OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (MY GRAN'S RECIPE)

This looks really long and complicated, but it isn't. I just give a lot of direction when I share a recipe. From all those years of teaching my CSA people to cook, I can't seem to shake the habit but sometimes I wish recipes I find would explain things better, so I am not changing my method. Makes me a little more Julia Child anyway...she always explained things to tiny detail.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS RECIPE:

3-4 large chicken thighs, skin on. If they are small you will need 6. If you use a whole chicken, that works, too but either way, you cook the chicken pretty much the same.
2 cups self rising Flour*
Salt and Pepper ** I used garlic salt because I like that flavor but do not over do it.
Celery stalk * optional
1/4 onion * optional

1) In a large Dutch oven (with a lid), place your chicken and completely cover with slightly salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium and cover. REMEMBER TO COVER. Cook until chicken is falling off the bone...about an hour. If you want, throw in the onion and celery about half way thru the cooking process.

2) Remove the chicken, celery and onion. Let chicken cool enough to handle and de-bone. I make the dumplings while the chicken is cooling.

3) Take 2 cups of flour and a cup of the hot chicken broth you just made. Mix until you have something resembling biscuit dough. If it is too dry, add a little more broth but you don't want to deplete your stock so you can use some warm water instead. This is ONLY if the dough appears too dry. You want it to be only slightly sticky, not gooey. The dough may be a bit hard to handle because the stock was hot but you don't want to mix cold dough. It will get tough.

4) Sprinkle some flour on whatever surface you plan on rolling out the dumplings and use rolling pin to get them really flat. You may need to sprinkle with flour a couple of times to keep pin from sticking but that's okay, just don't use so much flour the dough gets dry and cracks. If you don't have a rolling pin (and a lot of people don't) you can use a tall glass or just pat out with your hands. Just keep the dough about the thickness of a pie crust.

5) Once you have the dough rolled out, take a sharp knife and cut into strips about an inch wide. Bring the chicken stock you made back to a rolling boil and carefully drop the strips of dough into the boiling stock. Once they are all in the pot, cover and reduce heat to simmer.

6) Let them cook undisturbed for about 15-20 minutes, not lifting the lid.
After 15 minutes you can lift the lid to stir them.

7) Add as much of the deboned chicken meat as you want back into the dumplings. Some people don't do this but I think the dish is much better if chicken is used. Salt and pepper to taste. As I said, I used garlic salt at this step, which adds a little depth of flavor.

*If you use plain flour, your dumplings will be denser and a bit heavy. If you use all purpose flour, you might want to add a tiny bit of baking powder or soda but not too much, you don't want biscuits floating in chicken stock

Serve in bowls as a main dish or with a meal. We just eat like a soup or stew.

Enjoy!!!

VEGETARIAN MEATBALLS, Made with Eggplant

VEGETARIAN "MEATBALLS"

These "meatballs" are about as close to the real thing as I have been able to come up with. They are a bit fragile to handle, until you cook them, so be careful turning in the pan, etc. This recipe is NOT vegan, because they just are not good without cheese and egg in them. If you have a good vegan parmesan substitute, try using it.

What you need:
One large eggplant (the big ones with the purple skin; or equivalent of at least 1 lb.)
1 1/2 cups Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs* (Make your own, Recipe below)
3-4 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
1/2 Cup Parmesan or Romano Cheese
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
2 Eggs
Olive Oil
What you do: 
Wash and slice the eggplant lengthwise. Take the two halves and place skin side up on a cookie sheet or shallow pan in just enough water to create steam. Roast at 350 degrees until eggplant is tender.(Eggplant should be very soft. Roast a bit longer if necessary.) Remove from oven and cool enough to handle. Peel skin from eggplant halves and chop into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine eggplant, onion, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, cheese and salt. Mix throughly; use your hands if necessary. If they are a little dry when mixing, sprinkle with just a bit of warm water, being careful not to get too moist. Cool and chill 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
When ready to prepare, place flour in a bowl. Beat the remaining egg in a separate small bowl. Roll into small balls or drop mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls into the flour and coat completely. Then dip the eggplant balls into the beaten egg; finally, coat the balls with the remaining bread crumbs. In a large skillet, heat oil and fry eggplant balls until they are heated through and beginning to be crispy.
*To make this recipe even healthier, skip the flour-bread crumb prep and just roll the eggplant-cheese mixture into balls and bake them at about 400 degrees until they are browned. Turn them once if you bake.
Serve these with marinara sauce and pasta, just like any other meatballs. These are yummy. Just remember that they do not hold together like real meatballs. If you have any leftovers, they are especially good if you heat in the oven instead of the microwave to re-serve. 

