I have a thing for bottles and jars

By Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo ©2012

I think Obsession is too strong a word for how I feel about bottles and jars, but that word is as good as any.  Ever since I was little, I’ve loved bottles.  Especially the pretty  blue ones that lined my mother’s kitchen window, along with bundles of drying  dill.

Old bottles capture my attention most these days, especially when they turn a delicate tint of purple, which is a telltale sign of very old glass.  I only use the very old glass bottles as a display.  I’d hate to stress the glass.   Besides, you don’t always know what was held in the bottle before.

The  practical side of bottle collecting is the many uses and re-uses for your bottles and jars.  It is said, that food stored in glass is much healthier than when stored in plastic or tin, and glass doesn’t impart any metallic or plastic flavors to what ever’s being stored inside.

When I make my own soup stocks, I store the stocks in one quart canning jars and freeze them.  Mind you, I never fill them to the top, or the jar would crack. I leave a  two-inch space between the top of the soup  and the lid to allow for expansion while it freezes solid.   Then when I need some stock,  I can simply pull jar from freezer remove lid and place in microwave to thaw. Be careful when removing frozen jars from freezer as they are slick.  Also, be sure if you are thawing soup in microwave that you reheat at 50% power.

As a personal chef, folks sometimes purchase a “soup service” from me.  I have found  two-quart Mason Jars at my local craft store.  Large enough for an entire batch of soup and they’re affordably priced, worth their weight in gold and can be used in place of a canister as it has a good fitting lid to keep the critters out.  So, excellent for flour, cereals, sugar ect.

I grow a lot of my own herbs which I dry and use for cooking, such as Rosemary, Bay leave, Oregano, Sage, marjoram and Thyme.  Once they are good and dry, I’ll store them in small jars that I’ve saved and sometimes I give them as gifts to friends.  I remove any old labeling and place one of my own labels onto the bottle, sometimes with a recipe.   I store left over walnuts or almonds in smaller pint jars and the same with sesame seeds.  All my seeds and nuts are stored in glass jars and stored  in the same location in my pantry.  Easy to find and easy to identify.

Here is a wonderful recipe for Herbes du Provence.   A mixture of several dried herbs that is French in origin.  Excellent over chicken, in soups on pork roasts, sautéed zucchini or on bread sticks.   I make enough to fill several little jars and give them as gifts.  Here below is the recipe and further below a great easy appetizer for Spring, Herbed Chicken Wings.

Herbes de Provence

1 cup  dried basil
3/4 cup  dried thyme
1/2 cup  dried savory
1/3 cup  dried oregano
1/4 cup  dried sage
1/8 cup  ground fennel seeds
1/8 cup  dried lavender blossoms

Measure out all ingredients and mix well in a large bowl.  Package in a glass jar with a good sealing lid, or in small envelopes tobe given out as gifts.

Serving Ideas : Excellent for baked chicken, boiled potatoes and bread sticks

 

Herbed Chicken Wings
12 chicken wings.  (washed and patted dry)
1 ½ tablespoons Herbes de Provence
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Teaspoon salt  ½ teaspoon of pepper.

You will need a large metal baking pan that will allow room for all the wings without touching.  Preheat oven to 325.  Add a teaspoon of oil to your baking pan and coat entire bottom and sides of pan.

Place chicken in baking pan, but do not crowd.  Brush olive oil onto chicken wings and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

Cover pan lightly with foil and place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Turn wings over, remove foil and return to oven for 30 minutes, turn and bake 14 minutes more.  Serve hot.

Hope this helps to inspire you to re-use your jars.

Here is one final photo of what I do with the smallest and most delicate of jars that I find.  Bye for now, and have a beautiful Spring  -Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo

P.S. I’ll be visiting Romney this July and will be offering a cooking class and book signing.  Hope to see you there. Contact The Hampshire Review or Anderson’s Corner for details. 

Hawaiian Grilled Coconut Shrimp Skewers

By Chef Thomas Vieli

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade

1 can cup coconut milk (reserve 3 Tbsp for later)

¼ cup Pineapple juice

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

Shrimp

24 jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined (tails can be left on)

¼ cup unsalted butter

3 Tbsp coconut milk

2 Tbsp sweet shredded coconut

1 tsp dark rum, optional

Fresh Pineapple cubes

 

METHOD:

Mix marinade ingredients together and marinate shrimp for about 4 to 6 hours prior to cooking

After marinating shrimp, soften butter and mix with the coconut milk, shredded coconut, and dark rum blend well

Skewer shrimp, adding pineapple cubes between every other shrimp

Grill on high temperature for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink do not over cook

During grilling brush shrimp with the butter mixture

Serve immediately

Chard Tart

Hello everyone, Chef Elizabeth here.

