Chicken Pot Pie-2

Recipe number two for chicken pot pie. I liked it better than the first recipe. I roasted the chicken with the Roast Chicken with Herbs recipe and saved the drippings. The topping for the pie was gluten-free. I got that recipe from Silvanas Kitchen. Here is my best guess as to how I made the filling.

1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 C frozen peas
Other veggies
2 C cooked chicken, cut into small cubes

Saute onions, celery, and carrots till the onion is slightly transparent. Add chopped mushrooms and saute just a bit. Then add frozen peas and any other vegies you want. I added some left over roasted potatoes cut into cubes. Then add your cooked chicken. Pour this into a baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

1/4 C chicken drippings (from your roasted chicken) or butter or oil
1/4 C GF flour mix
3 T corn starch
3 C vegetable stock

Mix the flours and fat together over medium heat till smooth. Then add the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer till thickened. Add to the vege mixture.

GF Crust for topping

1¾ cups (245g) Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (117g) butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg (58g), lightly beaten, plus 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

In a food processor, combine the flour blend, salt and butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the beaten egg; pulse until the dough almost forms a ball. Remove the dough and gather it into a ball.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on a clean surface. Lightly dust with flour blend and place the dough on top, sprinkle with more flour and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a shape that will cover your baking dish. Remove the plastic wrap on top of the dough. Flip the dough on top of the pie filling and remove the plastic wrap. Trim any excess dough, crimp crust edges together. Brush the dough with the egg wash and make 3 slits on top. Place on a baking sheet (to catch any drips); bake until golden, about 1 hour.

**I forgot to take a photo before we dove in. This is my favorite chicken pot pie so far.

Pressure cooker chicken soup

Last week I happened to catch a part of Dr Oz. He was exploring health myths. One of them had to do with the efficacy of using chicken soup during a cold. His conclusion? Not a myth- chicken soup really does help. Last week, I caught a cold from my daughter. Ugh. So out came the chicken from the freezer (they were on sale at Whole Foods the week prior- so I bought two) and down came the pressure cooker... I pulled this recipe from the internet- the Boston.com site. I have adapted it below.


Pressure-cooker chicken soup
Serves 6
6 carrots (leave whole)
2 medium onions, chopped
6 stalks fresh parsley 
3 celery stalks- top with the greens
1 bay leaf
4 peppercorns
1 chicken (3 1/2 pounds), cut in half (you could do quarters if it fits better in your pressure cooker)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
12 cups water (or as much as you can safely put into your pressure cooker)


1. In a pressure cooker, lay the carrots, onions, parsnip, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns in the bottom. Add the chicken pieces with the neck and gizzard, extra breasts, and salt. Pour in the water.
2. Lock the lid and set over high heat to bring the pressure up. Adjust the heat to maintain medium pressure and cook for 15 minutes exactly. (Important: do not leave the kitchen while the pressure cooker is on; modern cookers are perfectly safe, but you still need to babysit.)
3. Let the pressure cooker sit for 5 minutes. Carefully carry the cooker to the sink and run very cold water onto the top to bring the pressure down. You'll hear the valve make a big sigh. When it's safe to remove the lid, lift it off.
4. Let the soup cool for 20 minutes. With tongs, transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Put the vegetables into one container, tip the broth into another. Discard the parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Let everything cool.
5. Refrigerate the broth. Remove the meat from the chicken bones and transfer the meat to the vegetables. Refrigerate.
6. Remove the fat from the broth. Tip the broth into a soup pot. Add the vegetables and chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Adapted from "The Way We Cook"

**Oops. Forgot to take a photo. Tasted good. I still have the cold. 

Hearty Vegetable Soup

I couldn't resist picking up some chorizo at World Market this weekend. What a perfect way to use it! This soup looked great online at bbcfood and it uses all the right vegetables for the Los Poblanos box this week. It calls for crusty bread- I almost made some GF rosemary bread sticks...
I used 4 small turnips for this dish and fresh tomatoes. The leeks came from my garden as did the thyme. If you don't have an herb garden at your house- I'd recommend you put some flat leaf parsley, thyme, and rosemary into the ground or a container. Staple herbs!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter
• 1 leek, cut into small chunks
• 1 large carrot, cut into small chunks
• ½ large turnip, cut into small chunks
• 1 sweet potato, cut into small chunks
• 1 celery stalk, cut into small chunks
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes (I used fresh romas)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• small bunch thyme, tied together with string (I tied mine with a leek stalk)
• 570ml/1 pint vegetable stock
• 150g/5oz green beans, trimmed (and cut into more bite manageable pieces)
• 1 raw chorizo sausage (about 110g/4oz), cut into small chunks (Optional)
• crusty bread to serve- Optional

Preparation method

1. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the leek, carrot, turnip, sweet potato and celery and fry for 10-12 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften but don't colour.
   
