Tag Archives: onion

Recipes - Side Dishes

Chicken & Dressing Again

Unwilling to waste 3/4 pan of good cornbread, and having a stewed chicken, bones shredded of meat, and a gallon of homemade chicken broth in my fridge meant mixing together a casserole dish of Chicken & Dressing for supper tonight.  I was also cleaning my house for three hours, Chicken & Dressing stewing on my back burner, and on each pass through the kitchen on my way to the back porch, I added another ingredient to my counter top and that is how this dish came together this evening. I adjusted the recipe to my ingredients on hand, and their amounts, from the recipe of the same name found in my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook so it is a different recipe altogether. I also used a 2-qt. baking dish, not the larger dish in my cookbook’s recipe.  This is the second time I’ve posted a chicken-n-dressing recipe on my blog, and I made the dish the same  I always do, but since it is also what I cooked today, a smaller version, using ingredients I had leftover or just on hand, this ample dish is worthy of another blog post.  Chicken & Dressing is a dish that easily adjusts to your ingredients and your taste so nothing hard about it.

Day-old cornbread is an essential ingredient here as is the chicken, the chicken broth, and the boiled eggs. I love the addition of the soft celery and chopped onion which add strong flavor. Make sure you really smoosh everything together before scraping into your baking dish. The batter will be wet; that’s fine. Because my chicken had been in the fridge for several days, I simmered it again in its leftover chicken broth before beginning. There’s nothing special called for in this recipe; just make sure you have what you need and get going. Bake the dressing just long enough for a light brown crust to form at the edges, leaving the center moist and creamy.

I like this dish cut in squares and some times served with chicken gravy over the top. Add a salad or steamed-crisp broccoli on the side and you can dig right in within an hour and a half from Step 1. I wish I had my hands on a side dish of the large pot of ham-n-beans I cooked a few days ago but that went to KY and it’s now history, but because beans really are a perfect accompaniment to this dish, tonight i added a side of jazzed-up canned beans on the side and was happy with the substitution.  It’s a supper worthy to be used as a reward for all the hard-at-it housecleaning I did today.  I like, I like!

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, pieces cooked, cooled, deboned, shredded
1-2 stalks celery, sliced in large pieces
3/4 pan prepared cornbread, cooled and crumbled
3 eggs, boiled, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups homemade chicken broth (or 1-2 cans chicken broth)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Poultry seasoning to taste, optional

Directions Preheat oven to 350. Cook chicken breasts in water and the canned chicken broth (add 1-2 cubes of chicken bouillon if desired), with celery, until tender. Do not over cook or the chicken will get hard. When tender, drain. When cool, shred the chicken and coarsely chop the celery. Combine with other ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir to blend all ingredients; mixture will be a little wet. Scrape into a lightly greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake 45 minutes or until set. Cool slightly then cut into squares to serve.

Share
Recipes - Entrees

Chicken Long Rice

One of my favorite Hawaiian dishes.  Traditionally found on all lu’au plates, Chicken Long Rice, is rich with broth containing four ingredients: the broth, chopped onion, chopped cooked chicken, and broken threads of soaked long rice.  If only I had poi, I would indeed feel I was enjoying a neighbor’s backyard lu’au table!

Even though long rice is one of the main ingredients, and because I don’t have Kalua Pork, Poi, or Lomi Salmon, I made this dish my entree tonight and served it over a bed of short-grain rice.  That means double the rice for this haole girl and so ono and satisfying it is!  I like my long rice served with plenty of broth and two kinds of onion: round onion for flavor in the broth and green onion for garnish on individual servings.

This recipe, found in my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook has a quick prep and since today I used chicken breast tenderloins, prep time was quicker by 30 minutes.  Chicken thighs are listed on my cookbook recipe and they work  well too.  Drain the chicken if using thighs, cool, remove the skin and bones and shred or chop well.

Cook your rice on the side, in your rice cooker if you have one, while the long rice dish sets and mellows for 30 minutes then spoon the long rice mixture over the rice in your bowl, garnish with snipped green onion tops and enjoy!  This dish is hearty with flavor that will remind you of homemade haole-style chicken noodle soup, and you will find that it will please your every taste bud.  Aloha!

