Chicken and 'Pastry'

This recipe comes from the handwritten notes on bits of paper stuffed in one of my great grandmother's cookbooks. As a child, I remember her making this dish, and watching in fascination as she made up the pastry, rolled it out thin and cut it up with a knife. Pastry, if you haven't figured out by now, is a flat dumpling, added to the chicken and broth that's been previously prepared. This was my absolute favorite dish for her to make (except for her fried chicken and fried okra, but that's another story). The pastry is great with a little salt and pepper, and it's one of the most satisfying meals you'll have in a long time.

Chicken and Pastry

1 chicken; 2 1/2 pound
1 large onion; chopped
2 bay leaf
2 chicken bouillon; cubes
2 tbsp Salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
4 quarts water
1 can cream of chicken soup
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• Cut up the chicken, but do not remove the skin. (The bones and skin will be removed later).
• Put the chicken, onion, bay leaves, bouillon, salt, pepper and garlic powder in the water and boil at a rolling boil for about 40 minutes, or until the meat begins to fall off the bone.
• Prepare the pastry and set them aside for a few minutes
• At this time, remove the skin and the bones, along with the bay leaves.
• Then, return the chicken to the pot, and add the cream soup, and return to a boil.

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Dumplings

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup ice water
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• Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
• In the center of the flour, dribble a very small about of the ice water. Begin working the mixture with your fingers from the center of the bowl to the sides of the bowl, adding small amounts of the ice water as you go.
• Continue this until all the water is used, and the mixture is now a batter. It will feel very stiff.
• Remove the mixture from the bowl, knead the dough and form into a ball. Dust a generous amount of flour onto the dough and your rolling pin.
• Roll out the dough, working from the center, into approximately 1/8" thickness. Allow to dry.
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• Once the chicken has started boiling again, cut the dough into 1/2 inch to 1 inch strips. Then, cut the dough horizontally, making each piece of 'pastry' about 3 to 4 inches long.
• Place each piece of dough, one strip at a time, into the boiling chicken pot. NEVER stir the dumplings in the pot! This will break them. Instead, shake the pot gently, making a circular motion so that the dumplings will sink into the liquid and cook.
• Allow the dumplings to cook for several minutes, testing them for doneness.

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Notes: I always thought that the pastry (the flat, thin dumplings) were far superior to the big blobs of flour that other cooks made.

* If you want to thicken the liquid that the chicken is cooking in, use 2 tbsp of flour and mix it with 1/4 cup of water, making sure you mix it thoroughly, and add it to the boiling stock.

* No Cream of Chicken soup? Use Cream of Celery instead. * Add 3 ribs of celery (chopped) to the recipe if desired.

Banana Pudding

Here's another recipe that's been attributed to the Old South for as long as I can remember. Nobody knows the exact origin of this dish, but it's generally attributed to the fact that bananas were marketed to the United States from the Caribbean islands in the 19th century. Cooks, who were intrigued with this new fruit, began to experiment with it's uses, and by 1902, recipes for banana pudding began appearing in cookbooks. That original recipe called for a cooked custard and bananas, topped with a meringue. Today, we make it much the same way, save for the Vanilla Wafers that the Nabisco company has so skillfully marketed to us to include. And it's a yummy marriage!

If you want to make the cooked custard version of this, I'll include the recipe. Otherwise, I'll pay homage to the Jell-O company, and use their pudding and pie filling, which is the way my great grandmother made it.

Banana Pudding

2 – large boxes of cook and serve vanilla pudding
6 – cups whole milk
1 – box of vanilla wafers
6-8 – fresh bananas

• First, mix pudding and milk together. Than, bring the mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until pudding thickens. Remove pudding from heat and allow to cool briefly.
• While the pudding is cooling, cut your bananas into quarter-inch slices. Once the bananas are sliced the pudding mixture should be cooled to the point that it's time to layer the pudding.
• Using a serving bowl of your choice, begin with a layer of wafers on the bottom. Alternately add bananas and pudding, repeating the process to end with a layer of vanilla wafers.
Note: Be sure to save your best looking wafers for the top layer. Refrigerate and serve cold unless you like your pudding hot. This dessert is also great topped with whipped cream, or meringue. Preparation Time = 10 minutes Cooking Time = 20 minutes  

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The custard recipe should be adjusted up for larger servings  

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If you want to cook your own custard: 1 pint of milk 3 eggs 2 tablespoons sugar
• Beat the yolks lightly, then add milk and sugar.
• Bring the milk to a boil, then add the egg mixture and let it cook until it thickens.
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If you want to make your own meringue: 3 egg whites 6 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Pile on pie and bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes.
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Notes: Making a meringue can be tricky! Always use a glass or metal bowl. Use fresh eggs instead of older ones so that your meringue will be more stable. Be extra careful to keep the yolks out of the mixture and never touch the mixture with your fingers, as the introduction of fats will wreck your meringue. Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature when beating, as colder eggs cannot be whipped to a larger volume. Never add the sugar until the air has been introduced to the egg whites, and then, only add it a little at a time after the stiff peaks form. And never take a break while beating your meringue. If you stop for a break before until it's done, it's volume will be greatly reduced.

