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Friday 8 March 2024

Oven "fried" potatoes

Back on the internet and found this.

Ingredients 
4 quarts water
20 g salt
5 g baking soda 
4 to 5 large, chopped, Russet potatoes
6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Oven to 450 F.

In a large pot, add water, salt, and baking soda.  Bring to a boil.

Add cut up potatoes and boil for 10 minutes.

Drain and add potatoes to a mixing bowl.  Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes.  Mix the olive oil over the potatoes.

Spread potatoes over parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Roast for 40 minutes.  Flip about half way through the cook.

Thursday 29 February 2024

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe


Back on YouTube and I found this gem.  Although the originator is Brian Lagerstom.  I find his videos very entertaining and informative.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt 
Black pepper (approx. 1 tsp, divided)
1 large white onion, medium diced
3-4 stalks of celery, medium diced
3-5 medium carrots, diced
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
1 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup frozen peas

Dumplings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 2/3 teaspoon coarse salt
2 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon  black pepper
5 tablespoons butter, melted 
2 1/4 cup whole milk

Stuff you will need

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
Cutting board with sharp knife
Dutch Oven
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon
2 teaspoons

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until fully cooked and fat is rendered.

While the chicken is roasting, dice onion, celery, carrots, fennel. Press garlic cloves.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt one stick of butter. Add diced vegetables and garlic, a pinch of salt, and sweat for 6-8 minutes, stirring often. I'm using a 6 3/4qt dutch oven.

Stir in all-purpose flour to create a roux. Add wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Cook for about 30 seconds.
Add chicken broth, heavy cream, thyme, bay leaves, and poultry seasoning. Stir well.

Chop the roasted chicken thighs into small bite sized pieces and add to the pot over medium heat along with frozen peas. Stir and simmer on low for 5 minutes to reheat chicken and peas, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry dumpling ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, black pepper. While mixing, stream in the melted (but not hot) butter, and milk and continue stirring until just barely combined. 

Taste the chicken gravy mixture for seasoning and adjust with additional salt if needed. 

Back to the dumpling dough, using two teaspoons, quenelle (transferring from spoon to spoon, creating a dumpling that resembles a small football) the dumpling dough and drop 12-16 dumplings into the pot.

Lower the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes or until the dumplings have expanded and cooked through.

Test a dumpling for doneness by cutting into it; it should be fluffy and cooked through, not gluey.

Thursday 1 February 2024

Chocolate Cake Shake


I was watching this comedian on YouTube. Apparently there is a restaurant in Chicago that is famous for this.  I've never had one...  But I do believe I would like to try one...


Ingredients

1 slice of chocolate cake with icing
1 large scoop of chocolate ice cream
1 splash of milk

Things you will need

Blender
Cup 
Reusable straw

Directions

Put the entire piece of chocolate cake into the blender.  Including the icing.

One generous scoop of chocolate ice cream

A splash of milk.  I don't know how much a "splash of milk" is, but it certainly can't be a lot.

Blend and serve right away.

I've seen variations where they added a small scoop of expresso powder, or instant coffee.

This can be done with birthday cake and vanilla ice cream.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Saturday 27 January 2024

Oven baked Shotgun Shells


Tonya found a recipe for these shotgun shells on Facebook.  She made them and I got to test them.  They are very yummy.

Ingredients

24 manicotti pasta shells 
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 lb. spicy Italian sausage (remove casings)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup BBQ Rub
1 cup shredded Cheddar
24 slices bacon (not thick cut)
1 ½ cups BBQ sauce, plus more if desired

Stuff you will need

Cookie sheet lined with tin foil
Greased rack
Mixing bowl
BBQ Brush
PATIENCE

Directions

Combine hamburger, Italian sausage, onion, BBQ Rub and cheese, in a bowl. Mix until well combined.  

With plenty of patience, gently insert the meat mixture into the manicotti shells.  Wrap each shell with one slice of bacon.

Place shells on a lightly greased rack set inside a baking sheet and sprinkle each shell with more of the BBQ Rub.

Set the shells in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or overnight.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes.

Brush each shell with barbecue sauce.

Return to the oven and bake until deep golden brown and the bacon is slightly crispy, 10 to 15 minutes more.  

Flip and brush with any more BBQ sauce and cook 5 more minutes. 

Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

When Tonya made this, she only got 12 shells, and she used the left over meat mixture to make some meatballs in spaghetti sauce.



Comments and suggestions ALWAYS appreciated.

Thursday 18 January 2024

Deluxe Sheppard's Pie


There are some days, I just watch cooking videos.  I seen this video by Brian Lagerstrom.  I was intrigued at how this came together and thought to myself, if ever I make this again, I'm going to circle back on it.  

Sheppard's Pie was something that we had often while I was in the Navy.  Mum would make this at home.  This is one of those comfort food items that relatively easy to make.  Only this time, I took it to the next level.

Tonya was really glad that I did.

Ingredients

About 8 peeled and chopped, russet potatoes 
2 medium onions, chopped
3-4 ribs celery, medium diced
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 
3 Tbsp olive oil 
3lbs/1.5kg ground lamb (Sub ground beef)
salt
1 cup dry red wine (Sub 1:1 red wine vinegar and water)
3 Tbsp tomato paste (Sub ketchup)
3 Tbsp beef paste (Sub beef bouillon)
3 Tbsp  worcestershire 
1 tsp black pepper 
2 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup parsley
1 1/2 cups  frozen peas and carrots
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup heavy cream (Sub whipping cream)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated parmesan
3 egg yolks 

Stuff you will need

Large pot to boil potatoes
Colander
Potato ricer (Sub potato masher)
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Dutch Oven
Various mixing bowls and mixing spoons
Baking dish 9 x 12 inches
Cookie sheet lined with tin foil

Directions

Add potatoes to a stock pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife doesn’t meet resistance when inserted. Drain and pass through a potato ricer. 

Stir in melted butter, cream, sour cream, parmesan cheese, and two very large pinches of salt. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Stir in egg yolks. 

Cut the veggies, put them in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a Dutch Oven over medium heat. When hot, add olive oil and ground lamb and break apart while cooking. It should take about 5 minutes for the water to cook off then 5-10 more minutes to brown meat. 

When meat has begun to take on color and brown fond is forming in the bottom of the pot, add veggies and 1 Tbsp of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 3-4 more min until veg has begun to soften. Add wine to deglaze pot, scraping up fond on the bottom.

Stir in tomato paste, bouillon, worcestershire, and black pepper. Once wine is mostly reduced, stir in thyme and flour. Cook until bottom of the pot glazes up with fond again, then add stock. Bring to a simmer then cover and lower heat to medium low to simmer until sauce is reduced by half and veggies are tender, about 10 min. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if needed. 

Off heat, stir in parsley, peas and carrots. 

Scoop filling into a 9” x 13” (23cm x 33cm) baking dish. Press into dish and smooth to create an even layer. Spoon mashed potato mixture over the top and spread into even layer. Use a fork to “rough up” the top of the potatoes. You’re creating texture that can get crisp here.

Place baking dish on a sheet tray and bake in a preheated 425F/220C oven for 30 minutes.

Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

In this recipe, you will notice "Sub" in a lot of places.  I used the substituted items as I don't always have access to some of the items in the original recipe.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.