EuroFoodie

Chicken soup is really the cure for what ails you and in case you hadn’t noticed, I do like me some chicken. Its generally the only meat in our house (with the exception of ground turkey. Thats healthy of you, you say, but in reality, its cheaper, and I know my husband will eat it whereas beef and pork are iffy with him. He rarely likes ham, pork chops, steak, or any of the other man meats. He doesn’t even eat bone in chicken so you can imagine the challenge I face in grocery shopping with him. Me: Try it you might like it. Him: (little kid squeal) NO! I don’t like it! Now he’s not always like this, but he knows what he likes and getting him to try something he’s not sure of is often more trouble than its worth. So thats why you’ll see so many chicken recipes from me.

Now for the matter at hand. I like home made noodles in my chicken soup and its just about the only way picky (my husband) will eat it. Like I said, he knows what he likes. So after you get the soup on, I’ll give you the recipe for those and some basic instructions.

Chicken soup

• 2-3 chicken breasts, boned and skinned
• 2-3 carrots, peeled, and cut into coins
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 med onion chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth (homemade or otherwise)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, but great if you’ve got a cold for clearing out your sinuses)
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp or 1 cube chicken bullion
• Salt and pepper to taste

Okay so put the chicken in a large stock pot along with the bullion and about a 1/2 cup of water, cover it, and cook on med high till its done all the way through. Remove from the pan, add the veggies, chicken broth, and seasonings. Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and dump it back in the pot. Cover the pot again and let it cook over a medium low temp. In the meantime get ready to make those noodles if you’re ambitious. They’re better than store bought any day.

For this recipe you’ll make just a small batch of noodles, but they’re also great in larger numbers for making spaghetti or fettucine alfredo because they really grab the sauce.

Noodles

• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour

Yeah its really that easy. More noodles? the ratio is the same. 1 egg for each cup of flour.

So put the flour in a medium mixing bowl, make a little hollow well in the center and crack the egg in. Mix with a fork going in circles to gently pull the flour into the egg. I usually get frustrated half way through and just dig in and mix it all by hand, but try to get as much flour mixed with the egg before your resort to this. Once you’ve got as much of the flour mixed into the egg as is going to combine, knead the dough a few times and flip the bowl over onto your working surface. (I use parchment paper because it holds up a bit better than wax paper and makes clean up easier) Let the dough rest for about 20 minutes. Trust me on this and don’t skip it. I mean it! Anyway once its done with its nap haul out your rolling pin. If you’re really lucky you might have a pasta machine to roll this stuff out, but if you do then you probably don’t need my help from here and altho I do have one, I’m going to tell you how to do this without one.

Divide your dough in half to make it slightly more manageable. Roll it as thin as you can get it (I usually can get about 1/4 of an inch before I start swearing at it) and cut it into strips. Set these aside flat because if you ball them up then you will have noodle balls in your soup- they stick really easily. Repeat with the rest of the dough and again- you probably don’t want dough balls or you wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of rolling it out so make sure the noodles are laid out flat.

Return to your soup and raise the temp so its got a nice rolling boil going for it. Add the noodles a few at a time and watch as they fill the pan quickly. They cook quick because they’re fresh- about 3 minutes is all it takes. Once you’ve added all the noodles and they’re all floaty you’re ready to eat.

I serve this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches for a really nice hearty lunch or dinner that the guys can’t complain about, but I also eat it myself as is because by the time you wade through all those noodles and veggies you’re going to have plenty to eat. As weird as this may sound, I often add a bit of cottage cheese to my individual serving as a way to cool it down more quickly but also to add a little bit of creaminess. No one else around here will try it, but for my brothers and I its how we grew up eating soup so I thought I’d throw that out there.

Happy eating guys

The title for those of you who don’t know, is a reference the the popular movie, “Napoleon Dynamite” and if you haven’t seen it…. well its ok. Today’s recipe is all about quick easy throw it together in the microwave food for teens, dorms, or just a late night snack or it can be made a bit more traditionally on the stove. Either way, its a nice no brainer faux mexican meal.

• Chicken- I prefer a store bought rotisserie already cooked, but if you’re making this at home and have some boneless skinless chicken breasts hanging round, those will work in a pinch too.
• 1-2 cans of pinto beans drained and rinsed with a very small amount of the liquid reserved
• cheese
• topping suggestions- fresh (or canned) mushrooms, salsa, sour cream or plain yoghurt, black olives, tomatoes, fresh or canned jalapenos, diced onions, etc. The sky or your budget is the limit.
• Burrito size (10 inch) tortillas