Seasoned Bread Crumbs
**Try making your own breadcrumbs. Bread that is too stale to eat plain is perfect to use. I take the bread and cut into cubes, then saute in a just little butter (or olive oil, depends on the mood, you know) and garlic. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. You can also make all kinds of seasoned crumbs, just by seasoning with herbs and spices, at this point. Toss frequently while sauteing. After they are nice and coated and just beginning to turn brownish, I put them on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees in the oven until completely toasty. How long that takes depends on how much butter you used and how saturated they were. They will not be dry like storebought crumbs, but boy are they tasty. Use your hands to crumble them when they are cool enough to handle..that is the fun part. Even though not fine crumbs, they give this recipe a kind of rustic character. If you want them finer, use the blender.
Or don't crumble then and you can use them as croutons in your salads. Store crumbs or croutons in an airtight container. If you want to make them ahead or in quantity, store container in freezer. I don't recommend long term storage (more than a couple of days) for croutons, unless you are willing to retoast them before you use them, but the crumbs will do fine, since you can add them staight from the freezer to your recipes.
Since stale bread works so much better, when I am making croutons (crumbs) to store, I buy a loaf of whatever bread I want to use, take it home and leave it sitting on the counter, open to the air, for a day. It gets stale pretty quickly that way. Sounds like a waste of a good loaf of bread, but an 8 oz container of bread crumbs costs $1.89 or more and I can get twice the volume from a loaf of bread. So, unless the bread costs $3.78, I am ahead.

Hello Fellow Foodies

Welcome to my food blog.  It is currently going through some renovations as I am trying to make it easier to navigate the recipes.  It is slow going and I still have about 100 of my own recipes and suggestions to add.  There is still a lot of great stuff here, so use the TABLE OF CONTENTS to peruse what has already been added back to the blog.

Enjoy and remember, you really are what you eat!!!

~Suzanne

SALAD DAYS
There is a lot of info on this page, so scroll all the way down.

The following salad dressings are simple and a little different than store bought, if you have the time to make fresh. Always try to keep a couple of lemons and limes and a good extra-virgin olive oil in the house for whipping up fresh dressings.

First, however, here are a few simple prep directions:

Spinach: This wonder veggie is a challenge to clean properly. It grows in a rosette shape very close to the ground and tends to get gritty. To remove the maximum amount of grit in the quickest way, fill you sink with cold water and place the amount of spinach you want to use in the sink. Gently swish it back and forth, changing the water a couple of times if necessary, until the water stays clean. Drain and pat dry, trim the larger stems and it is ready to use.

Kale: Prepare it in much the same way as spinach, although it grows tall and very rarely gets gritty. Stack the washed leaves, 3-4 at a time, trim the leaf from the stems (don't discard the stems for salads) and chop or shred the leaves for fresh use or leave whole for steaming or cooking.
Chop the stems into small pieces for a crunchy and healthy addition to your salad.

Lettuce and Arugula: Rinse under cool running water.
(Click here for Food Safety Info and how to properly wash veggies)

"Italian restaurants often serve arugula on its own with a strong garlic flavored oil and vinegar dressing. Mixed with milder greens and a good dressing, arugula is less dominating."

ARUGULA SALAD
Yield: 4 servings
1 Garlic clove; peeled
1/4 ts Salt
2 tb Balsamic vinegar
1 ts Dijon mustard
1/3 c Olive oil
2 c Mixed lettuce leaves
1 c Arugula; any large stems removed
1/2 lb Mushrooms; sliced
1 Sweet red pepper
In a wooden salad bowl, rub garlic and salt into the bowl to season it. Combine vinegar, mustard and olive oil; stir. Tear lettuce into bite sized pieces, along with arugula. Add mushrooms and slices of red pepper. Toss well and serve.

SALAD DRESSINGS

"Not on the First Date" Red Onion/Shallot Dressing
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 medium shallot, minced, or 2 T red onion, minced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp general purpose spice blend
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Seasoned or Sea Salt
Combine in blender at top speed for about a minute, so that all of the onion or shallot is reduced. The result should be a creamy pink dressing.
Chill overnight in refrigerator. The result is a mild, oniony dressing with a slightly sweet edge.
This type of dressing is good with salads containing strong greens as the sweetness is a counterpoint to the slightly bitter taste of kale, for example.

