SZECHUAN CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

Alyssa and I had this for lunch today and LOVED it!. I actually threw it together on Sunday so today was easy. The first time I made it I thought it was way too hot. This time I didn't use the szechuan sauce and just added about 1/4 cup of a low salt Chinese stir fry sauce that I had in the fridge. I'm always substituting! I also used leftover chicken so I just diced the chicken and added it to the veggies and spices. That made it real easy. So today, I just heated up some and then we rolled it in lettuce leaves like egg rolls. It was so good and also healthy.

Spicy Szechuan Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup shredded daikon radish
2 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup bean sprouts
3 stalks (1/2 cup) scallions
1/4 cup Szechuan sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, for frying
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon, juiced
1 head Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions
Split boneless chicken in half. If too thick, pound out to make thinner.
In a medium bowl, mix together radish, carrots, bean sprouts, and scallions. Add Szechuan sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together five-spice, cayenne, salt and pepper. Season chicken breasts lightly with rub. Cut the chicken into strips.
In a large skillet over high heat, add the grapeseed oil. Once hot, sear the chicken breasts for 4 minutes on each side. Add butter and lemon to pan and baste the chicken for another minute. Remove chicken to a platter to let cool. Once cooled, dice or shred the chicken.
Place a spoonful of the vegetable mixture and the shredded chicken onto each leaf of lettuce. Roll and serve.

WHO DAT~ POBOY!

In honor of The New Orlean's Saints playing in last night's SuperBowl, we decided to support them by having Shrimp PoBoys for dinner. They were delicious! Alyssa even commented that "these taste better than the ones we had in New Orlean's"! I don't know about that but hey, i'll take the compliment! The recipe is from Tyler Florence. It calls for Shrimp AND oysters but we passed on the oysters. We also had the Sweet Potato Matchsticks on the side. That recipe is also below. I did all of the prep work before the game. At 1/2 time, I made the shrimp and matchsticks.

Shrimp and Oyster Po' Boys
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Po Boys
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
24 medium-sized oysters, shucked
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons hot sauce, plus more for sandwich
2 cups fine ground cornmeal
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne
Peanut oil, for deep-frying
Kosher salt
2 soft sub or hoagie rolls
Creole Mayonnaise, recipe follows
Finely shredded iceberg lettuce
Tomato slices
Lemon wedges

Directions
In a large bowl, soak the oysters and shrimp in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce for 20 to 30 minutes. In a shallow dish, whisk, together the cornmeal, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne.
In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 375 degrees F.
Drain the oysters and shrimp and toss them in the seasoned cornmeal. Working in batches, fry the oysters and shrimp until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with salt, to taste.
Split the rolls and smear with Creole mayonnaise. Line with plenty of shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Top with fried oysters and shrimp. Cut each roll into 2 to 3 pieces. Serve with hot sauce and a wedge of lemon.

Creole Mayonnaise (Remoulade): (I cut in half which was still too much!)
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup roughly chopped cornichons
1 tablespoon creole mustard
2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Yield: about 3 cups

Sweet Potato Matchsticks
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Po Boys
Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (2)
RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(2)
Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
Peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
3 to 4 sprigs rosemary
3 to 4 sprigs fresh sage
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 to 6 cloves garlic, separated but unpeeled
2 to 3 large sweet potatoes
Cajun Seasoning, recipe follows

Directions
Begin by putting the oil, herbs and garlic in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Bring the oil up to 365 degrees F, then remove the herbs and garlic with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. They should be nice and crackly at this stage. Reserve for garnish.
Using a mandoline, cut the sweet potatoes into matchsticks. Put in a large bowl of ice water to remove any starch. Soak for a few minutes and rinse with fresh cold water until it runs clear. Drain the matchsticks and pat dry in a kitchen towel, to remove as much water as possible. Fry in 365 degree F oil, in small batches, until crispy and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to paper cones, resting in cups, and season with Cajun spice mix. Peel the garlic cloves and sprinkle over the matchsticks along with the fried herbs before serving.
Cajun Seasoning:
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

