Chickpea & Pomegranate Dip

Chickpea & Pomegranate Dip
From Small Bites

Makes about 1 cup
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cans (14oz/400g) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds, (I like to toast them first and slightly bash them in a mortar & pestle – that would be any heavy object in a bowl if you don’t have a real one)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 red chili peppers, deseeded & finely chopped (I used 1 Jalapeno pepper, but here’s where you add the amount and type of heat you want)
5 oz/150g feta cheese, crumbled
2+ tbsp pomegranate molasses/syrup

Pita chips (there is a recipe in the book as well –p217, but I just used some multigrain tortilla chips)

Directions:
1. Place chickpeas/garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor and pulse just until coarsely crushed. Taste to see if you need more garlic or lemon juice.

2. In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, mint & chopped peppers and set aside.

Two ways to serve:
1. Individual bites on a platter: place pita chips or multigrain tortilla chips and top with a spoonful of chickpea mixture. Sprinkle with a little toasted cumin seeds, onion, herb & pepper mix, top with crumbled feta and then drizzle with some pomegranate syrup.

2. Bowl of dip surrounded by chips: Take a large platter and place a bowl of chickpea mixture in the center surrounded by chips (pita, tortilla or whatever you favor). Top as above, adding more “toppings” as needed.

Pasta with Sweet Fennel Sausages & Digby Sea Scallops

Pasta with Sweet Fennel Sausage & Digby Sea Scallops

Prep/Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
½ box (10oz/300g) long pasta, I used good quality pappardelle – just can’t remember the brand
1 tbsp olive oil
3 sweet fennel Italian sausages
1 tbsp butter
1 cup cremini mushrooms sliced
1 lb/450g large Digby sea scallops
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
Splash of Zinfindal or white wine
Handful of baby arugula leaves

Directions
1. Cook the pasta in salted water in a large Dutch oven as per package directions.

2. In the meantime, in a large skillet, pan grill the sausages over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and slice in ½” rounds. If not cooked through, return to the pan until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl.

3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to the fat in the skillet, and add the mushrooms. Cook until golden over medium high heat (4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and toss for another minute or two. Add to the sausages.

4. If needed, add a little more olive oil to the pan and sauté the scallops, wine and lemon juice over high heat, turning once. They only need 2-3 minutes per side. Add the sausage mixture just to heat through. Note: this step should be done when the pasta is almost done so that neither the pasta or the scallops are overcooked.

5. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving dish. Add the scallops and sausages, top with a heaping handful of arugula and toss. Taste for seasoning – you might need more lemon juice or chili pepper flakes.

Porcini Tortelloni with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

Porcini Tortelloni with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce
This recipe comes right off the package of President's Choice Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni, my favorite store bought fresh pasta.

Prep time: as long as it takes to boil water
Actual cooking time: 2-3 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 package Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni (I'm sure any fresh pasta would work with this simple sauce)
2-3 tbsp butter
3 fresh sage leaves, whole
Freshly grated Parmesan
Salt & Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil

2. Add pasta to the boiling water gently and cook for 1-2 minutes and drain.

3. In the meantime, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the sage leaves and allow the butter to brown slightly. Remove the sage leaves after 30 seconds or so.

4. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, toss and transfer to a serving bowl.

Add grated cheese, salt & pepper and serve.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Blueberry Corn Muffins
From AMA Family Health Cookbook That's all that was left by the time it took to get my camera out!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 18-20 minutes
Makes 12

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup all purpose white flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (I used coarse ground)
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen (do not defrost first) blueberries
1 egg
4 tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola)
½ cup honey
½ cup milk (I used 1%, book used skim)
1 tsp sugar (I really didn’t measure, just a pinch or so per muffin before going in the oven)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and lightly oil muffin tins.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the blueberries and toss to coat with the flour mixture.

3. In a small bowl, whisk egg with oil until smooth. Whisk in honey and milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring gently so as not to mash the blueberries.

4. Spoon into prepared muffin tins (I use an ice cream scoop) and then sprinkle each muffin top with a little sugar.

5. Bake until the muffins are golden. Tester toothpick should come out dry and clean. Usually about 15-18 minutes.

The recipe says they freeze for up to two weeks. I dare you to actually have enough left from a batch to make it to the freezer!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough II

Rustic Whole Wheat Pizza Dough II
From The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

I do need some help trying to get this to be a thin crust pizza...so experts out there...what do I need to do????


Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Bread machine time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Baking time: 15-18 minutes
Makes 1 thick – 2 thin crusts

Ingredients: Make sure you place the ingredients in the order given. This recipe is for a medium loaf which for my bread maker means 1½ lb (680g) loaf
1 1/3 cup water 80°F/27°C (warm)
¼ cup olive oil
2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1½ cups bread flour
2½ tsp bread machine yeast (or 2 tsp SAF yeast)

Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients – IN ORDER into the bread machine. Select Dough setting and press start. (My machine takes 1 hour 20 minutes).

2. I used a ceramic pizza stone for baking in the oven. It needs to preheat at 400°F/200°C for 15 minutes so timing is everything.

3. On a lightly floured surface, for a thin crust divide the dough in half….stretch the dough to a bit smaller than the circumference of the pizza stone.

4. Bake on the lower shelf until the edges brown and the cheese melts (15-20 minutes). Remove the stone with oven mitts, place on the tray and bring it to the table.

If you’re not using a pizza stone, I would still preheat the pizza pans to give the crust a really good crispiness.

Toppings are up to you...this one....Sweet Italian fennel sausage turned into tiny meatballs, sauteed before adding to the toppings, Italian salami, thinly sliced mushrooms & onions sitting on tomato sauce made simply with tomato paste, touch of sugar, splash of balsamic vinegar, pinch of red chili pepper flakes, dash of dried oregano and minced fresh garlic, all covered with some grated Mozzarella. My Honey's meat lover favorite.

Cilantro Walnut Pesto

Cilantro Walnut Pesto
From The Healthy Kitchen (seen here on Roasted Butternut Squash Soup)

Hands-on time: 5 minutes

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp cider vinegar
¼ cup water

Directions:
1. Finely grind walnuts in a food processor.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Taste for seasoning.

Store in the fridge in a tightly covered container. Excellent as a dip, spread or dollop in your favorite mild soup, like the Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
From The Healthy Kitchen

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 30-40 minutes
Final cooking: 5-10 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large Butternut squash (about 2½ lb/1kg) or any other winter squash, peeled, seeded & cut into 2” pieces
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3-4 large cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
2 tart, firm apples, peeled, cored & quartered
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & red chili powder (I used Aleppo chili pepper) to taste
4-5 cups vegetable broth

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven to 400°F/200°C and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, garlic and apples with olive oil, salt & chili powder.

3. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes (until all the vegetables are tender and lightly browned), stirring two to three times during the roasting.

4. Put the vegetables in a large Dutch oven with 4 cups of broth and puree using an immersion blender (other option to puree is to put half the veggies in a food processor with 2 cups of broth, pulse until pureed and transfer to the pot…repeat with the rest of the veggies and broth).

5. Bring to a simmer and taste for seasonings. If the soup is too thick, add more broth.

Serve with a dollop of Cilantro Walnut Pesto and some crunchy multigrain bread or multigrain scones.

Hawaiian-style Kalbi

Hawaiian-style Kalbi
From Saveur

Prep time: 5 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour on counter or 24 hours in fridge
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 2-4 (depending on your appetites and what you serve it with)

Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 ¼ cup light brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce (quite salty, so you might want to reduce the amount)
¼ cup water
¼ tsp crushed red chili flakes
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 (2” piece) peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped

3 lb/1.3 kg pork baby back ribs, (the recipe calls for pork, but beef ribs would work, but given the thickness, might need longer, slower cooking with reduced temperature and only really hot oven for the last 15 minutes or so) I used pork and cut the ribs into 3-4 rib portions…easier to store in fridge, faster to cook.

3 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced for garnish (I naturally forgot)

Directions:
1. Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade and bowl large enough for the ribs or pour into large resealable ziplock baggie. Add the ribs and toss well to coat with the sauce and marinate either on the counter for an hour or in the fridge overnight. The latter is always my preference. It gives the marinade time to really do its magic.

2. About one hour before serving, preheat the oven to broil 450°F/230°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Add the ribs, bone side up. Roast for 20 minutes before turning. Baste with more marinade and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes. The ribs will be crispy and dark…and so delicious.