 A couple of weeks ago, I taught my bi-annual, Italian Cooking class.  I do one in the Spring and one in the Fall.  I wanted to share with you one of the recipes from this last class as it is perfect for this time of year.  It is called:   Torta Di Bietole or Swiss Chard Pie.   This deliciously-satisfying pie presents you with another wonderful way to use Swiss chard and benefit from it, as it is a great source of nutrition. 

 This beautiful, leafy green packs a whollop of minerals, as most dark green vegetables do.  However, lots of folks only know one way to cook them.  Typically, sautéed with olive oil, then garlic added then drizzled with vinegar and usually with bacon.  This is quite good, but one needs to “branch out”.. oh man…. did I really just say that?

First off, you’ll need about  1, ½ Pounds of Swiss Chard. Silverbeet is a good variety, pretty red stems and thick leaves.  Wash the Chard in a large bowl of water to rinse off any of the sand that accumulates.  Store bought should be washed too as they never get all the dirt off.    Pull the leaves off the woodie stems , tossing the stems and reserving the leaves. 

Bring a large pot of filtered water to a boil add salt.  Once water is boiling, place all the chard into the pot and allow to cook for three minutes, or, until chard is wilted.  Remove chard from water and drain.  Reserve chard water for a refreshing cold tea…  (see more on tea, at end of blog.)

While chard is draining, you will need to make your crust.

2 cups flour, ½ cup salted butter, 2 to 3 tlbs. water or more if needed.

I typically make my pie crusts using a food processor.  Placing the flour and the butter in the bowl of the processor then pulsing until pea sized balls form.  I then drizzle the water as the machine is running until it forms a ball.  Once this is done, pull ball from processor and wrap  in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.   (Note) Sometimes, I just make the crust right away without refrigeration and it comes out fine.   However, the experts like the dough to sit and chill for better consistency.   

Once chilled, roll dough out onto flour-covered counter, then, place into either a tart pan, or a pie dish.  I did both.  The tart I made in the pie dish had a more rustic look as I did not play with the crust.  I simply folded over edges, coated with an egg wash and baked. 

Be sure to butter which ever pan you use, using one of the tlbs. of butter called for in the recipe.

 If using a tart pan: Press dough into pan and up against walls, so it takes on shape of pan.  Then using the rolling pin, roll over top edge of tart pan.  This will cut overlapping dough off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

For Filling:   You will need:  1/4 pound of ham (sliced into matchsticks) 1/4 pound Emmenthaler Cheese (this is a swiss cheese) you can use a domestic variety.  (Slice into matchsticks)  3Tlbs salted butter, 2 eggs, one pinch of nutmeg, pinch of salt and pepper and 1/8 cup pine nuts. 

 Squeeze all remaining water from chard.  Rough chop.  Place two tlbs. butter into non-stick skillet.  Add the chard and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes to take on some flavor.  Add the pine nuts to the chard and stir.  Meanwhile, add two eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk.  Add the ham, cheese and nutmeg.  Mix well.  Add the chard and pine nuts  and mix well.  Pour all of this into the tart or pie pan. 

Remember if using the pie pan and going for that “rustic” look to fold extra dough over pie, then make an egg wash and brush onto of pastry.  This makes a beautiful pie.

Bake for 40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes for doneness, as all ovens are different.   If top of tart starts to brown too fast, cover lightly with foil. 

Once done, allow to cool on rack slightly.  If using a tart pan, remove from tart pan and onto a serving plate.  Makes a wonderful brunch, or even a wonderful appetizer with a good cold Pinot Grigio wine or a tall glass of cold water.

Chard Ice Tea:  The water you saved from when you cooked your chard is pink, if you used the Silverbeet.  This water contains lots of minerals and would be a shame to waste.  So here’s what I did:     I added 3 Cinnamon-apple tea bags to the hot chard water.  Plus, 5 cloves, a cinnamon stick and a couple of tablespoons of honey and the peel to from an orange.  This is best done while water is hot to dissolve and allow for the flavors to meld together.  Stir well and allow to sit for a couple of hours, strain and place into a pitcher and refrigerate. Serve cold and folks won’t notice the chard flavor.. however,  they will get lots of added nutrition.  I call this a “tonic” more than a tea and something we should all drink more of.  