TOMATILLO SALSA

Today I decided to make my favorite Tomatillo Sauce. I could just eat this by the spoonful! I use it for when I make my Chicken Enchilada's in Tomatillo Sauce. To make my life easier, I make the sauce one day, the chicken another day (sometimes using leftover chicken) and throw it all together on the day I want to serve it. The sauce freezes very well also. So today is all about the sauce. I will post the enchilada recipe at the bottom though even though it's already on the blog, but hard to find.

We start with one of my favorite fruits, the Tomatillo. It's related to the cape gooseberry and NOT the tomato like it sounds. It has a husk, which must be removed before cooking. I roast the tomatillo's, onions, garlic, jalapeno's and I also add some red peppers.

When it's finished roasting, I throw all of the veggies and the juice that came out of them into a food processor. I then all the rest of the sauce ingredients and I end up with a beautiful, tasty and HEALTHY sauce!

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence


Directions
Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:
Ingredients
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, storebought
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 large flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream
Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the salsa:
On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
Enchiladas:
Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

PASTA PIE from THE NOBLE PIG...

I made this BEAUTIFUL Pasta Pie last night for dinner. PJ took one look at it and said that I have too much time on my hands! Little did he know, but this was soooo easy to make! I cheated and added a jar of ready made sauce to the browned beef. Other than that, I followed the directions to a T.

Pasta Pie

From The Noble Pig

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 pound rigatoni

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 can (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes

Butter, for pan

Salt

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. I used the back of a wooden spoon and just poked around!

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. That step is VERY important if you want your masterpiece to stay together!

Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold. Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

For step by step pictures of this, go to the Noble Pig...

http://noblepig.com/2009/03/18/when-the-moon-hits-the-sky.aspx

HOT & SOUR SOUP

Last night I made an Asian dinner. It included Hot & Sour Soup. I found a recipe online that sounded good so that's what I used. It was really good but needed some more HEAT and actually some more SOUR! But the overall flavor was very good. Instead of me tweaking the flavors, I let PJ and Alyssa adjust it to their liking any way they wanted. Alyssa used Sweet Chili Sauce that was actually spicy! She had 3 or 4 bowls of the soup!!!
It wouldn't be typical Lynn if I followed the recipe without making some changes so I'll post them in RED.

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

(makes enough for 4 light meal sized servings, I doubled it! )

Ingredients:

6 dried tree ear mushrooms (also known as wood ear mushrooms) I didn't used either of these mushrooms but substituted about 2 cups of chopped shitaki mushrooms

6 dried black mushrooms

8 dried lily buds (otherwise known as golden needles)skipped these

1/2 cup bamboo shoots

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar I didn't have that so I increased the rice vinegar

4 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon oil

4 ounces pork loin (optional, cooked and shredded) I skipped the meat

4 cups Asian chicken stock (or chicken stock or vegetable stock)I used Veg Stock

1 package tofu (cut into small pieces)

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

1 teaspoon black pepper (ground)

1 teaspoon white pepper (ground)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons chili oil (to taste) oops... I didn't see that!

1 tablespoon chili sauce (to taste)

4 green onions (sliced)

Directions:

1. Soak the tree ear and black mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them. didn't do

2. Soak the lily buds in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them. didn't buy them

3. Cover the bamboo shoots in water, bring to a boil, drain and shred. I just opened the can, rinses them and cut them julianne style

4. Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt and sugar in a bowl.