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the cumin, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, thyme, vegetable stock and green beans. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
   
3. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the chorizo for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown.
   
4. Remove the thyme from the soup and stir in the chorizo. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   
5. Ladle the soup into warm soup bowls and serve with crusty bread on the side.
   
   
   
    Starting to simmer
   
   
    **The finished product. I'd say the chorizo is definitely optional with the richness of the broth-so I took it out of the title. Wow! This soup was fantastic.
   
   
   
   

Lentil soup with roasted tomatoes and eggplant

With the weather turning colder today, a soup sounds nice. I pulled the last of my eggplant from the garden and I easily have the three pounds of tomatoes sitting on my counter. We got a nice bunch of kale this week, more than last week, so it will be going into the soup as well. I found this recipe on line at Nourished Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed well
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 lbs heirloom tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 1 lb eggplant, any variety, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons unrefined extra virgin olive oil , plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter/ghee
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 ribs celery, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 quarts roast chicken stock or filtered water
• 1 bunch kale, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1. Pour lentils into a large mixing bowl and cover with hot water by two inches.  Stir in vinegar, cover with a kitchen towel, and allow the lentils to soak for eight to twelve hours.  After they’ve soaked for eight to twelve hours, drain off the water and rinse them well.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Arrange tomatoes and eggplant on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about thirty minutes or until the tomatoes begin to caramelize.
3. Melt ghee in a heavy-bottomed stock pot and stir in onion and celery. Fry the them in ghee until it softens and becomes translucent, six to eight minutes, then stir in mustard, cumin and coriander.
4. Pour chicken stock into the pot over the onions and stir in soaked lentils. Ad the bay leaves. Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about twenty minutes.  Once the lentils are tender, stir in roasted tomatoes and eggplant and continue simmering, covered, for a further twenty to twenty-five minutes.
5. After twenty to twenty-five minutes, turn off the heat, stir in the kale and cover.  Allow the kale to wilt under in the ambient heat of the soup.  Season the soup to taste with unrefined sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and additional olive oil.

YIELD: about 8 servings | TIME: 8 to 12 hours (soaking), 30 minutes (oven), 45 minutes (stovetop)

**This soup is really good! I'll be making it again. Next time, if I don't have eggplant, I'll substitute mushrooms. 

Hearty Green Autumn Bowl

What a great way to eat autumn greens! I used the swiss chard from the harvest box for this dish. I couldn't find dry cannelini beans so I substituted northern whites instead. I didn't build the toast on top, but instead used slices of hearty country bread. You can find the recipe online here. I modified it below.

Serves 4

• 1 bunch Kale (or mix Kale and Swiss Chard) stems removed and leaves shredded
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for bread
• 1 Onion (medium) chopped finely
• 1 Carrot (Medium) chopped finely
• 1 Celery Stick chopped finely
• 1 Clove of Garlic minced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 3 cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (canned is fine but rinse well - 2 cans)
• 1 Lemon, cut in wedges
• 4 Slices Chunky Wholesome Bread 
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes or more if you like
• 2 tablespoons Rosemary finely chopped
• 1 liter Chicken Stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato Medium chopped finely

1. Finely chop onion, carrot and celery and put in a pot with oil and fry over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf and wine. Reduce until no wine is left in the pot. Add Salt, pepper and chili flakes. Now add tomatoes, beans and rosemary. Mix well. Now add stock.
2. Once the stew comes to a gentle boil add the kale and/or Swiss Chard and cook until wilted (about 3-5 minutes) 
3. When ready, serve soup in large bowls and add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

**This picture is from thespicegirl from the food blog Food52. It shows the dish with pine nuts and lemon peel- I didn't do that. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The recipe is delicious.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes

My family isn't wild about sweet potatoes, so when I came across this recipe (with many rave reviews) I thought I'd try it. It comes from the food network and Rachel Ray. To be fair, it calls for making an agrodolce relish, which I didn't make. I had run out of steam at that point.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes with Agrodolce Relish and Arugula

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
• Salt
• 3 (6-ounce) pieces salmon fillet
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, a palmful (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs (recommended: Saltines)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 rounded teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups arugula or baby arugula leaves

Directions

Put the potatoes in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Salt the water and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot and mash.