Mom's Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 tsp cold water
6-8 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each of salt and black pepper
Optional: 1/4 - 1/2 tsp herbs such as dill or basil
Warm vinegar and honey in microwave for 20 seconds or more until honey dissolves in vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and whisk well. Shake vigorously after pouring into a bottle and chill before serving.

Southwestern Vinaigrette 
1/2 C extra light olive oil
1/4 C white or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cilantro
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
Shake, chill and serve. If you generally top your salad with cheese, pair this dressing with a mild cotija or colby. Avoid sharp or bitter cheeses such as bleu and feta.

Basil-Sesame Dressing 
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
2 T asiago or the cheese of your choice
1/2 tsp dried basil
2-4 leaves of fresh basil
2 T chopped Italian or regular parsley
1/2 C extra light olive oil
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
Combine in blender until thoroughly mixed. Chill and serve with a green salad. It's a spooky color but tastes great.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette 
1/2 C extra light olive oil
2 T plain yoghurt
2 T lemon juice
2 T rice vinegar 1/4 C fresh, shreaded cilantro leaves, tightly packed
1/4 tsp each garlic powder, thyme and black pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
a squeeze of fresh lime juice - about a quarter lime Combine in a blender until fully mixed. Chill and serve.

Don't have a name for this one but this slightly herby, garlic-scented dressing is delicious tossed with mixed greens as well in a hearty chef’s salad. It can also be served as a dip for crudites.
1 cup mayonnaise 
1 cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed 
1 tablespoon sliced green onion 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
1 teaspoon dried tarragon 
salt and pepper 
1. In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade or your blender, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, green onion, parsley, and tarragon. 
2. Process until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. 
3. Transfer to a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. 

Here is a quick collection of okra recipes from around the world!

KOTTOPOULA ME MPAMIEZ (CHICKEN WITH OKRA) GREEK

3 pounds Cut-up chicken parts (fryer)
Salt & peper to taste
3 pounds Fresh okra
1/2 cup Vinegar
3/4 cup Butter
1 Onion, med. -- chopped
1 1/2 pounds Tomatoes, peeled -- strained
2 cups Water
Wash the chickens. (If they are whole, cut into serving pcs.). Season lightly with salt & pepper, and set them aside to drain. Wash the okra. Remove the stems carefully, without cutting the okra. Line them up in a large flat pan and sprinkle with the vinegar; place in the sun for 30 min to 1 hour.

Brown the butter in a pot, add the chicken, and saute until brown, then add the onion and let it brown. Add the tomatoes and boil for 3 to 5 min. Add water. Simmer for 30 min. Add okra and continue to simmer, covered, until tender. Watch carefully as this may need a little more water. The okra will have absorbed the liquid and only the oil should remain when the dish is cooked.

OKRA BEIGNETS

2 cups Okra -- Very Thinly Sliced
1 cup Onion -- Minced
1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper -- Minced
1/2 cup Cooked Rice
3 tablespoons Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 each Egg
1 tablespoon Water
1/2 teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce -- Such As Tabasco
6 tablespoons vegetable oil -- *preferably peanut
Interesting Note: This recipe was adapted from one in the late Bill Neal's "Southern Cooking" (University of North Carolina Press, 1985), where he wrote that he would like to persuade theater owners to sell fried okra instead of popcorn! His beignets are terrific as appetizers or a centerpiece to a vegetarian meal.

Mix all ingredients except the oil,which is for frying,in a large bowl. *You can get the pan fairly hot if you use peanut oil. Otherwise, watch carefully and don't burn.
Spoon the okra mixture into the skillet by the tablespoonful. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn and cook the other side. Remove to absorbent paper and keep the beignets warm until all are cooked.

OKRA ITALIANO

1 Onion -- chopped
1 Clove garlic -- sliced
4 lg Tomatoes -- coarsey chopped
1 lb Okra -- cut into 1/2" thick -rounds
1/2 c Wine, white
1 Bay leaf
1 t Oregano
pn Sea salt
pn Black pepper
6 c Rice -- cooked, hot
2 tb Parsley, fresh -- chopped
2 tb Olives, ripe -- sliced
Combine onion, garlic, tomatoes, okra nad wine in a lare skillet and bring to a boil.

Add bay leaf and oregano. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper and ladle over rice. Garnish with parsley and olives.