First off, if you’re cooking your chicken, get that going. I like to cook mine under the broiler for about 20 minutes, or till done flipping it half way through, but cook it however you want and set aside to cool. If you’re using the rotisserie chicken, don’t worry about it yet. Take your cans of drained pinto beans and the liquid (I reserved about 2 tbsp from one can) and put them in a shallow bowl big enough to hold them. Take a potato masher and squish them all up to a paste like consistency- see where we’re going with this yet? Once they’re pretty well mashed, put them in a non stick pan with about 1/4 cup of that salsa and cook them on medium heat. Stir them fairly regularly to prevent them from sticking and burning. Meanwhile, head back to that chicken. You’re going to tear it apart into shreds to make for less surface area when cooking the quesadillas. Once thats done, remove the refried beans (cuz thats what they are now) from the heat and let them cool. They should be a little crusty but not rock solid. Take a tortilla and do one of two things. If you’re microwaving it, put it on a plate, cover  half of it with desired toppings, (minus sour cream/yoghurt) and cheese and toss it in the microwave till the cheese is good and melted. When its done, fold it in half and voila, you’re ready to chow down. If you’re going the stove route, melt a bit of butter in a 10″ skillet and put a tortilla in, top half of it your choice of toppings, without the sour cream or yoghurt of course, and cook till the cheese starts to melt. Flip it over and let it brown a bit on the other side and serve.

The microwave version of this meal kept me fed in my dorm in college when I worked late at a 24 hour Wal Mart. It was cheap and delicious and made me very popular with the other kids on my floor. As always you can view this recipe and others over at my home blog, www.recipesfromhelle.wordpress.com.

So I’m sitting here struggling to come up with something edible for you guys, but I am half wondering if I’ve used all my good recipes already. If so, I’m ashamed. If not, why can’t I think of any? Well my first thought is, I do my best cooking in the winter when its enjoyable to have the house all warm and cozy from the oven going full blast. In the summer when we hit the 100’s for real feel temps, its awfully hard to convince myself to get cooking. I look at the fridge and say to myself, whats the easiest coolest thing to make and go from there. Well today, I’m going to share a recipe that is more of a “Oh shoot we haven’t gone grocery shopping in 3 weeks” emergency meal than a fancy pants eat. However it still kicks butt and always gets rave reviews around this household. Oh and I must give credit where its due- this recipe is from my stepmom who discovered when she was young after not having a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. (I think thats how the story goes)

Mashed Potato Surprise

• 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• instant mashed potatoes big box
• sour cream
• 2 cans mixed vegetables
• 1 can green beans
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• worcestershire sauce
• fried onions

Okay so here goes. Take the chicken (thawed preferably) and throw it under the broiler checking it at regular intervals (don’t burn it like I did the other day) and let it cook till the center is done. I love doing chicken this way because it keeps it soft and moist instead of crispy and dry. (even when you burn it) While thats cooking get your big box of mashed potatoes and make enough for the 12 servings (this will feed a crowd of 4 or 5 hungry men, if you want less, make less potatoes and use only one can of veggies). Cook the potatoes according to the box, but add in the parmesan cheese while the water is boiling. Once you’ve got the potatoes and chicken cooked, its simple from there. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and add the chicken, vegetables, green beans, about 1/2 cup of sour cream, and about 4 or 5 tbsps worcestershire sauce and mix them all in. Top this with the fried onions like you would green bean casserole and serve with shredded cheese. Its easy and good, the picky ones enjoy the veggies, and leftovers are good too. A quick note about seasoning. I use about 1 tsp salt and then add a good measure of onion powder to the mix, but you can season however you choose. I also cut up a crookneck squash, sauteed it in a little smart balance, and added it as well- good way to get some fresh veggies in the mix in a hurry. Bon Apetit!

I want to thank the folks here at EuroFoodie for inviting me to post. My name is Alan Beggerow, and I am a retired steelworker that loves good music, good books, and GOOD FOOD! I like all kinds of food, but my favorites are Chinese and Italian cuisine. So for my first post here at EuroFoodie, I’m offering a short primer on how to use a wok. I will post recipes for some of my favorite Chinese and oriental dishes in the future. My wife Cathleen and I also have a website called Cathleen’s Bargain Basement. Come visit us for a selection of jewelry, home decor, Asian decor, custom made apparel and teddy bears by Cathleen, recipes and cooking utensils, and some stuff just for fun!

Wok Cooking 101

There is no end to the versatility and flavor that can be achieved by cooking in a wok. It’s not only used for stir-frying, but for deep frying, steaming, making soup, or for even making popcorn. Less oil is needed to cook food in a wok when stir-frying, thus helping to reduce fat and calories. Vegetables cook up beautifully, warmed all the way through but still with a fresh ‘crunch’. And meat is used more as a flavoring than a main ingredient. Diced into small cubes, four ounces of meat can flavor a wok-full of vegetables, thus reducing meat consumption. And of course you need not add meat at all if you don’t want to. There are a few basic things about the wok that are different than traditional western cooking utensils:

