Month: October 2011

Neapolitan Quiche

Plain Pastry for one 9-inch pie crust
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flaked cooked whitefish (fake crab meat)
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. dill

Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Beat eggs and milk together until well blended, stir in seasonings and cheese. Chop fish into pastry lined pie plate. Top with egg mixture. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven 30-35 minutes. Cut into wedges. Serve hot.

Chicken Main Dish Rice

Basmati Rice and Chicken

2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. saffron, toasted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. turmeric (optional)
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, cubed
3 Tbs. Italian parsley, finely chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, peppers and garlic and saute until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice until well coated in oil. Add broth, saffron, salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste and turmeric. Bring to a boil over high heat; stir in chicken and 2 Tbsp of parsley; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and serve garnished with remaining parsley.
Makes 6 servings.

Appetizers Main Dish Rice Seafood

Seafood Balls

1/2 lb cleaned and peeled cooked shrimp

1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat

1 (6 ounce) can salmon, bones removed

1 (7 ounce) can corn kernels, drained

1 cup cooked white rice, leftover is fine

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup prepared tartar sauce, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten, divided

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

peanut oil, for frying

lemon wedge, for serving

Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer the shrimp into a large mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except 1 of the beaten eggs and the bread crumbs, and fold together gently but thoroughly. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and dip into the beaten egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs. Deep-fry in 350º degree F oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges and more tartar or remoulade sauce for dipping.

4 Servings

Side Dishes Vegetables Vegetarian

Zucchini – Yellow Squash Casserole

Post author By Sharon
Post date October 9, 2011
No Comments on Zucchini – Yellow Squash Casserole

2 zucchini squash – sliced 1/2″ thick and quartered
2 yellow squash – sliced 1/2″ thick and quartered
1/4 onion, diced
salt and pepper
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
6 oz pimento cheese spread
1 egg
1 6 oz. box stuffing mix
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Place squash and onion in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup water, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain off water, reserving 1/2 cup.
In a bowl, whisk together the soup, reserved water, cheese and egg. Stir in the stuffing mix and the drained squash. Spread evenly in 2 qt casserole dish. Top with Panko bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Rice Sausage

Sausage Jambalaya

1/2 pound sausages, sliced and browned

1 cup chicken broth

2 (14 oz.) cans canned stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup red and yellow bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

2 cups instant rice

Add all ingredients to a large pot. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the rice, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

4 Servings

Main Dish Seafood

Salmon with Sesame Glaze

4 salmon fillets

1/4 cup salad dressing, sesame and ginger

1/4 cup salad dressing, French

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the fillets in baking dish. Top with the dressings. Bake until flaky – about 15 minutes.

4 Servings

Main Dish Seafood

Salmon or Crab Cakes

1 (14 oz.) can salmon, bone and skin removed – may use crab meat for crab cakes

2 tablespoons red or green bell peppers, diced

2 tablespoons onions, diced

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup soft bread crumbs

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, (optional)

dash salt and pepper

Mix together all ingredients. Fry in skillet in just enough oil to cover bottom until browned on both sides. Can also be deep fried like hush puppies. Yummy with cocktail sauce or lemon juice.

4 Servings

Main Dish Turkey

Rosemary Turkey with Mushrooms

Post author By Sharon
Post date October 7, 2011
No Comments on Rosemary Turkey with Mushrooms

1 pound turkey breast tenderloin slices, all visible fat removed

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Vegetable oil spray

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

8 ounces chanterelle or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

1/4 cup chopped shallots or onion

Fresh rosemary (optional)

Rinse turkey and pat dry. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together broth, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Set aside. Spray a large skillet with vegetable oil. Place over medium-high heat. Add half the turkey to hot skillet. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until turkey is tender and no longer pink. Repeat with remaining turkey. Remove skillet from heat; remove turkey from skillet and keep warm. Add vinegar and rosemary to skillet, stirring to scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Return skillet to heat and add mushrooms and shallots or onion. Over medium heat, cook and stir until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir broth mixture and add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Serve sauce with turkey. Serve on a bed of rosemary if desired

4 Servings

Chicken Main Dish

Roasted Chicken

4 pounds chicken, whole roasting

2 tablespoons oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove giblets from chicken, rinse inside and out. Pat dry with paper towel. Rub with oil and salt & pepper. Place on roasting pan breast side up. Bake uncovered for 23 minutes per pound of meat.

8 Servings

Main Dish Turkey

Roasted Stuffed Turkey

One 18-pound fresh turkey

About 12 cups of your favorite stuffing (see note below)

3 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 cups homemade fat-free turkey stock, as needed

Gravy

4 3/4 cups homemade fat-free turkey stock, as needed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water (optional)

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Remove turkey from refrigerator several hours before cooking. Position a rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat to 325ºF. Reserve the turkey neck and giblets to use in gravy or stock. Pull out the pads of yellow fat at both sides of the tail and discard. (These are sometimes already removed by the processor, so don’t worry if they aren’t present.) If desired, rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat the turkey skin dry. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Using a thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the turkey’s neck skin to the back. Fold the turkey’s wings akimbo behind the back (the tips will rest behind the turkey’s “shoulders”) or tie to the body with kitchen string.

Loosely fill the large body cavity with stuffing and cover the stuffing with a small piece of aluminum foil. Place any remaining stuffing in a lightly buttered casserole, cover and refrigerate to bake as a side dish. Place the drumsticks in the hock lock or tie together with kitchen string. Brush the turkey all over with the butter. Mix together the salt and pepper and season the turkey all over. Tightly cover the breast area (but not the wings) with foil. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of turkey stock into the bottom of the pan.

Roast the turkey, basting all over every 45 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan (lift up the foil to reach the breast area), until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh (but not touching a bone) reads 180ºF and the stuffing is at least 165ºF, about 4 1/4 hours. (See estimated roasting times below.) Whenever the drippings evaporate, add broth to moisten them, one cup at a time, as needed. During the last hour of the roasting time, remove the foil and baste at least once to allow the skin to brown.

Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand at least 40 minutes before carving (it will not cool off; this allows the hot juices to retract back into the turkey meat), which gives you plenty of time for making the gravy and for finishing any other last-minute dishes.

To make the gravy, use a rubber spatula to scrape the pan juices from the roasting pan into a fat separator, leaving the browned bits in the pan. Let stand 5 minutes; then pour off the dark brown drippings into a 2-quart glass measuring cup; reserve the clear yellow fat in the separator. Add enough stock to the drippings to measure 5 cups.

Place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat. Measure 1/4 cup of the reserved fat and add to the pan. Whisk in the flour (a flat “roux whisk” works best to reach into corners) and let bubble for 30 seconds. Since this is a reduced amount of flour and fat, it won’t coat the entire pan so try to concentrate the ingredient to one part of pan to prevent the flour from scorching. One cup at a time, whisk in the stock mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking often, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until reduced to about 4 cups, about 3 minutes. For a thicker gravy, whisk in the cornstarch, but keep in mind that as the gravy cools, it will also thicken, so it might not be necessary.

Strain through a coarse wire sieve into a bowl. Taste; season with the salt and, if desired, pepper and rosemary. Transfer to a warmed sauceboat.

Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

18 Servings