Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

When I was growing up and ever since, toward the end of August there is always one day when I can distinctly sense the coming of Fall, even though it is still Summer.

It may be a change in the slant of the light that alerts me, or a faint smell of decomposing leaves that have died prematurely; sometimes it's been a fresh wind with a whisper of change on its breath, after a hurricane has grazed the Mid-Atlantic and cleaned the air of the long, hot days of the Summer.

But I always realize two things on that day: that the turning of Nature's seasons is perfect, each one coming along right when we're a little weary of the last, and ready for it; and that despite overt appearances, Summer is over. The hummingbirds are preparing to fly and aren't seen at the feeder very much anymore; the undergrowth in my little patch of woods is thinning and shabby; the days are noticeably shorter. I start looking forward to pumpkins, sweaters, fires in the grate - and comfort food.

I work with a bunch of folks who really like their Soul- and Comfort-food; and whenever we have a cold-weather party they want me to bring either Chicken Pie, or Chicken and Dumplings.

I think I've posted about my Granny's Chicken Pie before, and here it is:

Granny’s Chicken Pie

(Use approximately 3-1/2 lbs. chicken parts, thighs and breasts, or whatever you prefer; I personally like mostly dark meat - more flavorful.)

Cover chicken in water (about 12 cups) in a large stock pot and stew until tender. Remove chicken meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the broth down to about 4 cups. Skim fat from broth and strain the broth. (Save schmaltz and freeze it, for use in Chicken Dumplings :-)

While chicken is stewing, make the crust:

(The secret to this is keeping flour and butter very cold, while you work with it):

Mix together:

2 Cups Flour

½ tsp. Cream of Tartar, opt. (I never use this)

½ tsp. Salt

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

Dice ½ cup (1 stick) COLD butter into small pieces. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into the flour mixture.

(Pie crust can also be mixed in a food processor, but the old way gives a nicer crust; we never use the food processor; this is Hubby’s job, while he’s watching TV.)

Quickly stir 2/3 Cup COLD milk into flour and mix until all flour is moistened. Knead lightly into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Make the Sauce:

Reduce stock to to 3 or 3-1/2 Cups.

Melt in saucepan: 8 tablespoons Butter and stir in 8 tablespoons all purpose flour.

Cook 2 minutes, then slowly add stock, stirring constantly.

Add 1 to 1-1/2 C. Heavy Cream, ½ tsp. black pepper, and salt to taste.

Cook 5 minutes until thickened.

Mix chicken with Sauce; add 1 to 2 cups thawed frozen peas or peas/carrots mix, and ½ medium onion diced VERY finely . Pour mixture into greased oblong pan (metal is best).

Roll out crust between two layers of wax paper, peel off the paper and place the crust over chicken (Doesn’t have to fit perfectly; this is a rustic pie; make sure some edges fall down into that fatty sauce, and get very crisp!)

Bake at 400 or 425 degrees until Bubbly and Golden – 20 to 30 minutes. (Watch that the crust doesn’t burn.)

Sometimes, you have to regulate for the liquidity you want in the sauce. Experiment!

********************************************************

The Chicken and Dumpling recipe that we use comes from America's Test Kitchen. It takes a lot of time, and I know there are simpler, quicker ones, but it has always turned out so well that I haven't yet tried another recipe. (The original recipe calls for 1/4 C. dry sherry in the sauce, but I usually don't have that on hand, and leave it out. Also, whenever you stew a carcass for chicken stock - or, if you make the Chicken Pie above - save and freeze the chicken fat, so you always have enough for these dumplings. It makes them so much better than butter does.)

Chicken and Dumplings

5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Table salt and ground black pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil (we use olive or light olive oil)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

4 carrots , peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 ribs celery , sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 large onion , minced

6 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup dry sherry

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

1 cup frozen green peas

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Dumplings

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

1 cup whole milk

3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat (or unsalted butter)

1. For the Stew: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove the browned skin. Pour off the chicken fat and reserve. Return the pot to medium-high heat and repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining chicken. Pour off and reserve any chicken fat.

2. Add the butter to the Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour. Whisk in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the broth, milk, thyme, and bay leaves. Nestle the chicken, with any accumulated juices, into the pot. Cover and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones, then return it to the stew.

4. For the Dumplings: Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Microwave the milk and fat in a microwave-safe bowl on high until just warm (do not over-heat), about 1 minute. Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth.

5. Return the stew to a simmer, stir in the peas and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Following the photos below, drop golf-ball-sized dumplings over the top of the stew, about 1/4 inch apart (you should have about 18 dumplings). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve.

(To do this ahead for a potluck, I take the dumplings out after cooking and put them in a container; and transfer the stew to a large crockpot. When I'm ready to heat it, I get the crockpot warmed up on-site, and add the dumplings back in to heat through.)

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

Try making cornbread in a iron skillet! You get a wonderful crust on the bottom plus you get a feel of how our ancestors cooked - just a bit, of course, but it is fun.

[MomwithHope]

Been there, done that.

We like homemade chilis, soups and stews here, usually in the crock pot. Hubby's favorite is 15 bean soup with smoked ham hock. We get them from the local meat market that smokes their own.