Note for beef ribs: this is just from my head, so I need to really try it out and give exact timing.
I think short ribs cut across the bone thinly…also known as Miami style would work brilliantly and only need 4-5 minutes per side under the broiler.
I would try larger, meaty beef ribs similar to pork, but with the oven set at 400°F/200°C for 30 minutes, turn the ribs, baste and continue for another 20 minutes. Raise the temperature to 450°F/230°C for the last 10 minutes – only if the ribs need more crisping.

3. In the meantime, using a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the marinade to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until thick and syrupy.

4. Brush the ribs with the marinade occasionally, once they’ve been turned meaty side up.

Place the ribs on a serving platter and sprinkle with sliced scallions.

Because the meat is so flavorful, simple steamed rice and stir fried greens would be fantastic as sides.

Chef Craig's Root Vegetable Tart

Chef Craig’s Root Vegetable Tart
From Fresh & Local

(Ruth's note: I must, must, must make this again - the aroma while baking was awesome, but I need to really slice the veggies as thin as possible. Mine were way to thick and didn't hold together once I unmolded. That said, it was a very tasty roasted vegetable toss that was perfect with simple roasted salmon and would be with any other lightly seasoned roasted meat or chicken.)

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Roasting time: 2 hours

Serves 6-8
Ruth’s notes: perfect dish for a pot luck or buffet spread – the wow factor is awesome and the taste…delicious. I used a large springform cake pan for even easier unmolding, but it did leak a bit....thank goodness for using foil to line the baking sheet it baked on)

Ingredients:
1 small turnip (about 1¼ lb/675g)
2 sweet potatoes (I used one large one)
1 medium sized celery root (that’s that ugly looking knotted root that tastes a little like celery – no kidding, and quite peppery and so good, you won’t believe you’ve never used it before)
4 parsnips (I used 3)
4 carrots
½ lb/225g salted butter (several pats per layer - I used 1/3 lb)
2 cups cranberries (I used frozen)
1 cup onion, finely minced
¼ cup chicken or beef stock (I used chicken, and vegetarians…I’m sure vegetable broth would be fine)
Salt & freshly ground pepper (a little for each layer)
¼ cup fresh sage leaves, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

2. Peel all the vegetables and slice into large rounds or ovals about 1/8”/2mm thick (too bad I didn’t wear my glasses – I sliced them ¼- ½ “.) It would have been prettier if each slice were thinner and I think it would have held together better. No glasses plus my mandoline decided it was too old to slice through really tough root vegetables…oh well...it still tasted wonderful and the aroma while it was baking...phenomenal!)

3. Line a large casserole dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit exactly. (I used a large spring form cake pan for easier unmolding). Rub paper liberally with butter.

4. Layer the vegetables starting with the largest slices of sweet potatoes. This will actually be the top when unmolded and the orange color will be spectacular. Try for a pretty overlapping pattern – would have been easy if I actually had sliced them thin enough. Alternate types of vegetables, but in two of the layers add cranberries and the minced onions along with a drizzle of stock. Season each layer with some salt & pepper, sprinkling of fresh sage and a few pats of butter. The last layer (which will be the bottom) should be turnip as the larger pieces will provide more stability when plated.

5. Set another piece of buttered parchment on top of the turnips. Using another casserole dish, slightly smaller than the first weight the tart. I placed all this on an aluminum foil lined rimmed baking sheet for easy clean up.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour. Remove the second casserole dish and parchment paper and bake for another hour. The tart is ready when a knife goes through the center with ease. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before unmolding.

7. Unmold the tart carefully onto a cutting board. Chef Craig suggests slicing into pieces 3”/7.5cm square. They can be reheated before serving.

Empanadas de Pino

Empanadas de Pino
Recipe from my daughter Sharron's Chilean friend taken from a google search

Note: Chile has much higher elevation than Toronto, so cooking is different; the person who made them used a recipe taken from a Google Search, so timings might be off; a lot of conversation and taking notes, meant some key elements might be missing...like exactly how many are in a batch, and what temperature/time it takes to make them.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: (Filling - 15-20 minutes; empanadas - 30-60 minutes)
Makes more than 1 dozen, less than 2 dozen

Ingredients:
Filling:
4 large eggs, hardboiled
1 large onion, diced
2 large packages ground beef (maybe 2lb/1 kilo total)
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 350 ml hot water
paprika, chili flakes, oregano and salt to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced

