Chicken And Dumplings-A Blast From The Past

I’ve never made dumplings. I have fond memories of ones my mother made and served in her beef stew. They probably were made with Bisquick and I loved them. Maybe my recollection is jaded, but I remember them being light and fluffy and not at all heavy. Would my attempt measure up?

What got me thinking about dumplings was Tyler Florence’s Family Meal. Chicken and Dumplings is most definitely a family kind of meal and perfect for a wintry Sunday supper. You can prepare the chicken and broth ahead of time and the dumplings come together in a snap making this a great dish to prepare for guests. Oh and by the way, the dumplings were as good as my mom’s!

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Stock

1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
6 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt
4 to 5 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virigin olive oil
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper

Rinse the chicken and discard the giblets. Place the chicken, 2 bay leaves, garlic head, thyme sprigs, peppercorns and a large pinch of salt in a large, heavy pot and cover with water. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours or until the chicken is tender, skimming the surface several times.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and strain the stock, discovering the solids. Pull the chicken into big pieces and discard the skin and bones.
Measure out 6 cups of stock, reserving the rest for another use.

In a Dutch oven add the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the celery, carrot, garlic, bay leaves and cook stirring until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and whisk until combined, then continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the peas and the pearl onions and simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and the shredded chicken and bring to a simmer.

Dumplings

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. In a small bowl lightly beat the eggs, buttermilk and the chives together. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and fold together gently, mixing just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very soft.

Using 2 spoons, carefully drop heaping tablespoons of the dumpling batter into the hot chicken mixture. The dumplings should not be touching or crowded. Cover the pot and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are firm and puffy and cooked through. Season with freshly ground pepper. Spoon the chicken, dumplings and sauce into a shallow bowl to serves. Serves: 4 to 6

Buckle Up!

You may be asking “what exactly is a buckle?”. I know I was a bit confused about the differences between a buckle, a cobbler, a crisp, a crumble and a pandowdy. Luckily the book “Rustic Fruit Desserts” by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson has all the answers and is chock full of fruity recipes.

When I think of desserts featuring fruit my mind turns to summer and baskets of ripe peaches and plums and all sorts of berries. As I began thumbing through this book I initially thought there wouldn’t be any recipes that I would be interested in at this time of year. Well, I was wrong. The book is divided into seasons and the section on winter lists nearly as many recipes as the one for summer.

I admit that it was the photo of the Cranberry Buckle with Vanilla Crumb that induced me to give this recipe a go. Cranberries seem like such a Thanksgiving thing to me that I rarely think about using them at other times of the year. Luckily I had some in the freezer, left over from when I made a batch of my favorite cranberry sauce.

As for the definition of a buckle: it has a cake batter poured in a single layer, with berries added to the batter. Once baked, the cake has a “buckled” appearance.

Cranberry Buckle with Vanilla Crumb

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for pan
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of one orange
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup Vanilla Crumb

Vanilla Crumb (makes 2 cups)

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine the flour, sugars, salt and butter in food processor or by hand using a fork or a pastry blender. If using food processor, pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Drizzle the vanilla extract over the crumbs and mix to distribute.

Use 1 cup for this cake and store remaining cup and keep in freezer for another cake or crisp. (Crisp or crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a streusel topping, traditionally made with butter, brown sugar, flour and spices)

For the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9″ square baking pan.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Using a handheld mixer, or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and orange zest together on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Stir the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fold in 1 cup of the cranberries.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Distribute the remaining 1 cup of cranberries over the cake and sprinkle the crumb topping over the cranberries.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm on top. Serves: 8-10

Roast Chicken With Tuscan Chard

This recipe has been in my file for years. Every time I go in search of some other recipe, I stumble upon this one and think that at some point I will actually try it. Well, tonight’s the night. I had the chicken and the ricotta and only needed to head to the market for some chard. I love chard. We eat a lot of it during the winter and so it seemed like the perfect addition to our roast chicken supper. It’s not that you’ll need a certain type of “Tuscan Chard”, rather the preparation is Tuscan-inspired.

Roast Chicken With Tuscan Chard

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil
1 small bunch swiss chard, leaves only, coarsely chopped
Salt & freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
.
Melt the butter and add olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chard and basil and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta, chard, egg, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using your fingers, gently loosen the chicken skin from the breast meat. Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip and fill the bag with the ricotta stuffing. Pipe the stuffing under the breast skin of the bird. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season inside and out with salt and pepper. I like to fill the cavity with half a lemon and a few cloves of garlic. Tie the legs together.

Arrange the chicken breast side up in the roasting pan and roast for about 1-1/2 hours or until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serves: 4

Your Very Own Breadsticks

Even if you aren’t much of a bread baker, I guarantee you that this will be one recipe that you’ll be able to pull off. I was looking for a little something to serve with prosciutto and remembered these breadsticks. I love good Italian prosciutto and had dreams of wrapping the paper thin slices around these grissini (breadsticks) and serving them with drinks before dinner.