I hope you will give this a try.  If you have questions you can always reach me by going to my website: www.theOPERASINGINGCHEF.com  Click on “contact us” at the top of the page.  I’d love to see photos and receive comments on how it went for you.  Don’t forget to check out my on-line gourmet kitchen store while you’re there.  The 25-year old imported Italian vinegars are amazing and excellent with Swiss Chard.

BAKED HAM COOK WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND LET YOUR IMAGINATION FLY

By Chef Thomas Vieli

INGREDIENTS:

1 10 to 12 lb bone-in Ham

½ cup whole cloves

1 20 oz can of sliced pineapple in heavy syrup

½ cup brown sugar

1 12 fluid oz can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated water

1  4 oz jar whole maraschino cherries

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Place ham in roasting pan, scored the rind of the ham crosswise
3. Press the cloves into the scored parts of the ham
4. Drain juice of pineapple can into a bowl, and stir in the brown sugar and lemon-lime carbonated water, stir until sugar is nearly dissolved, then coat the ham with the mixture.
5. Arrange the pineapple rings with the maraschino cherries over the outside of the ham, and secure them with toothpick  let your children create funny designs of their choice (like in the picture)
6. Bake ham for 4 to 5 hours preferably on a rack so you can gather the juices to baste the ham frequently until 160 F internal degrees is reached, do not touch bone with the thermometer because your reading could be wrong
7. Make sure toothpicks are removed before serving

 

 

Cream of Carrot Soup

By Chef Thomas Vieli

(Serves 5- 6 oz Portions)

What nicer then a wonderful hot cup of soup in the winter evenings while cuddled up in front of the fire place with a nice beverage and great company.

INGREDIENTS:

2 quarts Chicken Stock

2 lb ready to cook carrots

6 oz Onions finely chopped

5 oz Clarified butter

5 oz Flour

Milk as needed

2 cups Heavy cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped parsley and Julienne carrots to garnish

METHOD:

In heavy sauce pot bring stock to a boil

Add carrot and onions (optional you may sauté the carrot to develop flavor)

Simmer until the carrots are cooked

In a sauce pan combine the butter and flour to make a roux cook roux for a few minutes but do not color

Beat the roux into the hot soup and simmer until no starchy taste remains

Pass the soup through a food mill or use a hand blender

Add hot milk to bring the soup to a creamy consistency

Bring back to just a simmer “do not boil”

At service time add the heavy cream and the desired garnish

Bon Appetite

SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVE CHICKEN

By Chef Thomas Vieli

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast (6oz)

10 sun-dried tomato halves chopped

12 Kalamata olives chopped

¼ cup boiling water

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 oz fat free feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and Pepper as needed

METHOD:

1. In a bowl mix water and sun-dried tomatoes and let it stand for about 10 min. drain and return the tomatoes to the bowl.
2. With a meat mallet flatten the chicken to about ¼ inch thick and sprinkle with the oregano
3. Stir the olives, parsley, red pepper flakes into the tomatoes, and gently stir in the feta cheese.
4. Grill, Roast or Bake the chicken on each side to 165 F internal temp. do not over cook
5. Serve chicken with the tomato olive mixture on top.

Nutrition Analysis: (per serving)

Calories 209, Protein 29 g, Carbohydrates 6 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 2 g, Cholesterol 66 mg, Total Fat 7.0 g,

Poultry Meets Earth and Sea

Chef Thomas Vieli

Serves 6

Ingredients:

            Whole chicken wings, 2 dozen

            16-20 Shrimp, 2 ½ dozen

            Sea Scallops, 2 dozen

            Whole white potatoes peeled and cut into quarters, 5 pounds

            1 cOldBay

            1/3 c ground ginger

            Cinnamon; as needed

            Sea salt, as needed

            Kosher salt, as needed

            Garlic salt, as needed

            Chipotle, as needed

            Ancho pepper, as needed

Method:

1. Season wings with sea salt, chipotle and ancho pepper.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180 F.  Put aside and keep warm.
2. Combine kosher salt and cinnamon to make a mixture; then season potatoes.  Bake or roast in oven at 400 degrees until done.  Put aside and keep warm.
3. Put whole deveined shrimp into 1 quarts of boiling water, season with 1 cup of Old Bay and 1/3 cup ginger.  Salt to taste. Bring back to a boil, then remove shrimp put aside and keep warm.
4. Season sea scallops with garlic salt and grill on both side for one minute.  Put aside and keep warm.
5. Combine seasoned wings, potatoes, shrimp and sea scallops into a large bowl.  Mix well.
6. Present on a large serving platter and serve immediately.