Dough:
4 heaping tbsp’s Crisco (actually she used soup spoons)
2+ cups hot milk (really she used a teacup)
1 large tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
pinch or two paprika
8 cups + white flour
2 egg yolks

1 more egg yolk to mix with water for basting the empanadas before baking

Instructions
For the filling:
(Don’t start the dough until the filling is totally done.)
Fry the onion in olive oil on med-hi heat until golden. Add some chili flakes to the onions as they cook. When the onions are soft and translucent, add the beef, break it up and turn heat down to med-low. Add the garlic, a bunch of salt, lots of dried oregano and the beef broth, stir and let it cook, covered, until the beef is cooked through. Add 3 or 4 heaping tbsp’s white flour and stir it in to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat and allow to cool (actually by the time you've kneaded the dough, the filling is cool enough).

Start the dough:
1. Melt the Crisco in a small pot over med heat. Put the 8 cups flour on a flat working area, mix in the baking powder, salt and paprika and form a bowl shape in the middle of the mound.

2. Heat one cup of milk and pour it along with the melted Crisco into the mound of flour and mush it around with your hands. Add 2 egg yolks and another cup of hot milk.

3. When it’s solid enough, start kneading, adding more milk and flour as needed. When it’s nice and firm (this could take a while), break off manageable pieces at a time and start rolling it out quite thin (3mm? maybe thinner). Keep what you’re not rolling wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it moist.

Baking the empanadas:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C degrees. (Maybe try 400F/200C. Cony’s recipe was 350 for 30-40 minutes and they were nowhere near ready. We turned the heat up and baked them an extra half hour.)

2. Use a small plate to cut out rounds of dough. Peel the boiled eggs and cut them into quarters. Take one round, roll it out a tiny bit. Put one quarter egg, one whole olive (with pit), and a big spoonful of the meat mixture. Keep a cup of warm water nearby to moisten the edges with your fingers. Fold it over and press the edges to seal them, pinch, fold over and pinch again.

3. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Keep going with the rest of the filling and dough rounds. Baste with milk and egg yolk mixture.
Bake until golden (30-60 minutes?)

Serve with Pebre (a delicious, spicy condiment)

Pebre also excellent on grilled meat, chicken & fish

Ingredients
2 peeled tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 tbsp chopped cilantro, chopped fine
1 jalapeno chopped finely
½ tbsp salt
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp oil

Directions:
Mix it all up and serve it as a condiment for empanadas

Roasted Garlic & Cremini Mushroom Pappardelle with Roast Chicken

Roasted Garlic & Cremini Mushroom Pappardelle with Roast Chicken
From Fresh & Local

Hands on time: 30 minutes
Roasting & Soaking time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours

Serves 4 (Chef Craig’s recipe served 8-10, I just halved everything)

Ingredients:
Roasting & Soaking:
1 head garlic
½ tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms
¼ cup sherry
Sauce – part one:
1 small onion, diced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp fresh thyme leaves
¾ lb/350g whole cremini mushrooms
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 cups chicken stock
Sauce – final step:
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp olive oil
8oz/225g sliced cremini mushrooms (I actually found a package of mixed sliced mushrooms)
Meat of ½ small roasted chicken, picked & shredded by hand (You could use store bought bbq chicken but I roasted my own )

1 box pappardelle (250g/8oz)
2 tbsp Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:
Roasting & Soaking: 1 hour
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Rub whole head of garlic with the olive oil and roast for 1 hour. When cool to the touch, use a serrated knife and cut about ¼” from the root end of the bulb. Squeeze the soft cloves into a small bowl, mash with a fork and set aside. Ruth's note: this slow roasting really did caramelize the garlic and kept it soft - I used to roast garlic at higher temperatures, but not any more. Thanks Chef Craig)

2. In a small bowl, soak the dried porcini in the sherry until hydrated and soft (about 1 hour).

Sauce – part one: 90 minutes
1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, cook the onion, olive oil, thyme and whole cremini mushrooms, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.

2. Deglaze the pan with sherry and hydrated porcini mushrooms. Add chicken stock & roasted garlic and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Puree in a blender (I used my food processor) and strain through a chinois or a fine meshed strainer, (I used the back of a wooden spoon to really get a silky smooth finish without losing any mushrooms). Ruth’s note: At this point I realized that we were actually going to eat this the following night, so I stopped here and refrigerated the sauce. Something you might want to consider if you’re doing this for guests, because the last step takes less than 20 minutes.