5. Mix the cornstarch into the water in a bowl.

6. Heat the oil in a large pot.

7. Add the pork, tree ear and black mushrooms, lily buds and bamboo shoots and saute for a minute.

8. Add the broth and tofu and bring to a boil.

9. Add the vinegar mixture and the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.

10. Pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream while stirring the soup.

11. Stir in the peppers, oils and chili sauce.

12. Serve garnished with green onions.

Tonight I made Louann's recipe for
French Cream of Onion Soup Shots with Bacon Swizzle Sticks.
This is a very FUN to serve recipe! Besides that... It was delicious!!! I took this picture before we actually ate dinner with what I think is a sherry glass. I don't have shot glasses and didn't want to ask Alyssa where her's are! I served them then in soup crocks because we wanted a lot! PJ had 3 BOWLS of it! The picture doesn't do it justice!!!
The recipe is VERY easy and uses basic ingredients. The bacon is really a great addition to this soup.


FRENCH CREAM OF ONION SOUP SHOTS W/ BACON SWIZZLE STIX

3-4 onions, sliced
4 TBSP Butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. broth (any kind; vegetable, beef, chicken)
2 c. milk
3 egg yolks lightly beaten
1/4 c. heavy cream (can substitute fat free 1/2 & 1/2)
1/2 c. grated parmesan or swiss cheese

In a large saucepan, saute' sliced onions and cook gently in butter until tender and golden. Sprinkle with the flour. Add broth and cook for about 20 minutes. Strain or puree in a blender, working in small batches. Return to the saucepan. Stir in the milk. Add a little of the pureed mix to the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate; but not scramble the eggs! Add mixture to the soup and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until thickened. Stir in cream and cheese. Serve in "shot" glasses with Bacon Swizzle Stix as a garnish.

BACON SWIZZLE STIX

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 ts. cinnamon
24 slices of bacon (I only got to use 8 slices for some reason!)
24 wooden skewers, soaked in water
Broiler pan

Preheat oven to 350. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Lay strips of bacon flat (wax paper is a good idea) and rub with 1/2 of the sugar mixture. Turn over and repeat with the remaining sugar mixture. Wrap each piece of bacon tightly around a skewer. Transfer to a broiler pan (do not use a cookie sheet, it will NOT work. ** See note at bottom) Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer bacon to a wire rack. These can be served warm or at room temperature. Arrange on a napkin - lined dish... which I didn't do.
** I used a cookie sheet that had a wire cooling rack on top of it. I haven't used my broiler pan in 5 years and I'm NOT about to start now! This method worked out fine. I think you need the air distribution from the top and underneath to make the bacon crispy.
ENJOY!!!

Long Point's White Chicken Chili

We got this recipe from Long Point Winery during the Cayuga Wine Trail Holiday Shopping Spree. It's really good and comforting, even though it's ugly to look at! Sometimes I make the chicken and onions on one day and the next day I finish the recipe.

Long Point's White Chicken Chili

4 (15 oz) cans of white beans, rinsed
2 lg onions, chopped
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 1/4 cups light half and half
1 ts. Tabasco
2 ts. chili powder
2 ts. ground cumin
1/2 ts. salt
1/2 ts. pepper
2 (4 oz) cans of chopped mild green chilis
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
some extra butter and oil to cook them in
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Heat skillet over moderately high heat and put some butter and oil in it. Meanwhile coat your chicken w/ salt, pepper and chili powder. Throw them in the skillet and leave them for about 5 minutes, or nicely browned, then flip them. Cook until they are done.

2. Remove chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers or pulled apart with 2 forks. Set aside.

3. While waiting for the chicken to cool, cook the onion in the same pan with 2 TBSP. of butter until softened.

4. In a heavy pot, melt the remaining 6 TBSP of butter over moderately low heat. Gradually whisk in flour. Cook the roux and stir constantly for about 3 minutes.

5. Stir in the onions and gradually add the chicken broth and half and half, whisking the whole time. Bring mixture almost to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened.

6. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add beans, chilis, chicken and cheese and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.

7. Add sour cream. May be served immediately but better on the second day.

8. Serve with the usual chili garnishes... cilantro, cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, scallions etc.
Enjoy!