SWEET & SOUR OKRA

14 oz Young okra, trimmed & cut -- into 2" lengths
7 ea Garlic cloves
1 ea Dried red chili
7 tb Water
2 ts Cumin
1 t Coriander
1/2 ts Turmeric
4 tb Vegetable oil
1 t Cumin seeds
1 t Salt
1 t Sugar
4 ts Lemon juice
Blend the garlic, chili & 3 tb water into a paste & empty into a bowl. Stir in the ground cumin, coriander & turmeric. Mix. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin seeds & let them sizzle for a few seconds.
Slightly reduce the heat & pour in the spice paste. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the okra, salt, sugar & lemon juice along with remaining water. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly & cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.

PICKLED OKRA

This is really easy to make and is a great dill pickle alternative. I don't make mine so hot as these. And be sure you use the uniodized salt per the recipe or your okra will turn dark brown.

1 qt White vinegar
1 c Water
1/2 c Uniodized salt
Fresh okra
Dill seed
Hot red peppers
Hot green peppers
Garlic cloves
Place 1/2 t dill seed in bottom of each sterilized qt jar. Pack washed fresh okra as tightly as possible in each jar being careful not to bruise the okra. Add 1/2 tsp dill seed, 1 hot green pepper, 1 hot red pepper and 1 clove of garlic to each jar. Bring to boil the vinegar, water, and salt. Cover okra with hot mixture. Seal jars and allow to stand two weeks. Serve icy cold.

TAGINE OF OKRA & TOMATOES
(I put this recipe here because it is just strange.)

1/2 lb Okra
4 1/2 lb Tomatoes, peeled, seeded & -- chopped
2 tb Parsley, chopped
1 1/2 ts Sweet paprika
1 t Garlic, chopped
Salt
3 tb Vegetable oil
Wash, top & tail the okra. String together with thread into a "necklace". Over high heat, cook the tomatoes with the parsley, paprika, garlic, salt & oil, mashing down the tomatoes as they cook. After 10 minutes, lower the heat to medium, add the okra & begin to poach iti n the sauce. From time to time lift up the necklace to stir.

After the okra is tender, remove & keep warm. Continue to reduce the tomatoes until all the water has evaporated & the oil is released. Fry the tomatoes in this released oil, stirring continuously. Gently pull out the thread, place the okra in the serving dish. Pour the sauce over the top. Serve hot or lukewarm.

Roasted Potatoes and Shallots with Grilled Mushrooms and Arugula

Roast potatoes/shallots:
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 pound shallots, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound portobello or shitake mushrooms sliced 1/2" thick
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 Cups Arugula, washed, stems removed

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Directions: 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss potatoes, shallots, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper together in a 13 x 9" baking pan. Roast 1 hour, shaking pan occasionally during roasting. Combine dressing ingredients; set aside. 2. Drizzle mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked and tender 3. Toss arugula with 2 tablespoons dressing. Add remaining dressing to potatoes and shallots; toss. Serve arugula topped with the potatoes, shallots and mushrooms.

Help Stamp Out Food Snobbery

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2010 (original publishing date, still relevant)


Help Stamp Out Food Snobbery This is a re-posting of an article from this blog from about several years ago. I thought I would put it back up because I recently listened to something on NPR about things people pay big bucks for that are not the real thing...caviar was one of those things and there is something about that in this post.

I think that it is time that I do my part to bring attention to the issue of food prejudice. Since I am so in touch with food, I am going to address the food snobs of the world here on my blog today. That's right, it is my blog and I can say what I want to about whatever subject I am inclined to write about....mu-ah-hahahahahaaaa. I love the power of the blog!! Okay, I am getting a power high so I better get back on subject. This just has to be said. My simple definition of Food Snobbery: Refusing to even try or consider trying a particular fruit, vegetable, regional or local dish for any reason at all. If you are a food snob, let me help to set the record straighter on a couple of things:

Sushi versus Chitlins I went to a Sushi restaurant in Japan once where there were a bunch of fish swimming happily together in a huge tank. We ordered and the next thing I know, the chef is screaming like a ninja and grabbing a live fish out of the tank and flinging it down on the table in front of us. When he pulled out a cleaver and hacked the head off right in front of me, I almost fainted. Needless to say, I didn't eat sushi (or much of anything else) for a while. Chitlins on the other hand are quite civilized by comparison. I have seen them being cooked before but that is it. Chitlin preparation has the good manners to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. Grits versus Polenta Grits and polenta are the same thing. If you let your grits simmer too long and they get really thick, you have made polenta. In Northern Italy, where polenta is a staple dish, it was first made when maize or corn was brought there by explorers. It is cooked down more than grits and the grind is slightly different but there is not much difference except for the seasoning and serving methods. Of course, grits can be pretty bland and boring if you buy those wussie white ones at the grocery store or you don't know how to cook them. I buy stone ground, organic yellow corn grits. Fortunately, I do know how to cook them (Granny taught me) and mine are delicious.