Summertime and the Living is Easy…

Elizabeth Podsiadio

During the summer I get a lot of requests for Picnic basket cooking classes.

So, through the years, I’ve collected a wide variety of picnic baskets and some wonderful ideas.

I decided to make this the topic for today’s blog. 

As recently as last week, I was asked to prepare a picnic basket segment for a local television station here inSan Diegoknown as San Diego Six.  I’ve appeared semi regularly on their morning talk show: San Diego Living, for more than three years.  The very first segment I did for them was a picnic basket segment, so and thus…it’s a popular subject for a lot of folks.

The key to a successful picnic experience is to plan it out before you start.  Envision your picnic and your meal to help you create a list of things you think you will need. Once you’ve put together one or more baskets you can be more spontaneous when packing.

Here are some things to consider:

1) If possible use things you already have.

1. A large basket
2. A bucket,
3. A tablecloth or
4. A blanket
5. Small sealable containers, glass preferred, but plastic o.k. too.
6. Plastic glasses and a plastic beverage container for water or lemonade or whatever.
7. Plates, glass or disposable. Utensils real or bio-degradable, Napkins, cloth or disposable

If you have to purchase a lot of stuff for a project, it can get expensive. 

2)If you are one of those rare people who haven’t  managed to collect a lot of stuff through the years or you are just starting out, and you are determined to have a picnic, you might consider;

A. Asking a friend if they have a picnic basket you could borrow.  (Remember never return a basket or purse empty. A thank you card or small gift of something is a nice gesture.)

B. Look for a basket at a thrift store or flea market.  Scrub it up good with hot soapy water and paint it if you like.   Old baskets are very collectable and lend character to your experience.

C. Buy a new one.  They’re basically all made inChina, so look closely at the basket before buying. If you like to surf the web, you might find one made in the USA.  

A new basket should come with a set of plates, typically (2) and depending on the size of the basket, two wine glasses and two sets of utensils.  Picnic baskets come with a wide variety of options, but be warned, sometimes the more options, the heavier the basket. Some of the nicer amenities are; a hot box, a wine chiller, a cork screw, long straps.

3) Big Picnic or little Pic Nic?  A person can get carried away cooking for an outdoor dining experience.  Things to consider:

A. Will where you eat be hot or cold?  Sunny or shady.  Could it be windy? Will Sand be flying?

Any of the above could be good reason to make a simple picnic.  A gourmet sandwich, some fruit, dessert and water. Ba-badda-bing, your meal is simple and swift to eat and you don’t have to worry about it getting cold.

No picnic should be rushed, but sometimes, the picnic is not the focus of your trip, you just wanted to make it special by making a picnic. Sometimes the little details can be very meaningful.  

B. Who gets to carry the basket and how far will they be going?  Baskets get heavy the longer they are carried. The idea being they’ll be lighter going out, but still, big picnic…. lots of containers…. heavy basket.

C. If you are determined to make this a “memorable” picnic and your menu is extensive, I’d like to recommend a wagon. Wagons can look very neat and carry a lot of stuff. Like Candles, pillows, books.

D. Multiple baskets.  If “big” is the way you are going then I recommend many baskets.  That way, other folks can help carry.

4) Packing it light? 

A. Bio-degradable utensils, plates and glasses make the basket much lighter, as do the plastic containers for the food. Remember to keep it earth friendly, leave the plastic bags at home.

5) Packing it heavy.                                                                                                                I do love using real china and silverware and even glass wine glasses for a picnic.  To me it seems more “fantastic” and strange to see my plates sitting on top of a cloth in a park miles from home. Something so charming about bringing your stuff outside.

6) Themed Baskets. I have had a lot of fun coming up with different themed baskets.  Here are a few ideas along with a few menus.