Chicken Long Rice

Ingredients

1-(8 oz.) pkg. long rice
8 pieces chicken thighs
2 quarts water
2 T. salt
1-1/2 T. ginger root, grated
1 medium round onion, chopped
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon Hondashi
2 cans chicken broth
3 stalks green onions, chopped

Directions Soak long rice in a bowl of water for 20 minutes then cut 3-4” lengths; set aside. Place chicken in a large pot; add the water, salt, and ginger and bring to a boil. Skim off excess fat, lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and remove chicken, reserving broth. When chicken has cooled enough, remove skin and bones and shred or chop the chicken; set aside.

To the saved broth, add the chopped onion, bouillon cubes, Hondashi and the chicken broth in saucepan. Bring to a boil and add long rice. Lower heat and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Stir in chicken and heat briefly. Before serving, garnish with the green onion.

Cook’s Note: Hondashi is a Japanese seasoning.  If you can’t find it, you can use additional chicken bouillon cubes.

Share
Recipes - Entrees

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Although this dish from my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook is a good choice for any day, it is an especially great choice for a very cold and snowy day! My original Plan A was to prepare this dish yesterday but once the weather man mentioned we could expect 3-6″ of snow today, I switched to Plan B.  What could warm a snowy day more than paprika-seasoned chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts?  I cooked a pot of my treasured short-grain rice to accompany this dish though you might find mashed potatoes or a loaf of crusty French bread most enjoyable sides as well.

This dish has hardly any prep at all.  Only trim the stem ends of your Brussels sprouts and halve them, or quarter them if they are very large, mince the garlic and slice a lemon and you’re practically there! Today I cut the sprouts in half since the chicken thighs were very large and I didn’t want the sprouts to finish roasting before the chicken.   Make the seasoning  early and rub it on the chicken so that it has time to thoroughly flavor the meat and then pop all in the oven for 30-45 minutes and you’re done.  If you use smaller thighs, they will need less time.  Today, I let everything roast for 45 minutes.

My local market doesn’t carry shallots so I substituted an onion; I used Hungarian paprika which is more on the hot (and not the sweet) side and it provided the tang in this dish along with the slices of fresh lemon.  Both flavors complement the sprouts; the chicken roasts up in the seasoning rub, resulting in the most tender and flavorful pieces.  There is enough olive oil on both the sprouts and in the rub so that you have plenty of juice to flavor either rice or mashed potatoes if you prefer them. The recipe offers a great alternative to boiling or steaming the sprouts and the seasonings produce sprouts bursting with flavor.  This is definitely a one-pot meal with the cook needing only to prepare a salad or starchy side dish for a well-rounded, delicious, supper.  You will find that is warming  and flavorful and really perfect for a late winter snow day!

Paprika Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1 lb. Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered, if large)
4 small shallots, quartered if available; if not, use a medium onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
3 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. smoked paprika, sweet or hot
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 large, or 8 small, bone-in chicken thighs (2-1/2 lbs.), skin removed

Directions Preheat oven to 450, positioning rack in lower third of oven. Combine Brussel sprouts, shallots (or onion, chopped), and lemon with 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet such as a jelly roll pan. Mash garlic and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt with the side of a large knife to form a paste. Combine this garlic paste with the paprika, thyme, the remaining 1 T. oil and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over the chicken. Nestle the chicken in among the Brussel sprouts. Roast on the lower rack until the Brussel sprouts are tender and the chicken thorough cooked, at least 20-25 minutes. Pierce chicken with a fork; if the juices run clear, it is finished. The Brussel sprouts will brown, roasting as they bake.

Share
Recipes - Entrees

Chicken Cacciatore

This old recipe of mama’s, found in my “Missouri to Maui” cookbook, is a fine winter supper! I posted this recipe here several months ago but the photo was  junk and it didn’t show what a tender and juicy dish this really is. I have rice cooking now, for me, because I enjoy this dish over a bed of white rice (Mahalo, Nanea, for the gifted short grain rice you sent; I’ve saved a stash of it for a dish with a plentiful gravy or sauce!) My valentine will get garlic toast with her serving later tonight as mama isn’t a rice fan like I am. This dish is great also for serving with skillet cornbread with sauce  just made for bread or rice for sopping up every spoonful.