Sauce – final stage 20 minutes
1. If you are in fact, doing this in two stages, gently reheat the pureed mushroom mixture in a large saucepan. Add cream and set aside.

2. In a large non-stick sauté pan, heat olive oil and sauté the sliced mushrooms until slightly golden. Add the pureed sauce and shredded chicken meat and heat only until the chicken is heated through (about 5 minutes).

3. In the meantime, cook the pappardelle according to directions.

To serve:
Ladle the sauce over the pappardelle, garnish with parsley and grated cheese.

Braised Short Ribs in Sherry

Braised Short Ribs in Sherry
From Bon Appetit March 2009 Issue

Prep time: 20 minutes
Stove top cooking time: 20 minutes
Roasting time: 2 ½ hours
Fridge time: overnight (this sets the flavors and brings easy to remove fat to the surface)
Reheat time: 15-20 minutes on top of the stove

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
5lb/2.2kg meaty short ribs (actually the store only had 1.5 lb, so I used blade steak – good for stew - cut in 2” pieces as well)
Vegetable oil (just enough to coat the bottom during searing and a splash or two for the onions)
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped (BA calls for celery, but since it’s not my fave, I often substitute with fennel which gives a lovely subtle flavor that keeps everyone guessing)
2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and whacked (BA says “pressed” but since I wasn’t sure if that meant put through a garlic press or just pressed by the side of a knife releasing some of the juices)
2 large bay leaves
1 cup medium dry sherry
4 cups beef broth

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/175°C

2. Heat a very thin coating of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, sear the meat on all sides. Remove each batch as it browns and set aside.

3. Lower the heat to medium and add a little more oil to the bottom of the same pot and sauté the onions, fennel and carrots for about 20 minutes. They should be lightly browned. Add the garlic and bay leaves and stir for about 1 minute…just until the fragrance hits you.

4. Place the meat on top of the vegetables and pour the sherry over top. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the beef broth, give it a stir, bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

5. Braise in the oven for about 2-2 ½ hours. The meat should be tender. Remove from oven.

6. Chill uncovered until the stew is really cool and then cover and chill in fridge overnight.

7. Remove from the fridge and remove the layer of fat that has hardened. Reheat on top of the stove over medium-low heat, covered. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes or until meat is heated through.

8. Transfer meat to a platter and keep warm (cover with aluminum foil or place in a warm oven) while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
1. Strain mixture, keeping the liquid and discarding any solids that can't be pressed through the sieve.

2. Return liquid to pot and simmer rapidly to thicken slightly. (This did take more than five minutes.) Taste for seasoning and pour over the ribs.

Great served with mashed sweet potatoes or a mix of potatoes and carrots to sop up the sauce. Some buttered tubular pasta would work too.

Quick Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Quick Chicken Cutlets
Served here with barley & mushrooms

Prep time: 5 minutes
Fridge time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Breading:
¼ cup flour (for a healthier version use whole wheat pastry flour)
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp olive oil
½ cup Panko crumbs
¼ cup coarsely grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
Olive oil for frying
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Butterfly the chicken breasts (lay the breast on a cutting surface, slice almost, but not all the way through the breast, cutting parallel to the board. You will now have double the circumference). Cover with plastic wrap and whack with a heavy mallet or fry pan to flatten the chicken evenly….now you have a cutlet.

2. Bread the chicken pieces… three steps: ...put the flour, paprika and thyme in a zip lock baggie...beat the egg in a small bowl with a little olive oil...mix the bread crumbs and cheese and place this mixture on a plate.

Dust chicken with the flour mixture (I just throw one piece at a time into the bag and shake);
Place the floured chicken in the egg and coat both sides;
Lay the chicken on the Panko crumb mixture and flip, coating both sides well.

3. Place the breaded chicken in the fridge (side by side, not on top of each other) to set the coating for 10-15 minutes (actually you can leave this step for up to a couple of hours).

4. Heat a little oil in a non stick skillet over medium high heat and fry the chicken for 3 minutes or so per side. The outside should be golden and the chicken will lose any pink coloring but still be juicy.