• Remember this rule of thumb - Hot wok plus cold oil equals foods don’t stick. That means get your wok really hot BEFORE you put in the oil. Let the oil get hot for a minute or two, THEN put in the food.
• Stir-frying in a wok takes less time than in regular pans. That’s the whole point. Cook the food as fast as possible. This will ensure that meat has a crusty exterior but is still moist and tender on the inside and vegetables will be warmed all the way through but still have some ‘bite’.
• Use peanut oil (unless you’re allergic to peanuts!) The wok can get very hot, even on a home stove top. Regular cooking oils have a low smoking temperature while peanut oil’s smoking temperature is over 500 degrees.
• I’ve actually used a wok the way it’s done in most oriental restaurant kitchens, over an intense gas burner. An entire stir-fry dish can be cooked in 3 minutes! That’s how hot the fire is. Most kitchens don’t have a heat source like that, but you can come close if you’ve got a gas stove. Lots of luck for an electric stove top, or worse yet an electric wok. You can still cook on them, but it’s not quite the same.
• NEVER cook with a wok that does not have a lid. A lid is essential for cooking, plus is a safety feature, as cooking temperatures can get really hot even on a home range, and cooking oils can on occasion burst into flame. Slapping on the lid takes care of that problem in a hurry, especially if you’re using the wok for deep-frying.
• For wok cooking on a regular stove top, cook the food in stages. Cook the meat first, then remove, let wok heat up again, then put in vegetables. Cook vegetables for a few minutes, add meat and put on the lid for the last minute. This will steam the food and help ensure doneness.
• When the dish is cooked, serve immediately or make a sauce by dissolving one tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/2-cup water (meat or vegetable broth or stock is even better) and adding to the food. Let this cook until the sauce is thickened, then serve.
• You’ll spend more time in preparation than actual cooking. Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces at an angle to increase the surface area of the vegetable to the wok.

Making The Filling:

1 and 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Blend ricotta cheese, and powdered sugar together, then press it through a strainer into a bowl, –a little pointless, but sure, why not? Next, stir the cinnamon and cocoa powder in thoroughly.

Making The Omelets:

8 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tblsp. Vegetable oil

Not everyone is proficient at making omelets. I count myself lucky if they don’t fall apart entirely. This is definitely the most fail-safe way to do it, because you don’t have to add anything while it’s in the pan. Mix together all the ingredients, thoroughly in a bowl. Just pour in the oil, let it heat, then pour enough to make a thin layer of the egg mix in the bottom of the pan. Swirl a little to circulate the hot oil, and when one side is done, flip it over. Lay the omelet aside on a plate covered in paper towels, and then repeat with the rest.

Making The Topping:

2 tsp. powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Not very complex; mix cinnamon and sugar. Done. Place two tablespoons of the filling on each omelet, roll it up, then sprinkle each with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Yum! Done, whether it’s breakfast, or dessert.

I had planned on using this recipe for my next post and when I realized that it would be on topic, I thought it would be particularly appropriate. I adapted it from a wonderful cookbook called Mangiamo that I really love and recommend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The sauce is the first part and it takes a while to prepare, but once its cooking you can basicly ignore it aside from an occasional stir.

• 1 lb ground beef, turkey or sausage
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 cups celery chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 medium zucchinis grated
• 1 cup carrots sliced into coins
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 14 oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup Chablis
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat in olive oil and butter. Add celery, onions, carrots, zucchini, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, and whine… err wine. Cook for 3 hours over low heat stirring occasionally. Like I said its lengthy, not difficult.

For the Lasagna you’ll need

• 1 box of (12) no boil lasagna noodles
• 3 cups of cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the eggs and cottage cheese in a bowl. Layer three noodles in a 9×13 pan followed by sauce, another layer of noodles, a layer of the cottage cheese mix, one final layer of sauce and the last three noodles. Top this all off with the mozzarella cheese and cover the pan with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered, remove the foil, and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes til golden and bubbly. Let this rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into it. Then, Mange!

I often substitute colby jack for the mozzarella and its still wonderful. This makes about 12 servings, but in my house they go fast and even the veggie haters love it.

Check below to discover some of the tasty Italian classics, and hey, maybe you’ll find something new to bring to your own dinner table in the process. Or, something to order on your Italian vacation.

Antipasti

Antipasti is basically a word referring to “appetizers”; although, contrary to popular belief, it is not the word for one single dish. For antipasti there’s crostini, which is especially popular, and a traditional dish from Tuscany, –basically just Italian bread, severed sliced with a pate spread. Bruschetta is my particular favorite; just toasted italian bread served with olive oil and herbs.

Minestre e Zuppe

Or better known as soup! I absolutely love egg drop soup, which is traditionally something ordered from your favorite Chinese place, –but there is actually a Roman version called Stracciatella that’s definitely worth trying. Minestrone is a veggy, and bean mixture with pasta in broth that’s also a traditional peasant favorite.

Pasta

Mmmm, whether it’s stuffed with cheese, put in a soup, or covered in creamy, or marinara sauce, it’s still going to be one of the best loved and most traditional of all Italian dishes. There’s spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, lasagne, macaroni, cannelloni, manicotti, ravioli, tortellini, stuffed with cheese, veggies, mushrooms, meat!

Italian Veggies

For those who would rather forego the heavy carbs in pasta, first of all, you’re crazy! But that’s okay, because Italian food is for everyone, and there are some absolutely delicious semi-vegetarian dishes that are prepared without meat or pasta. For example, asparagus parmigiana, eggplant parmesan, Italian baked beans, mozzarella and tomato salad, stewed bell peppers, –which are delicious whether on their own, or added to a marinara sauce.