Livermush versus Blood Sausage Do I even need to explain this one? Yes, I guess I do. Livermush is decidedly Southern and Blood Sausage is decidedly disgusting. Livermush probably had its origins with German settlers to the Southeastern areas of the US from Pennsylvania. Blood Sausage never quite caught on here in this area although I understand it is popular elsewhere. My best friend growing up moved to the US from Europe and we helped her mom to make BS at their house once. I repeat, ONCE. And I never ate any that I am aware of but sometimes when I ate dinner at their house, I was a little confused as to exactly what I was eating. Okra versus Anything I already wrote an entire blog entry about okra, so refer back to that post from to read up on okra titled OKRA 101. Before I even start, one quick note about okra: it is NOT indigenous to the Southern US (it just loves our climate); it is native to Africa; is an edible hibiscus; and is eaten all over the world. If you don't eat okra because it is slimy, it is because it is cooked in liquid. Use another preparation method. Okra is delicious. Caviar versus Catfish Roe I have eaten caviar once or twice myself, but don't remember particularly liking it. It tasted a little fishy and very salty. And speaking of fishy, there are people willing to pay $50+ an ounce for Beluga caviar yet look down their noses of folks who catch and clean their own fish and eat the roe. Joke is on them. Back in the late 1990's, the FDA busted a caviar "importer" who had been packaging and selling catfish roe as Beluga for years. Took DNA testing to determine that the roe in question was not from sturgeon, but in fact from the lowly Ictalarus punctatus or the common channel catfish. Nobody noticed the difference because, lets face it, who eats caviar on a regular basis? Do you know anyone who does? Neither do I. (Update: These jokers got caught again several years later. Now who is the joke on?)

Cow Peas versus English Peas Cow Peas- A drought tolerant and warm weather crop, cow peas are well-adapted to the drier regions of the tropics, where other food legumes do not perform well. It also has the useful ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through its nodules, and it grows well in poor soils with more than 85% sand and with less than 0.2% organic matter and low levels of phosphorus.

In addition, it is shade tolerant, and therefore, compatible as an intercrop with maize, millet, sorghum, sugarcane, and cotton. This makes cow pea an important component of traditional intercropping systems, especially in the complex and elegant subsistence farming systems of the dry savannas in sub-Saharan Africa. English peas are just a cooler weather, slightly different cultivar of Fabaceae or Leguminosae, or the legume family.

There is nothing sophisticated or gourmet about English (green) peas. In fact, if you compared the common field pea grown in the South to the English pea, the English pea is by comparison a thin and pale relative, as far as adaptability and usage. And they are delicious.

P.S. Black eyed peas are cow peas.

Water Cress versus Creasy Greens If you ever watched the Dobie Gillis show back in the 60's, you most probably remember Mrs. Chatsworth Osborne, Jr., Resident Snobby Rick Bitch, who was forever giving parties where they served watercress sandwiches. This is probably about the silliest food affectation I know of, in all of my culinary experience. Watercress on buttered slices of bread with the crusts cut off was supposedly the height of snooty cuisine. Somehow the idea of a weed that grows along the sides of the road, in ditches where there is standing water pasted onto a tiny piece of white bread doesn't really impress me all that much. And why couldn't they even have a "big boy" sandwich with the crusts still on...did those rich people have weak choppers or just still long for mama? I don't get it.

I don't remember my Granny even planting "creasies", a delightful little spicy, edible green plant, but she certainly got excited once it showed up in the corn field in the fall. It grows in a rosette, kind of like arugula. Today, you can buy creasy green seeds (Upland Cress is how it is sold) and plant some for yourself, but in the foothills and mountains of NC, they were/are considered a wild, uncultivated food, not to be taken for granted. I think maybe planting creasys would not set well with some old timers. Creasy greens are first cousins to watercress and the name "creasy" is probably an Appalachian mispronunciation of cress. They are peppery and add a little spice to other greens.

There are lots more foods I could mention, but my fingers are tired and I have to go feed chickens. My break is over and I need to get back to some real work. Hope you enjoyed my little tongue in cheek (Really? Maybe.) missive today.