Another option is to forget about butterflying and just cut the chicken into strips. Follow the same procedure and you chicken fingers to die for.

You can serve these with any side dish and a squirt of lemon juice. Or it can easily become Chicken Parmesan with a little marinara sauce and some grated cheese. Just heat the sauce before ladling over the chicken, top it all with the cheese and stick it under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese and give it a golden hue.

Cassata alla Siciliana

Cassata alla Siciliana
From Time Life Foods of the World Series – Cooking of Italy
Note: Patrick, who originally asked for the recipe created a fantastic sounding version using a combo of this and another Italian recipe:
“Cake was a real hit today !!!! Made it for a friend who was celebrating 10 years of sobriety.
( I used juice instead of booze...) I combined 2 recipies. Yours and an Italian one... it had 5 layers... cherries, peaches, dried blueberries, choc chips.... could NOT find dried currants so I used dried blueberries... Made my own pound cake.
Choc Frosting was a combo of the 2. One called for Coffee one for cherry syrup....I USED BOTH !!! Everyone loved it...”

Hands-on time: 15 minutes for filling; 30 minutes for frosting; 5 minutes for assembly
Refrigeration time: at least 2 hours for the first part (although I left the cake with filling overnight before the frosting; at least 8 more hours after frosting.

Serves 6-8 (depending on the size of the pound cake and your appetites)

Ingredients:
A fresh pound cake about 9”long x 3”wide
Filling:
1 lb/450g ricotta cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp Strega (I used Grand Marnier, but any orange flavored liqueur will do)
1 tbsp mixed candied fruit, coarsely chopped
2 oz/56g semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Chocolate Frosting: (this was actually twice as much as I needed for the pound cake I had)
12 oz/340 g semi sweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (melts faster)
¾ cup strong black coffee, hot
½ lb/227g unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces and thoroughly chilled

Directions:
Cake and filling:
1. With a sharp knife, slice the end crusts off the pound cake and level the top if it’s rounded. Cut the cake into horizontal slices about ½” thick. As you can see in the photo, I only got three layers, but you could make them thinner.

2. Rub the ricotta through a coarse sieve into a bowl with a wooden spoon and beat it with a hand-held electric mixer until smooth. Beating constantly, add the cream, sugar and liqueur. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the candied fruit and chocolate pieces.

3. Center the bottom slab of cake in the center of a serving plate and spread the top generously with ricotta filling. Carefully place the next layer of cake over top, keeping sides and ends even and spread more filling. Continue until all the cake slabs are reassembled and the filling used up. (Actually, I had lots left over and perhaps I’ll make some cannoli). End with a plain slice of cake on top. Gently press the loaf together to make it as compact as possible. It will be a bit wobbly, not to worry, chilling firms the loaf. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the filling is firm. (I left it overnight, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap.

Frosting:
1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the hot coffee, constantly stirring until the chocolate has completely dissolved.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the chilled butter, one tiny piece at a time with an electric hand-held mixer. Continue beating until the chocolate mixture is smooth (took quite a while – at least 15 minutes, if not longer…or maybe it just felt like it. I wasn’t timing it).

3. Chill until it’s the right consistency for spreading (I left it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes). Too thick will just crumble the cake, too thin and it will just flop onto the plate.

4. Spread the frosting over the top and sided of the cake. You can decorate with a piping bag, I just did the basics this time. Chill until the chocolate is hard enough to cover with plastic wrap (about 30 minutes) and let it ripen in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving.

Trust me, it is worth the wait!

Moroccan Style Chicken Pie

Moroccan-style Chicken Pie
From Bon Appetit March 2009 Issue
Prep time: 15 minutes for filling; 10-15 minutes for phyllo

Cooking time: 20 minutes for filling (can be made a day ahead);
final baking: 40 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp turmeric
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1½ lb/680g boneless, skinless chicken (they used dark, I used breast meat)
¼ cup raisins, chopped (I didn’t bother with the chopping)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped

Phyllo:
½ cup slivered almonds, ground ( I just bought ground almonds and used a ½ cup or so)
3 tbsp powdered sugar (also known as confectioner’s sugar)
½ tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
10 sheets fresh phyllo pastry (if you’re using frozen, thaw first)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted for brushing

Directions
Filling:
1. Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sauté until tender and translucent (don’t allow to brown) – about 10 minutes. Add cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and saffron and stir for about 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook for another minute or so.

