Blog Archives
Fried Wontons
I’ve done these before, doing them again. They are tasty. The crab Rangoon is just cream cheese and a can of crab meat mixed up and fried inside a wonton wrapper. You can add more stuff to the filling, chop some green onion, add some garlic. Knock yourself out. Spent a bit more time on the sausage stuffing. Went to the fridge to get the package of pork sausage and found…Italian sausage. Not a problem. Used it anyway and it was fine. Added some shredded cabbage, some match sticked carrots, a bit of green onion, a bit of red onion, a few tablespoons of minced garlic, some ginger root paste, a splash of fish sauce, a dab of hoisin sauce, a bit of soy sauce…well, you get the picture. Never the same twice around here. Abandon all recipes, Ye who enter here. LOL
As usual, Mrs J did the wrapping and I stood over the hot oil. I use a mid sized sauce pot for the oil, and keep a thermometer in it just to keep everything going nicely. I find a temp between 350 and 400 works, much above that and the wonton skins want to burn, less than 350 takes a little too long. I plop them in as soon as they are made and am able to keep up pretty well. The finished wontons are placed into a warm oven on paper towels until we have enough to make a meal.
Enjoy!
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Thursday Night Menu: Comfort Food-Italian Style
It’s cold and snowy. Again. Winter is dragging on too long, in my opinion. I decided I needed comfort food, and by comfort food, I mean I needed something only my mom makes. So I called my mom and asked her for her Chicken Cacciatore recipe, one of my favorite childhood dinners (what can I say, I’m half Italian – and don’t tell child services, but it was served with a nice wine for everyone, including the kids). Cacciatore is guaranteed to chase away the deepest winter blues.
On the board tonight:
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Angel Hair Pasta
- Oregano-Parmesan Zucchini
- Baguette
- Gelato
Chicken Cacciatore
Sauce:
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 45 oz tomato sauce
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp oregano, crushed
- 2 tsp basil, crushed
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper (opt)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
- fresh ground pepper
large saucepan or dutch oven
Heat oil in saucepan and sauté onion and green pepper until soft, add garlic and heat for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a low boil and reduce heat to low, cover and stir occasionally.
Chicken:
- 1 cup flour or Italian bread crumbs
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 frying chicken, cut up*
- oil for frying
large bowl and skillet
Mix together dry ingredients in bowl. Wash and lightly pat dry chicken pieces, don’t dry completely. I removed the skin because in this recipe it adds nothing to the flavor or texture of the dish. Dredge each piece in flour or breadcrumbs, coating thoroughly. Heat oil in skillet and fry each chicken piece until browned on all sides. Remove from skillet and place in sauce. Raise heat under the sauce to medium, cover and let chicken finish cooking, about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with angel hair or favorite pasta and garnish with parmesan. And lots of napkins.
*The key to this dish is to use small, bone-in chicken pieces. Whichever are your favorites. Enough to feed 6 easily. Which is why I use a cut-up fryer, the pieces are generally smaller. If you use large breasts, cut them in half. They cook quicker at this size and don’t become rubbery, which can happen with larger pieces.
Oregano-Parmesan Zucchini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced
- ½ onion, diced
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
skillet
Heat oil in skillet; add zucchini, onions and garlic. Sauté until zucchini is tender and onions are golden. Add oregano, Parmesan, salt & pepper and toss well.
Gelato: I went with Double Chocolate – Chocolate Chip and garnished with chopped almonds.
Shopping List:
- 1 medium onion
- 1 green pepper
- 1 carrot
- 3 medium zucchini
- 3-15 oz tomato sauce (or equivalent)
- 2-6 oz tomato paste (or equivalent)
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cut-up frying chicken
- 4 oz Parmesan
- 16 oz angel hair pasta (or equivalent)
- 1 baguette (try an herbed one if possible)
- ½ gallon Gelato
Also: flour or Italian breadcrumbs, olive oil, oregano, basil, garlic powder, crushed garlic, salt and pepper
Spinach Lasagna
By request here is my spinach lasagna, minus the homemade pasta. When I do make the pasta, I make three, pan-sized noodles, rolled very, very thin. I place them uncooked in the dish, so they absorbed much of the sauce. I usually make a bit extra sauce to serve with it.
But here is a traditional spinach lasagna with packaged pasta. I had to do it from memory, because I cannot find my recipe anywhere. It’s probably tucked inside a cookbook somewhere. This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8. It was always a treat at our house when mom decided to make it.
Spinach Lasagna
Sauce:
- 3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2-6 oz cans tomato paste
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp oregano, crushed
- 2 tsp basil, crushed
- 2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
- pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
- Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned
Saucepan
Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Lasagna:
- 1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz package frozen spinach, thawed or 8 oz fresh, washed and dried
- 1 egg
- 12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled
To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it). Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.
Thanksgiving Table: Squash Soup
Need to keep everyone out of the kitchen while you finish up dinner prep? Set up a buffet table with a raw vegetable tray and dip, a bowl of nuts (in their shells) along with a couple of nutcrackers and this soup in a slowcooker to keep it warm and that should keep your guests occupied while you cook.
Winter Squash Soup
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3-1/4 pounds butternut or acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large pieces
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, quartered
- 1 celery stalk, quartered
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth*
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
=====
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Chopped chives (for garnish)
Large sauce pan
Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squash, onions, carrot, celery and garlic; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, apple juice, thyme and sage. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from stove. Puree the vegetables until smooth with a hand blender or in batches in the food processor or blender. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if desired.
***Soup can be made to this point 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.***
Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer. Add the sherry and simmer about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, sour cream and nutmeg until well combined. Place soup into large soup tureen and garnish with chives. Place on appetizer table with small bowls & spoons and let everyone help themselves.
*or substitute 4 cups water and 4 tsp (4 cubes) chicken bouillon.
Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce
After a trip to the farmer’s market it’s time to make a nice, fresh pasta sauce for Sunday dinner. I’m using fresh pasta, plain, not flavored pasta, since there are so many flavors in the sauce. I prefer linguine to spaghetti or fettuccine, but whatever works best for you is perfect.
Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic (start with one, add more as desired)
- 4-6 medium to large tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped – more as desired
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves (I like a cute little leaf called ‘pizza oregano’), torn or chopped – more as desired
- 1 carrot, finely shredded
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes if you desire some heat
saucepan & pasta serving bowl
Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and garlic; saute on medium heat until onions are transluscent (don’t carmelize onions or scortch garlic). Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, starting at medium heat and lowering to simmer when it gently bubbles. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Add pasta and sauce to pasta bowl and serve with grated parmesan, steamed zucchini and a nice crusty loaf of bread. I know it’s popular to serve bread with dipping oil, but I still prefer garlic butter.
Serves 4 generously.
TaMara
jeffreyww
LFern7
indylib