Meanwhile, put the salmon fillets in a skillet with the wine, bay leaf, and enough water to come up to the top of the fillets, but do not cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and poach until opaque about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skin and transfer the salmon to a bowl. Flake the fish with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the mashed sweet potatoes to the bowl along with the seafood seasoning, half of the cracker crumbs, the egg, thyme, hot sauce, scallions, and dill. Mix to combine. The fishcake mixture needs to be just firm enough to mold into cakes. If its too wet, add a few more crumbs.

Heat 2 skillets, side by side, 1 with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (2 turns of the pan) over medium heat, the other with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (a turn of the pan) over medium-high heat. Form the salmonmixture into 4 (4-inch) patties, coat in the remaining crumbs, and then add them to the first pan. Cook the fishcakes until light golden, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add the red onions, celery, and garlic to the second pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir the vinegar into the sauce, then sprinkle the sugar over top and toss to coat the tomatoes. Andarugula.

Arrange the fish cakes on individual serving plates alongside the arugula. Top with the agrodolce relish and serve.

**I had to make quite a few changes- red onion and chives for the scallions, lemon pepper for the Old Bay, spelt bread crumbs for the saltines, canned salmon for the fresh, and dried dill for the fresh. I'll have to make them again using her recipe with the relish next time!

Roasted sweet garlic, thyme and marscapone risotto with toasted almonds and breadcrumbs

This comes from Jamie Oliver's, The Return of the Naked Chef. I am going to try to do the risotto in my pressure cooker to save time. I've done it once with great results.

serves 6

• 1 x basic risotto recipe
• 2 large heads of garlic, whole and unpeeled
• 1 good handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 155g/5½oz shelled and peeled almonds, lightly crushed, cracked or chopped
• 2 handfuls of coarse fresh breadcrumbs
• olive oil
• 2 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese

Roast the whole garlic heads on a dish in the oven at 230°C/450°F/gas
8 for about 30 minutes until soft. Separate the cloves and squeeze out
the sweet insides. Add with the thyme at the start of Stage 3 of the
basic risotto recipe. In a frying pan toast the almonds and
breadcrumbs in a little olive oil until crisp and golden. Season with
a little salt. Set to one side. Serve the risotto with a dollop of
mascarpone on the top and sprinkle over the toasted almonds and
breadcrumbs. Lovely.

Jamie Oliver's basic risotto recipe 

approx• 1.1 litres/2 pints stock (chicken, fish or vegetable as appropriate)
• 1 knob of butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ½ a head of celery, finely chopped
• 400g/14oz risotto rice
• 2 wineglasses of dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 70g/2½oz butter
• 115g/4oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
stage 1

Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat the olive oil and butter, add the onions, garlic and celery, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes without colouring. When the vegetables have softened, add the rice and turn up the heat.

stage 2

The rice will now begin to lightly fry, so keep stirring it. After a minute it will look slightly translucent. Add the vermouth or wine and keep stirring — it will smell fantastic. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a tasty essence.

stage 3

Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly on the outside. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring and almost massaging the creamy starch out of the rice, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take around 15 minutes. Taste the rice — is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Don’t forget to check the seasoning carefully. If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, add some boiling water.

stage 4

Remove from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This is the most important part of making the perfect risotto, as this is when it becomes outrageously creamy and oozy like it should be. Eat it as soon as possible, while the risotto retains its beautiful texture.

 ** I roasted one head of garlic and I thought it was a bit too much. I was too hungry and tired to do the almonds and breadcrumbs. And to top it all off- I didn't have time to get the marscapone. I used the pressure cooker for the risotto. I sauteed the onion in butter, then added 1 1/2 C arborio rice- coating it well with the butter. I then added 3 1/2 C stock, took it to high pressure for 6 minutes, then quick-released the steam. I squashed the roasted garlic cloves and stirred them into the risotto along with the fresh thyme. Good flavor, right texture.
##Not a big hit for leftovers. I'll turn it along with the carrots into risotto cakes.

Warm lentil salad

This recipe comes from the Orangette blog. What a great site! I'll be serving this lentil dish with a fresh salad of greens with sliced sugar snaps on top.