2. Add the broth, stir and bring to a simmer and then add the chicken. Gently simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked through, turning once or twice in the process, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent boiling. (about 20 minutes). Stir in the raisins and set the skillet aside until the chicken cools enough to handle.

3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred coarsely. Return to skillet. If the sauce is thin, continue to simmer uncovered over medium heat until the sauce coats the chicken thickly. Stir in the cilantro and parsley. Taste for seasoning and cool completely before putting together the phyllo pie. The chicken can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Phyllo Pie Prep: Can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated before baking

1. Finely grind the almond slivers (or buy them already ground), powdered sugar, ½ tsp coarse salt, and cinnamon in a mini processor (or use a mortar and pestle…don’t have that…then the back of a spoon) and set aside.

2. Stack 10 phyllo sheets on a cutting board. Invert a 9” deep dish pie plate over the stack and cut around the dish through the phyllo sheets, making 10 rounds. Remove dish and cover the sheets with plastic wrap and/or a slightly damp tea towel so they won’t get dried out and break during the layering process.

3. Brush the pie plate with a little melted butter. Place one phyllo round on a work surface, quickly brush with melted butter and sprinkle a spoonful of the almond mixture. Top with another phyllo round and continue the process until you have a stack of 5 sheets.

4. Carefully transfer the stack of prepared phyllo to the pie plate, spread the chicken mixture evenly on top and repeat the phyllo prep for the last five rounds. Place over the chicken filling and press around the edges. Cut four slits on top to allow steam to escape.

Note: I used some of the left over phyllo to make stacks of leaves to decorate the top and I sprinkled some of the almond mixture on the crust as well.

5. Preheat oven to 375ºF/190°C. Place the room temperature pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup if it should bubble over.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes uncovered until the phyllo is golden and the filling heated through.

7. Cool for 15 minutes and cut into wedges.

I served it on a bed of baby spinach, sauteed first with shallots and then drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar. It was such a hit, I should have doubled both recipes.

Baked Penne with Chicken, Sun-dried Olives & Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Baked Penne with Chicken & Sun Dried Tomatoes & Olives
Adapted from Everyday Food

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes (or until bubbly around the edges and the top is golden)

Rest time: 5 minutes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 box whole wheat penne (375g/ 13oz)
6 tbsp butter (plus a little to grease the baking pan and more to sauté the mushrooms)
Coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
4 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups milk (I used 1%)
10oz/300g mushrooms, sliced (I used a mix of cremini and shitake)
½ cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ cup sun-dried black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1½ cups grated provolone (about 6oz/170g)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 4oz/110g)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and butter a large ovenproof glass or ceramic lasagna pan.

2. Boil salted water in a large Dutch oven and cook the penne until it is not quite al dente. Slightly undercooking is the way to go since the dish will continue to cook and absorb sauce during the baking. I hate mushy pasta on my plate. Drain and quickly rinse under cold water to stop the cooking while you prepare the sauce.

3. In a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat, sauté the chicken until it is no longer pink, (5 minutes per side). Remove to a cutting surface, cut the breasts in half length-wise and cut into thin slices across each half. Set aside. Sauté the mushrooms in a little olive oil and butter and set aside.

4. Using a large Dutch oven (I use the same pot I did for the pasta, just rinsed and dried first), over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the flour and garlic, whisking for 1 minute or so. Continue whisking and add the milk bringing it to a simmer. Add the olives, mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté for another minute for the flavors to come through. Turn off the heat and gradually stir in the grated provolone and half of the Parmesan cheese. Add the chicken, toss and season with salt & pepper. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan over top.

5. Bake for 25 minutes. It’s ready when the sauce bubbles around the edges and the top is golden.

6. Remove from the oven and let it rest, uncovered on the counter/table for 5 minutes. This will let the dish “set” and still be hot.

Serve with a simple green salad. This time I mixed some baby arugula with baby spinach and baby red romaine leaves, added lots of fresh herbs…mint, oregano, parsley and cilantro. The dressing was equal parts balsamic apple cider vinegar and good olive oil, with some lime & honey mustard. And I threw in some dried fruit – blueberries, cherries and mango slivers plus some toasted pecan pieces.

Delicioso!!! Apparently it also freezes well - we, of course ate it all up.