

Add the eggplant, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, Add the thyme, tomato sauce, and balsamic vinegar.  Bring the mixture to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. garnish with mint and chili flakes.  Serve the caponata spooned on crostini or in the middle of the table with the crostini on the side to allow guests to help themselves.

Basic tomato sauce:

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, 1/4-inch dice
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
1/2 medium carrot, finely grated
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan until hot, add the Spanish onion, garlic chopped thyme, and grated carrot.  Saute until tender, add the crushed tomatoes, stir and cook until hot, slowly add the reserved tomato juice and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.  Cool