French-Style Warm Lentil Salad
Adapted from Epicurious.com

This lentil salad isn’t exactly like the ones I’ve eaten in France – those were usually plainer, with just vinaigrette and flecks of raw shallot – but I like it just as much. (And – bonus! – it doesn’t leave me with shallot breath.) It also keeps and reheats well, and it tastes even better the next day, which makes it perfect weekday lunch material.

1 cup French green (also known as “Puy”) lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 cups water
1 Turkish bay leaf
½ tsp. salt, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. red wine vinegar
½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Crunchy sea salt, for serving
2 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley, for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring the lentils, water, and bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, and then simmer, covered, for another 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.

While the lentils simmer, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened, about 7 to 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons vinegar, mustard, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, and whisk to emulsify.

When the lentils are ready, drain them in a colander or sieve, and discard the bay leaf. Dump them into the skillet with the vegetables, and add the vinaigrette. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until heated through. Stir in the remaining ½ tsp. vinegar, and serve warm, with crunchy salt and parsley for sprinkling.

Yield: 4 side-dish servings

 **Great salad. Easy to make. Should have put the parsley in it. I will next time!
##Keeper. 

Grilled fish sandwich with cabbage slaw

This comes from the magazine, Everyday Food, issue #64, July/August 2009. I've made it before and enjoyed it- although I noted that I did the slaw differently. I will try the recipe this time for the slaw. I just made a fresh loaf of spelt bread that we'll use for the sandwiches.

Serves 4.

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage (from head cabbage)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
• Vegetable oil, for grilling
• 4 striped bass fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish, such as tuna, tilapia, or salmon), 4 to 6 ounces each
• 8 thick slices sandwich bread, such as brioche or country-style white

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss cabbage with 2 teaspoons salt; let stand 20 minutes. Press between layers of paper towels to remove excess liquid. Toss cabbage in a clean bowl with celery, onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, and caraway seed and season with pepper.
2. Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Pat fish dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper and brush with oil. Grill fish on one side until opaque at edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a thin spatula, flip fish and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Clean and lightly oil hot grates; grill bread until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 seconds per side. Assemble sandwiches with fish and cabbage slaw. 

**I used sole for the fish and seasoned it with a key lime seasoning mix from Cost Plus World Market. The coleslaw was a bit too salty for my taste, although it paired well with the fish. Nice dish- easy to make.

Sausage and Swiss chard soup

This recipe is from Williams Sonoma. Last time I made it, I used chorizo sausage. I think I'll make an onion bread to go with it.

Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 lb. chicken andouille sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 leek, white portion only, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 6 cups chicken stock, warmed
• 1 cup water, warmed
• 2 cups cooked white beans, drained
• 4 oz. Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves cut
    into 1⁄2-inch strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for
   garnish (optional)
• Garlic crostini for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, boil the wine until reduced to 1/2 cup, 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices.

In the same pot over medium-low heat, cook the onion, celery, carrot and leek, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes more. Add the reduced wine, the stock and water, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the sausage, white beans and chard and cook until the chard wilts, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, and garnish with the cheese and crostini. Serve immediately.

** I ended up using pork andouille sausage from Whole Foods. We did not add the bread and cheese on top. It ended up being too spicy for the kids and a little fatty for my tastes. I still like the soup- I think I'll try turkey keilbasa next time- should be less fatty and not spicy.

Okra Gumbo Soup

I'll be using the okra and tomatoes that I froze from last summer's harvest.  When I made this last, I wrote that it is "nice and would be good with all sorts of veggies". I'll see what I've got left in the fridge. You can find this recipe on page 616 in  Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.

1 C chopped onions
2 T oil
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried basil
2 bay leaves
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 C chopped potatoes
3 C vegetable stock

2 C chopped fresh tomatoes (or 16 oz can of tomatoes, chopped, with juice)

1 C corn, fresh, frozen or canned (with liquid)
1 C sliced fresh okra (or 10 oz frozen)
1 T cider vinegar

salt and pepper
Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste
1 t Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Saute onions in oil till translucent. Add the herbs, celery, bell pepper, carrot, and potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn, okra, and vinegar and simmer until the okra is tender. Remove the bay leaves. Add the remaining seasonings to taste.

 Wonderful! So easy, too! I froze my tomatoes whole. It was so easy to cut them up while they were still a bit frozen.