A. Mediterranean Picnic, Menu: Babaganoosh hummus with pita triangles, Greek Salad, with dill, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives ect. Beef or lamb kabobs (these are short and have only a couple of pieces of meat on them)Dessert is a Greek lemon cookie, or your favorite sugar cookie or perhaps Baklava, or any kind of lemon flavored dessert.

B. Asian Menu:  Spicy Asian  Pasta Salad with a peanut, ginger, rice-wine vinegar and honey dressing. Chicken satay, which is essentially a small grilled chicken kabob  served with a small container of peanut sauce. Cucumber salad flavored with seasoned rice wine vinegar and for dessert,a fortune cookie or two. (you can make your own fortune cookies and add your own messages.)  Go online for a recipe.  Ice Cold Sake and two small glasses can be a nice addition.

American Themed Basket Menu:  Grilled chicken with a BBQ dipping sauce, S.W. Potato salad, made with no mayo. A South West spiced vinaigrette dressing makes this potato salad pop, with sweet red peppers, corn, black beans, scallions and green olives and of course potatoes. For Dessert, a homemade blueberry pie. A pie safe is ideal for transporting baskets to picnics.

 

Spicy Asian Chicken Salad

Recipe By     :Elizabeth Podsiadlo

1      pound  linguini — Cook according to directions on box

4      chicken breasts – cubed

3/4    cup  soy sauce — reserve 1/4 cup for dressing

3/4    cup  chicken stock

Dressing

1/4    cup  peanut butter – smooth

1/4    cup  brown sugar

1/2    cup  seasoned rice wine vinegar — You can use rice wine vinegar

1/8    cup  sesame oil – Asian

2      garlic clove – minced

1      teaspoon  hot pepper flakes — Use 1/2 if you don’t like it hot

1/8    cup  peanut oil

1 1/2  cups  fresh mint – mince

4      green onions – minced

1      cup  peas — frozen or fresh

1/2    cup  cilantro — cleaned chopped

1/2    cup  peanuts — coarsely chopped

1 1/2  cups  savoy cabbage — chopped fine

Place skinless, boneless chicken breast in a baking dish and add 1/2 cup of soy sauce and chicken broth.  Place in a 350 degree oven uncovered and allow to bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until juices run clear when pricked with a fork.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts of water to boil noodles and cook according to instructions on box.  You want the noodles to be a little al dente, so check about 5 minutes before instructions say to stop and sample noodle.  Should be a little firm.

While noodles are cooking place small saucepan over low heat on stove.  Add the seasoned rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, peanut oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, garlic and red-pepper flakes.  Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together.  You just want peanut butter to melt and you want to blend all the ingredients.   Turn off heat and allow to stand at stove.

Drain juice from baked chicken breast and strain.  Add this juice to the dressing in the saucepan and whisk again. Cube chicken breast and add to the dressing .  Allow to soak for 5 minutes.  Toss remaining ingredients with the prepared linguine; add the dressing with the chicken and all the veggies and toss well. 

Serving Ideas :Serve with shredded cabbage and Chinese chow main noodles.

NOTES : When making the dressing strive for a nice sweet salty balance.  If the dressing is to sour, add some of the brown sugar or even a little honey until you like the balance.

NOTE:  I always double the dressing and use it for a marinade or dipping sauce for the chicken satay.

I hope you find these ideas inspiring.  I’d love to hear about some of your picnic ideas including photos.  Please contact me through my website.  www.THEOPERASINGINGCHEF.com

Now go have a glass of water

-Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo

Hope you enjoy this delicious dish

Chef Thomas Vieli

Frog Legs Provencale

INGREDIENTS:

6 pair of frog legs

4 Tbsp Butter

3 Tbsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp chopped onions

2 Tbsp Chopped parsley

½ cup fine bread crumbs

METHOD:

Heat butter, add garlic and onions sauté until transparent

Add frog legs keep on sautéing until frog legs are tender it does not take long we do not want to over cooked.

Roll frog legs in the fine bread crumbs

Serve immediately

Cooking Under Pressure

By Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo

When I was growing up, there was nothing I loved more than coming home and smelling the delicious fragrance of my mom’s cooking.  Sadly, I don’t get to experience this much as I am the only one in my home that cooks.  I, like many of you, work and my schedule is quite hectic.  I don’t often have time to prepare those slow cooked meals but at the same time, I want my daughter to come home to a house filled with the good smells of dinner cooking

 As recent as a year ago, I taught a cooking class on how to use a pressure cooker.  I should preface this with the fact that I am no expert, but I decided to dive in head first.  I purchased a pressure cooker and did some experimenting. 