The grissini really are a snap. I had only made them once before and my memory was that they didn’t take much effort or time. The one thing I did notice both times was that the dough didn’t seem to rise much during the hour that I set it aside, but it didn’t seem to matter. You mix the dough, let it rest for that hour and then form the breadsticks and pop them into the oven. They are best served the same day, but if you do need to keep them overnight, you’ll need to crisp them briefly in a warm oven.

As for wrapping the slightly salty prosciutto around these sesame coated sticks, well that didn’t happen. When I ordered the prosciutto at the local Italian deli they told me that they had to open a new one. I was fine with waiting around until they did that, however I ended up with slices were too small to use with the breadsticks. It didn’t really matter-they were delicious on their own.

Sailing Down Memory Lane

Don’t laugh. I love the movie (from 1994) “Only You” with Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei. I can’t remember the first time I watched this film, but it was before I had ever been to Italy. The story is endearing, but it was the scenes of Italy (Venice, Tuscany, Rome and Positano) that won me over. I fell hard and fast, especially for Positano and started formulating plans to get there.

We finally made it to Italy and after a few trips to the holy trinity (Rome, Florence and Venice) planned time in Positano. After a visit to Calitri, the homeland of my grandparents, we boarded a ferry in Salerno and off we went to Positano. The day was perfect. The sun was shining, temperature about 70 degrees and the seas were calm. The water was a color that I can’t even describe and I was in heaven and couldn’t believe where we were or where we were headed. The guy next to us spilled his beer onto my bag and all I could think was “I’m going to Positano!”.

Yes, this is the view from our room. I was delirious from the moment I opened the door and stepped into the room. It really was a beautiful space, but it was the view, yes my view that won me over. We had a patio with a lovely sofa, but it was being able to lie in bed and look out over the sea that really did it for me. It was as if I was the only person to ever stay in this room, gaze out from the balcony and behold this piece of paradise.

I watched “Only You” again last night. I felt the same sense of wonder about the beauty of Italy as the first time I saw this film. There was Positano in all its glory, only now I can say “yes, it’s perfect, when can we return?”.

My Personal Stockpile Of Pollen

Many months ago back in the height of summer, I set off down the street to pick some wild fennel, which grows in my neighborhood. It wasn’t the first time that I picked some of this fragrant plant, but this time I went out more than once and brought home a few big bundles. I was on a quest to harvest fennel pollen and I knew from my previous attempts that you need more than you think to end up with an amount you can actually do something with.

Fast forward to yesterday when I finally decided to get the pollen off the branches. I’ve had this big pile of dried stalks sitting on parchment paper in my office (I also have tubs of olives brining in there) since July. They’ve been dry for a long time but I just couldn’t seem to bring myself to attack them.

I set up a little area on the floor and quickly realized that I was making a mess and moved the operation outside onto the patio. There I was leaning over the stalks trying to shake the pollen off. It’s not as easy as you might think and I now know why fennel pollen is so expensive to buy. I was out there for what seemed like forever, crushing the little yellow flowers onto a piece of parchment. As you can see from my photo I still need to pick out some of the stems. Talk about tedious work…

The first time I did this I ended up with about two teaspoons, at most. This time I have about 1/4 ounce. I’m thrilled and am thinking of how I’ll use it. Tonight we’re having Chicken with Fennel and I just may sprinkle a little of this fairy dust over it. I know for sure that I will use it on my next Porchetta roast which may be just around the corner. Imagine the panini we’ll have with the leftovers!

I’m already thinking of next summer’s harvest. Want to come over and help? I promise to feed you afterwards.

Spring In Tuscany-Cook With Panini Girl In Lucca

Win Friends With Crab Cakes

My love affair with crab cakes began back when I was in college. Living in Baltimore provided ample opportunity to dine on Maryland blue crabs and I probably had my first crab cake at one of my favorite weekend destinations-Lexington Market-the historic food emporium located downtown. The market houses not only vendors selling fish, meat and produce but also an incredible variety of prepared foods. No matter what I else I bought, I always ended up up with a crab cake in hand.

I’m a long way from Baltimore now but my crab cake obsession is still going strong. I’m always tempted when I see them on a restaurant menu, but more often than not, I end up being disappointed-too much filler and not enough crab. Now when I have a craving I whip up a batch crab cakes from the first Barefoot Contessa cookbook. These are the crab cakes of my dreams-mostly crab and little else, just the way I like it. I’m telling you-make these for your next dinner party and you’re guests will be clamoring for another invite!

Crab Cakes (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
1/2 cup small-diced celery
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 large eggs, beaten

For Frying

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Place 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, red and yellow bell peppers, celery, parsley, capers, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl break the crabmeat into small pieces. In another small bowl mix the beaten eggs with the mayonnaise and mustard and mix well. Add to the crabmeat, toss and then add the 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and mix. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Shape into small patties-about 20.