Because I am saving the chicken breasts for another use, I used just six pieces of chicken today. The meat comes out fork-tender flavored a little spicy with stewed tomatoes, white wine, and just a dash of red pepper. Mama will say that her “mouth is hot and too much pepper” but I make this with the amount called for in the recipe and love the boost of  the 1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes.  The tang only complements the  rice or bread you serve it with. My chicken today had the skin on and I cooked it that way; you can remove the skin if you want or use skinless boneless chicken breasts.

You will need your high-sided electric skillet for easy sautéing of the vegetables and having plenty of room for the chicken to cook evenly. I adjusted the temperature down  and cooked it only 35 minutes after adding the chicken back to the skillet since I had no really thick pieces.  Serve it warm with plenty of sauce.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

1/4 cup cooking oil
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or pieces
1/2 cup flour
2 cups onion, sliced in chunks
1/2 cup green pepper, sliced 1” pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-(15 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained, snipped smaller
1-(8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt

Directions Heat oil in large electric skillet set on medium heat. Rinse chicken; dry with paper towels, then coat with flour. Brown chicken in hot oil until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to plate and set aside. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring, over medium heat until tender. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, red pepper and salt. Stir well. Return chicken to skillet, spooning some of the sauce on top of each piece. Cover, reduce heat and simmer approximately 45 minutes; add water or white cooking wine if sauce becomes dry. Serve warm with hot rice, cornbread or toast.

Share
Recipes - Soups, Stews, & Chowders

Beef Stew

It took all of ten seconds to decide on today’s post. With weather forecast for temperatures to “climb” barely above freezing, beef stew was the only option. Double checking with mama on what she might enjoy for her “after supper snack” tonight, her eyes lit up when I mentioned beef stew and cornbread, so I knew I was on the right track. There isn’t a dish more warming than flavorful stew with a slice of crusty cornbread even if you are planning to wash it down with a big glass of cold milk! Winter wonderland indeed!

The secret to a good beef stew is in the long slow cooking. You want your stew meat tender enough to cut with a fork and your vegetables just tender. Today I did dust my meat with a little seasoned flour, shaking it up in a paper sack with salt and pepper before browning it; this enhances the flavor of the beef and provides extra richness to your broth. Some cooks add stewed tomatoes, some add peas or substitute turnips for the potatoes, some enhance the broth with cooking wine and all of those options are fine; the dish is versatile enough to make the stew your own by adding vegetables and flavorings of your choice. My beef stew is a basic “Missouri-winter-stick-to-our-ribs” dish that is simple and full-bodied, with broth just made for sopping with your cornbread. Don’t over cook your vegetables or allow them to become mushy; 25-30 minutes is fine, over low heat, to soften them. You will need to add more water or beef stock once you add your vegetables; use only enough to create the amount of broth you want.  You can also adjust the amount of the flour-water mixture you add at the end and thicken the broth to your own liking.

If you’re as country as we are, you’ll want to save a slice of that cornbread for crumbling into a cold glass of your left over buttermilk for ‘smooshing up’ and eating with a spoon long about midnight; always one of my mom and daddy’s favorite snacks! As with most soups and stews, this one tastes even better the next day if you have any left.  You will have to give a few hours to tending it, but you can then enjoy it for several meals.

Beef Stew

Ingredients

1 T. cooking oil
1 lb. boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1” pieces
1 large potato, peeled, cut into 1 1/2’ pieces
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1” pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup cold water
2 T. flour
1-2 tsp. fresh parsley, snipped

Directions In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides. Add the water, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. Add more water or beef broth until you reach the amount of gravy you want. Cover; cook another 30 minutes or so until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. In tightly covered jar, combine cold water and flour and shake well to blend thoroughly; gradually stir mixture into the stew. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir 1 minute more until thickened. Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh parsley.  Serve piping hot.

Share