Figure 1: Notice lock mechanism in handle

The first couple of dishes I made were “scary” to say the least, as I fully expected the cooker to blow up in my kitchen.  Remember “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”   

I purchased my pressure cooker for less than $50 and was happy to discover that it came with a well written safety manual, a recipe book and a video.  So, I had lots of “support.”   The newer pressure cookers typically have three safety locks.  You, as the user must be sure to follow the simple set of instructions before cooking.  I guarantee you that once you try this method of cooking you will become a fan of cooking with pressure. 

I recommend not trying to use “grandma’s aluminum pressure cooker” for several reasons.  Firstly, Aluminum is not a good metal to cook in and a lot of the older cookers are made using aluminum.  It leaches into your food and we don’t need any more contaminants than we already have.  Two, the gaskets do get old with time and can cause leaking, which can make a great mess.  Three, the pressure valve on top can become clogged with food or minerals from the steam.  If this happens you have a real problem on your hands.  Like a  “ka-boom, splat” kind of problem.

If you are using a cooker that is less than 5- years old, examine the rubber gasket and be sure there are no cracks.  It should be flexible and free of any debris.  The pressure release valves on these units are typically built into the lids.  Be sure it is loose and can be pushed up simply by pressing it from below.   If you can’t find the manual, email the manufacturer.  Tell them the model number and nine times out of ten, they will send you, at a small charge, a replacement manual or, they may have an online manual. 

Why use a pressure cooker?  Foods cook in less than half the time and they retain more of their minerals and vitamins.  Plus, you get more flavor.  In many cases, cooking with pressure pulls a lot more flavor from foods, like chicken for stock.  Less cooking time.  I cooked a beef brisket in one hour and 15 minutes, as oppose to four hours in the oven and it was tender and delicious.  So it saves time, keeps more of foods original nutrition, pulls more flavor from foods, especially meats.

It can save you money and lower your salt intake.  If you eat a lot of beans chances are you’re probably buying the canned ones.  However, if you use dried beans, soak them overnight, then pressure cook for 15 minutes you’ll eat a much healthier bean.  Home-cooked beans only have the salt you add in them, the canned has much more salt added to help stave off bacteria and to keep the beans flavor.   Beans are about one dollar a can and after you drain off the liquid, you have about one and one half cups of cooked beans.  The dried bags of beans after being soaked overnight, can add up more than 5 cups of uncooked beans.  The cost; about $1.50 per bag.  Half the cost of canned beans.   

For the environment When you cook your beans in a pressure cooker the time it takes to cook is less by about an hour and a half.  It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to cook beans in a pressure cooker, typically, and about 2 hours using a traditional method.

You may wonder, who thinks of these things, well, not just me.  There is a food movement out there called; “Slow Foods” that originated inItaly a few years ago.  It all started when a small Italian village boycotted a McDonalds Restaurant that tried to open in their village.  

Eating Slow Foods means eating foods grown and raised locally and not eating processed or pre-prepared foods, like instant potatoes, instant rice, canned soups, lunchmeat, ect. 

This concept of Slow Foods is big in the culinary world and is prevalent here where I live by how many more farmers markets there are now than just a few years ago.  People want to know more about where their food is coming from.  They want to meet the farmers.

Chef Harv, of Gourmet Central in Romney West Virginia, was a big supporter of buying local,  supporting local farmers and educating the children,  Being aware of where foods came from was Chef Harv’s “motes operandi.”  Anyway, Chef Harv was one local chef from my hometown who was leading the charge way before this concept became popular. 

I realize I am getting carried away and will definitely touch on this more in the future.

Essentially, I’m feeling the pressure to get back to the point.

When I was growing up in Romney West Virginia, my mother used to make chicken and dumplings.  We raised our own chickens so they grew slowly and were extremely flavorful.  They were free range.  Most chickens you buy today are grown so fast and pumped full so full of a water and saline solution that they don’t have nearly the flavor they used to.  I recommend looking for free range whenever possible or hormone and antibiotic free.  However, no matter which chicken you use, the pressure cooker will pull more flavor from your bird than any other method of cooking.