Heat the butter and the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Spread the remaining breadcrumbs on a plate. Dip each crab cake into the breadcrumbs to coat. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with a remoulade sauce or keep warm in a 250 degree oven.

Eat Your Potatoes!

This pizza couldn’t be simpler and I think it’s my new favorite. I make the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge to rise, but you can certainly buy your dough. Maybe it’s the fontina cheese (it’s worth looking for Italian fontina) or the crispy pancetta, but this pizza really is a winner.

As for the potatoes, I like to use yukon golds. You can slice them really thin and use them raw and they’ll end up being crispy on top of your pizza. I prefer to parboil them and slice them just a little bit thicker. This way you end up with a creamy tasting potato which paired with the fontina is delicious!

To assemble:

Scatter shredded fontina over your crust
Cover with your sliced potates
Cube some pancetta and fry in a little olive oil until crispy
Toss pancetta over pizza
Finish with chopped fresh rosemary

I really recommend using a pizza stone. I recently purchased a second one, which makes it a lot easier when we have guests over for pizza night. Preheat your oven with the stone inside at 500 degrees for at least 1/2 hour. Bake your pizza for about 10 minutes.

Want to come over for pizza some time?

Ringing In The New Year With A Chocolate Tart

Every December I am the lucky recipient of a box of books thanks to from my great friend J., who is in the business. It’s typically a mix of novels and cookbooks and when it arrives I can’t wait to rip it open, eager to devour each and every book.

This year one of the cookbooks was Tyler Florence’s Family Meal. The book is divided into three sections: Eating At Home (Me and My Family), Eating Together (My Friends, Neighbors and Extended Family) and Eating Out (My Favorite Restaurants). It took a while for me to get used to looking for a dessert recipe and finding it in the beginning of the book, but that’s my only gripe. The photos are gorgeous and certainly entice you to try the recipes.

It didn’t take me long to decide that the Chocolate Tart from the “Easy Dessert” section would be the first recipe that I made. It’s no secret that I’m a fool for chocolate and since I was searching for a dessert that wasn’t very complicated to serve at our New Year’s luncheon, this seemed like the perfect choice.

I must confess that I was taken aback when I saw that the crust was made with melted butter, as I’ve never made one like that. Then I remembered my hesitation with the olive oil crust for Erbazzone and decided that this probably would be just as easy as that turned out to be. I have to say although the crust was simple to assemble, it tended to crumble when I attempted to move it to the tart pan. The good thing is that it’s a forgiving crust and patching it once in the pan wasn’t a problem.

Chocolate Tart

Shortbread Crust

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
2 cups all purpose flour

1 egg white, slightly beaten

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and add both sugars, and stir to combine. Stir in the flour, form into a disc and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough (I like to roll it between 2 pieces of parchment) to a 12″ circle. Carefully roll the dough onto the rolling pin and lay it over a 9″ tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough evenly into every nook and cranny of the pan. Trim off the excess dough with a knife. * I found there to be a lot of extra dough and you can roll this into a log, freeze and slice thinly into rounds and bake them at 325 for quick cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put the tart pan on a sturdy baking sheet so it will be easy to move in and out of the oven. Line the shell with aluminum foil and add pie weights (I use dried beans) to keep the sides of the tart from buckling. Bake the tart for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil and the weights. Use a pastry brush to coat the shell slightly with a thin layer of egg white. Return to the oven and bake for another 8 minutes, or until a golden color. Set aside to cool and lower the oven to 325 degrees.

Filling

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
8 ounces excellent-quality chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten

Combine the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan and heat over medium-low until the mixture just simmers slightly around the edges. Take the pan off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until it’s good and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add the eggs and whisk until completely blended.

Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is set and the surface is glossy. If the surface cracks, take the tart out right away-it means it’s beginning to overcook. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with plenty of freshly whipped cream! Serves: 6-8

Good Bye Old Friend

The New Year is upon us. Out with the old, in with the new. I’ve never been one for resolutions, but I have been known to make lists of all the recipes I’d like to try in the upcoming months. I’m still uncertain as to what will be at the top of that list, but the one thing I am sure about is that I’ll be retiring my favorite apron. This is the apron that has seen me through countless hours in the kitchen and hundreds of recipes. The apron that has saved my tops and blouses from my spills and splatters. I have no recollection of exactly when I started wearing this apron, but as you can see by the frayed fabric, it was quite some time ago.

I do remember that this apron was a gift from my friends L & B. The front of it bears a recipe for biscotti from Maida Heatter, the queen of dessert cookbooks. Maybe they gave it to me along with one of the many cookbooks that I’ve received from them over the years. I have other aprons, but I only seem to wear them when this one is in the wash. I don’t really want to say good bye, but it’s time. So long old reliable. I’ll miss you but I have your replacement ready to go!

*I decided that I’d check the label before buying a new one, since this one held up so well for so many years. The apron was made by Chefware and I am happy to say that there’s a new one hanging on the hook next to the fridge. Oh, and by the way I’m not tossing this one-I’ll be wearing it on laundry day!