[Hoffer Rand]

You can get both the cookbooks for under $20 each on Amazon. Great price, considering the huge size of the cookbooks. They have all the recipes for all 14 seasons of the shows, plus all the gadget information.

[Liz]

You want comfort food? Try this easy and soul-satisfying
morel omelet. A bit extravagant and expensive but you
deserve it. You must use fresh morels in season....the
luscious mushrooms have an earthy fragrance and dense,
lacy texture. Not quite truffles, but close enough.

MOREL OMELET

PREP Sauté/sweat bit minced onion, now add minced gar/cl,
4 rough-chp morels. When aromatic, remove off-heat.

OMELET Beat four eggs well (French add few drops of
water). Pour into melted Normandy butter. Move spatula
gently around edge of omelet, allow uncooked egg to
flow underneath.

When coagulated, add morel/ onion/garlic on one side
and 2 slices Havarti cheese on the other; cover briefly
on reduced heat--til cheese is melted--eggs are set,
then slide spatula underneath cheese part and quickly
flip it over. Slide onto plate. S/p.

SERVE garnished with oregano sprigs, garlic chive blossoms.

SERVE w/ a hearty red wine and toasted crostini.

[Jamestown1630]

I’m sorry about your mother, Miss M.

Your recipe does sound like Comfort food!

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

You’re welcome. I posted another one previously with sausage, spinach and Great Northern beans:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3294473/posts?page=12

-JT

[txhurl]

Here’s an exercise! Found a recipe for 32 crab hushpuppies on pinterest but the recipe doesn’t give quantities!

Crab Cake Hush Puppies
Makes 32
MyRecipes.com
Seafood

1 Lump crabmeat, fresh
Produce

1 Green onions
1 Red bell pepper
Refrigerated

1 Egg, large
Baking & Spices

1 Salt
1 Self-rising flour
1 Self-rising white cornmeal mix
1 Sugar
Oils & Vinegars

1 Vegetable oil
Beer, Wine & Liquor

1 Beer
Richard Moore

See if you can correctly infer the *quantities* required for each ingredient!

[txhurl]

To test your intuition, here is the correctly HTML'd recipe at Southern Living:

http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/crab-cake-hush-puppies?iid=news-di-091815

[miss marmelstein]

Not much of a recipe, actually, but on a cold, dark evening it hits the spot!

[Jamestown1630]

I was trying to figure out if a ‘Richard Moore’ was a brand of beer ;-)

[Jamestown1630]

Your post gave me an idea: can you bake bread in a crockpot?

Apparently, you can:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-bread-in-the-slow-cooker-192421

I need to experiment with this :-)

-JT

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

I’ve made chicken and dumplings in the crockpot. The problem is getting it hot enough to cook the dumplings. Trick I’ve been using is cover the lid on the crockpot with a couple of dish towels to hold the heat in. They have come out pretty good.

[Stand Watch Listen]

Paula Deen’s Cornbread Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 batch cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes, recipe follows
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• 1 (8-ounce) bottle ranch dressing • Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
• Cornbread:
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 1/4 cup for greasing pan
• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup cream-style corn
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Directions

In the bottom of a large glass bowl, place cornbread cubes. Layer beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and cheese on top of cornbread. Spread ranch dressing evenly over cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Cornbread:
-- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
-- Generously season a cast iron skillet with up to 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Preheat the pan either in the oven or on the stove over medium-high heat.
-- Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Pour batter into the preheated cast iron skillet. Place skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. If making individual size cornbreads in smaller pans, they will require a shorter cooking time.
Yield: 8 servings
VIDEO -- How to make Paula Deen’s Cornbread Salad

[Liz]

Look delish-——and the dips——great recipe.

[Liz]

.....toward the end of August there is always one day when I can distinctly sense the coming of Fall, even though it is still Summer. It may be a change in the slant of the light that alerts me, or a faint smell of decomposing leaves that have died prematurely; sometimes it's been a fresh wind with a whisper of change on its breath, after a hurricane has grazed the Mid-Atlantic and cleaned the air of the long, hot days of the Summer.......

Beautifully said.....and so evocative....

[Liz]

The quintessential fall beverage. Adjust ing to taste.
Starbucks classic easily made at home--much cheaper.

PUMPKIN FRAPPUCCINO

Blender smooth cup cold leftover coffee, 1/2 c 2% milk,
8-10 ice cubes, 4-5 tbl canned pumpkin, fave sweetener,
bit pumpkin pie spice.

SERVE in tall glass. Top with whipt cream, cinnamon sprinkle.

[CottonBall]

thank you SWL! That sounds a lot like the best version I’ve had here - it was full of veggies and flavor.

[Stand Watch Listen]

Autumn is my favorite season for so many reasons. Yet through the beauty, thoughts of upcoming November come to mind (and this poem).

"NOVEMBER"
.....................by Thomas Hood

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--

No road--no street--
No "t'other side the way"--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go—

No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!

No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No park--no ring--no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

[Liz]

Didn’t think JT’s cooking thread could get any better...til your poem.

[leaning conservative]

Thank you for the suggestion! I have always wanted to do that, but never got around to it. It sound delicious.