There are some really great pressure cooking cook books out there.  I have one called;  The Best Pressure Cooker Book Ever, by Pat Daily.  She has a great recipe for red beans and rice as well as Beef Brisket. 

Figure 2 : I cook my chicken breast side down

Here is a good recipe I came up with for Chicken and Dumplings.

   Definite Comfort Food. I don’t have my mom’s recipe in hand, but think this came pretty close to how she prepared it and my 12 year old loves it.First of all, I found this awesome link on how to pressure cook a whole chicken.  It is how I do it and already written out.  So check it out.  http://www.ehow.com/how_2305573_pressure-cook-whole-chicken.html 

Three comments  regarding this site:  One, if you don’t have a rack for your pressure cooker, just cook the bird without it.  Setting the bird directly on the bottom of the pan.   You’re going to add the minimum amount of water your cooker allows.  The water will keep the bird from sticking. 

Two and three, before I brown my chicken, I add ½ of a medium sized brown onion. I cut it into big pieces and brown in the oil, ( I use avocado oil) higher flash point than olive oil.  You could use a good canola oil or a blend of canola and corn oil if desired. I am flavoring the oil before browning the bird.  Browning the onion for 2 to 3 minutes over a high flame, stirring to keep from burning.  Add chicken, follow directions as indicated on link.

What you will need for Chicken and Dumplings.

Once you have pressure cooked the chicken to the above specifications.  Remove chicken and allow to cool.  Strain remaining liquid in pressure cooker and return to cooker. 

 Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients for stew broth:

Two carrots, peeled and sliced.

One stock celery

4 peppercorns

1 teaspoon salt, (or to your taste)

4 springs of parsley, chopped fine including stems,

1 teaspoon chopped dry onion.

1 teaspoon, tarragon, dill or fennel leaves (optional).

Figure 3: Celery, carrots, dried onions fennel salt and peppercorns

Strained broth from pressure cooked chicken (approx. 6 cups)

Place all of the ingredients, (except the cooked chicken) into the pressure cooker along with broth, cover with lid.  Place on pressure cooker setting and once the pressure indicator is up, turn down heat and cook for one minute.   Remove from heat and place in sink.  Pour cold water over the lid of the pressure cooker to immediately reduce pressure.  You will hear a hiss and the sound of the release.  Your pressure indicator will also drop back down.

Once pressure has completely released, remove lid.  Turn heat off and allow to sit while you clean the meat from the chicken.  Remove the skin, and bones.  The size of the pieces of chicken is up to you here.  Some folks like to keep them large, I’m in the middle.  No matter how you like it, once all cleaned return to broth.

The Dumplings:

(the way my mom used to make them.)

Figure 4: Flour, baking powder, salt, parsley, milk

NOTE:  The dumplings are quick to make once the ingredients are all out and measured, however, it is important to note that the broth must be at a rolling boil as each dumpling is added, or otherwise, they can fall apart.   Once the ingredients for your dumplings are all measured out, turn the flame on under your broth with meat and veggies.  Cover with lid of cooker but do not cook under pressure. 

Ingredients for Dumplings

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

Figure 5: Use finger to push dumpling into pot

1 teaspoon parsley (optional, but recommended)

NOTE:  There should be enough broth to just cover chicken before adding dumplings.  Add water if necessary.

Using a wire whisk, mix flour, baking soda and salt together.  Add the milk and parsley and stir using a wooden spoon until well blended.

Remove lid and set aside.  Place spoon into the hot boiling broth to coat before loading with dumpling batter, that way, batter won’t stick when pushing off spoon into hot boiling broth.  Dip spoon each time before measuring spoonfuls of batter into the hot broth.  Do this step as quickly as possible. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.   

You will notice when you remove the lid that the dumplings will shrink down very quickly, this is normal.   Stir and serve in shallow bowls.  Notice how the broth has thickened somewhat. 

True comfort food. 

Figure 6: Oh, so wonderful and full of flavor Chicken and Dumplings from my childhood. ENJOY!

Now before you go eat, be sure to rinse the lid of your cooker, so no starchy residue will clog the pressure valve for your next pressure cooker experience.

 I recommend serving this dish with simple garden salad dressed with red-wine vinegar laced with oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper.

 Enjoy!

And remember you can always email me with any questions you may have.  Go to my website and click on (Contact Us) at the top of the page.  www.THEOPERASINGINGCHEF.com

Now go have a glass of water