Red Velvet Cake

This cake has been a Southern taste experience for longer than I can remember. It's red color comes from beets (in the olden days), and from red food coloring today. The special secret to this cake is it's cooked roux frosting. Don't be afraid of this one, it's easy to do.

1/2 cup Shortening
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 eggs
2 oz red food coloring
2 tbsp cocoa
2 1/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp butter flavoring
1 tsp Vanilla
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• Cream the shortening, sugar and eggs together and set aside.
• Make a paste with the food coloring and cocoa, then add to the mixture.
• Sift flour and salt together and add alternately to the mixture, along with buttermilk and flavorings.
• Once complete, alternately add the baking soda and vinegar to the mixture.
• Blend all ingredients together, do not beat.
• Bake in 2 (8") greased and floured pans in a preheated over at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes.

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For the frosting, here is the recipe.
Frosting:

3 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter or shortening
1 cup milk

• Cook flour and milk on low heat until thick (forming a roux), stirring frequently to prevent lumps. Allow to cool.
• Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add this to the flour mixture.
• Beat until the mixture is the consistence of whipped cream.
• Spread this on the cooled layers.

Notes: If you prefer, the two layers of cake may be split into two pieces to form a total of 4 layers. Alternately, you may bake the cake in 3 9" pans for approximately 25 minutes.

Go wild! Sprinkle the cake with coconut, or add chopped nuts to the frosting. Or, if you don't have time to make the frosting, Cream Cheese frosting is a good alternative.

Shoo Fly Pie

Shoo Fly Pie is a term that first came into being in the late 1920's, and was made popular in the 1940's song "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy". It's name came about because of the molasses that is in the pie. It seems it's sticky sweetness attracted flies and they had to be 'shoo'd away'. This is also similar to a chess pie, which was popular in the 1930's and 1940's.

Another wonderful dish that the Southerners lay claim to!

3/4 cup dark molasses
3/4 cup water; hot
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 pastry crust
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• Mix the molasses, hot water and soda together in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, blend the flour, sugar and butter into coarse crumbs.
• Pour into your prepared pie crust alternatively, 1/3 liquid, 1/3 dry mix, etc, ending with the dry crumb mixture.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 375°F

Notes: If you prefer, top with another pastry crust before baking, or serve with whipped cream and toasted pecans. Another variation is to make a chocolate Shoo Fly Pie, by adding chocolate icing on top.

Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers

These are a nice twist on an old favorite, and seem to be a bit 'fancy', so you can serve them to surprise people that are used to the same old burger and fries routine, and they are nice enough for guests. Plus, pork is often overlooked in the grocery stores, and this is a nice way to save the grocery budget. Most larger stores stock all the ingredients, but if you can't find them, you may need to visit a Latino market.

1 pound ground pork (not lean)
2 tsp minced chipotle in adobo plus
1 tsp adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves; forced through a garlic press
4 slices Muenster cheese (or Havarti or your favorite white cheese)
4 Hamburger buns; toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large tomatillo (1/4 pound), husked and rinsed, then sliced
1/2 small avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
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• Gently mix the pork, chipotle, garlic, and a tsp of salt until just combined. Form into 4 1/2" thick patties.
• Grill patties, covered for about 4 minutes
• Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes more
• Spread toasted buns with mayonnaise and assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado and cilantro
Notes: These burgers are best grilled because you want the pork fat to fall away from the burgers. If you aren't using an outdoor grill, use a George Forman type kitchen grill, or use an oiled 2 burner grill pan over medium heat (about 10 minutes total) I use Calabrese buns for these burgers because they crisp up nicely and are nice and big to hold all the condiments. Kaiser rolls are also nice. Please do not use standard hamburger buns. Serve with grilled corn on the cob, carrots, fresh cut fries or fresh grilled peppers (red, yellow and green), or even a nice corn salsa.

*** Special Event ***

Hey folks, mark your calendars! 

On March 12, I'll be presenting a 3 course lunch based on the menu at Le Cirque, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas! 

David Werly is the head chef there, and the menu I'm serving consists of things like lobster, foie gras, caviar, duck, sea bass and creme brulee! 

If you're interested in attending the lunch (only $18), let me know and I'll setup a reservation! All you have to do is shoot me an email and let me know.

Guaranteed that you'll enjoy it!

Sour Cream Biscuits

Sour cream is a wonderful substitute to the fats normally added to baked goods, and this is no exception. It adds a slight tartness to the biscuit and makes it very very tender. Plus, it sounds sinful, especially if you add chives, and brush the tops with melted butter (like a baked potato). Mmmmm!

2 sticks (1cup) margarine; melted and cooled
2 cups self-rising flour
8 oz sour cream
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• Melt margarine and allow to cool to lukewarm. (you must cool to lukewarm or it will curdle the sour cream when mixed)
• Add the margarine to sour cream and mix well, but DO NOT BEAT.
• Cut into the flour as you would in a standard biscuit making recipe (ie: use a spoon, or pastry blender). Remember not to over work your dough.
• Drop by teaspoon into ungreased 'mini' muffin tins. Alternatively, you can place these on a baking sheet, but you will need to dust your work surface with flour and hand shape them into a biscuit before placing them on the sheet.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 450°F for 10-15 minutes.
Notes: for added texture and flavor experiment! Add chives or pecans. And if you're on a diet, use light sour cream!