Wednesday Recipes

Enjoy!

CHICKEN-TARRAGON POT PIE

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “This recipe, which is adapted from ‘Julia and Jacques at Home’ by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin and was featured in a New York Times article about roast chicken, makes delicious use of leftovers (it would be excellent with the Thanksgiving turkey remainders as well). It is rich, but packed with vegetables. You can substitute dried tarragon for fresh, but use less than a tablespoon, and season to taste.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

This was originally featured in “In Quest of the Perfect Roast Chicken” and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Scant 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 egg

For the Filling:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup thinly sliced leeks

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 cup frozen baby green peas

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 cups leftover roast chicken, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Preparation

To make the crust, combine flour, butter, shortening, salt and sugar in a food processor. Pulse together just until the mixture is crumbly and butter is broken into small pieces. Pour 1/3 cup ice water into the machine, and pulse 3 or 4 times. Squeeze a little dough in your hand to see whether it clumps together and is evenly moist. If not, add another tablespoon of water, and pulse 1 or 2 times more. Don't overmix so that the dough forms a ball.

Turn out dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Lift ends of plastic to gather dough together inside. Press into a large disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.

To make the filling, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, leeks and tarragon, and cook, stirring, just until slightly softened but not browned (reduce the heat if necessary to prevent browning), about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl, wipe out the skillet, and place it back on the stove.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and melt over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking, until the mixture bubbles and smells cooked. Do not let it brown. Whisk in 2 cups broth, and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in cream, and cook 2 or 3 minutes, just until thickened. Add salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in remaining broth.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add cooked vegetables and peas, chicken and sauce to 8-inch deep pie dish or other baking dish, mix gently, and taste for seasoning.

Flour a work surface. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out the dough, turning and flouring often, and cut a shape approximately the size of your baking dish plus 1 1/2 inches overlap all around.

Roll dough up onto the rolling pin, and unroll over dish, so it rests evenly on top of filling. Fold the edges under and crimp. Poke tip of knife through crust to create 3 vent holes near the center. Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of cold water. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the entire crust with egg wash. Place on cookie sheet, and place in oven.

Bake 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling through vents. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

ALMOND CAKE

This is from Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “This moist and fragrant cake from Molly Wizenberg, the author of the popular food blog Orangette, calls for a whole orange and lemon, almonds and olive oil. It does require a little effort and the use of some equipment – a food processor and a mixer – but the ingredient list is short, and once you've boiled and puréed the citrus and ground the almonds, the whole thing comes together in a snap. It's excellent on its own, but we also like it with poached pears or grilled figs.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Feast in a Day”, and can be viewed online by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 small to medium orange

1 lemon

6 ounces raw almonds

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

Confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle position. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse them in a food processor until ground.

Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half, and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half, and discard seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes, unmold and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

ESPRESSO ALMOND SMOOTHIE

This recipe and the next (Cherry Chocolate Bowl) are from the June 2016 issue of Runner’s World. The recipes begin, “The caffeine in coffee, tea, and even chocolate can do more than energize your day—it can boost your workout by reducing perceived exertion. So it’s good news that the newly released 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans give the go-ahead for most adults to consume 400 milligrams caffeine daily, or the amount in three to five cups of coffee.

“It’s also good news that Runner’s World now has its own coffee for sale. Check out the medium-roast Runner’s World Blend or the light-roast Runner’s World Marathon Blend.”

Both of these recipes can be found here.

This recipe begins, “Almonds, in any form, can help propel your distance workout.”

Ingredients

1 sliced frozen banana

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbsp. cooled espresso

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. almond butter

Instructions

Blend 1 sliced frozen banana with 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 Tbsp. cooled espresso, 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 Tbsp. almond butter. Makes 1 cup.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 228; Protein: 5 g; Carbs: 32 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 15 g; Total fat: 11 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 131 mg

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BOWL

This recipe begins, “Vitamin C–rich cherries get their dark red color from disease-fighting antioxidants.”

Ingredients

1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup defrosted, unsweetened cherries

2 Tbsp. dark chocolate shavings

Honey or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

Combine 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup defrosted, unsweetened cherries in a bowl. Top with 2 Tbsp. dark chocolate shavings. Stir in honey or maple syrup, if desired. Makes 1 serving.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 219; Protein: 14 g; Carbs: 25 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 21 g; Total fat: 7 g; Saturated fat: 4.5 g; Sodium: 45 mg

ULTIMATE NACHOS

Another recipe that has been kicking around my computer. After checking, I found the recipe on the Ro-Tel website; the recipe can be found here. It makes about six (6) servings, using 1 cup chips with topping each, and is 316 calories per serving. Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Extra lean ground beef

8 oz. Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 oz. Tortilla chips (about 7 cups)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

1 can (10 oz) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained well

Directions:

Brown meat in medium skillet; drain.

Microwave Velveeta in medium microwave-safe bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until completely melted, stirring after 30 seconds.

Place chips on large platter; top with Velveeta, meat and remaining ingredients.

BARBECUE SAUCE

This comes from a long-since-forgotten-email-list.

1/2 cup Karo light or dark corn syrup

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup prepared mustard

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In 1 1/2-quart saucepan combine Karo corn syrup, onion, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Stirring frequently, bring to boil. Reduce heat; boil gently 15 minutes or until thickened. Brush on chicken, ribs or beef, turning frequently, during last 15 to 20 minutes of grilling. Heat remaining sauce to serve with meat.