Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed your time with your families! I had a great Christmas and unfortunately have ended it with a cold. I wanted some comfort food and this one has always been like a warm hug on a cold day. Aunt Maryann has been making her chicken and rice for as long as I can remember. It's famous in our family! It's not the Spanish chicken and rice that probably comes to mind. This is another one of those red sauce dishes that my family loves. It's also one of those dishes that is great the next day (just don't heat it in the microwave, it makes chicken taste funny) and I even love it room temperature. Add peas to it if you'd like to add some color or maybe some chopped parsley for a little pop. Aunt Maryann doesn't do that but she said it would be acceptable. You can use the entire chicken for this recipe but I've been removing the back and the wings and freezing it for stock. There isn't too much meat there and it will serve me better when I make soup. The only additions I made were adding about 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 frozen basil cubes because I like to see the specks of color throughout the dish and I use a whole onion. Here is Aunt Maryann's recipe as she gave it to me.
Aunt Maryann’s Chicken and Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 – 16 oz. can Delmonte tomato sauce
1 can water
1 whole chicken cut up and cleaned
½ medium size onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 cups white rice
4 cups warm water
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a Dutch Oven heat oil and brown chicken. Remove chicken and set aside.
Lower flame and Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
Add s, and one can of water (from the delmonte sauce) and stir. Add cheese salt and pepper, stir well. When sauce reaches a simmer return chicken to the pan and make sure it is covered with the sauce, cover with lid. Let the sauce cook for ½ hour.
Add 4 cups of water to sauce and let it come to a boil. Add ½ tsp of salt or to taste. Add white rice, stir frequently. Let cook until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked approximately 30 minutes.
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed your time with your families! I had a great Christmas and unfortunately have ended it with a cold. I wanted some comfort food and this one has always been like a warm hug on a cold day. Aunt Maryann has been making her chicken and rice for as long as I can remember. It's famous in our family! It's not the Spanish chicken and rice that probably comes to mind. This is another one of those red sauce dishes that my family loves. It's also one of those dishes that is great the next day (just don't heat it in the microwave, it makes chicken taste funny) and I even love it room temperature. Add peas to it if you'd like to add some color or maybe some chopped parsley for a little pop. Aunt Maryann doesn't do that but she said it would be acceptable. You can use the entire chicken for this recipe but I've been removing the back and the wings and freezing it for stock. There isn't too much meat there and it will serve me better when I make soup. The only additions I made were adding about 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 frozen basil cubes because I like to see the specks of color throughout the dish and I use a whole onion. Here is Aunt Maryann's recipe as she gave it to me.
Aunt Maryann’s Chicken and Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 – 16 oz. can Delmonte tomato sauce
1 can water
1 whole chicken cut up and cleaned
½ medium size onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 cups white rice
4 cups warm water
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a Dutch Oven heat oil and brown chicken. Remove chicken and set aside.
Lower flame and Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
Add s, and one can of water (from the delmonte sauce) and stir. Add cheese salt and pepper, stir well. When sauce reaches a simmer return chicken to the pan and make sure it is covered with the sauce, cover with lid. Let the sauce cook for ½ hour.
Add 4 cups of water to sauce and let it come to a boil. Add ½ tsp of salt or to taste. Add white rice, stir frequently. Let cook until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked approximately 30 minutes.
It's time for another recipe chosen for Bakespace's Coast to Coast Cooking! This time we chose Paella which can be made in so many ways to please all palates. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that Steve and I are the rare few Italians that do not like seafood. We like fried calamari and sushi and I'll eat tuna salad but that's about it. So my version of paella contains chicken and chorizo. It's very similar to arroz con pollo but the chorizo gives it a totally different and fabulous flavor.
I learned a few things while researching paella recipes and ingredients. There are different types of chorizo, raw which is like Italian sausage, dried which is like soppresatta. They come hot and mild, portugese, spanish, etc. I used dried spanish sausage called Palacios. In my area this can found at Kings Supermarket, Wegmans Supermarket and Fairway Market. I used one package of it which I think was only about 1/2 pound. It's less than the recipe called for but was so flavorful that I don't think I would have needed any more. The rice that should be used is a short grain spanish rice called Bomba or Valencia. I could not find this anywhere so I used Italian short grain rice called Arborio. This rice is usually used for risotto. I'm not really sure why a long grain rice can't be used for this. I think that it would result in a drier rice which is what I was looking for. Next time, I will try it that way,
The recipe that we used is Paella a la Valenciana. This is a traditional paella recipe that we started with. As always in these challenges, we get to make these our own and change them in any way we see fit. I decided to look for another recipe that doesn't contain seafood and found one by Paula Deen. I followed her recipe and then threw in a chicken breast for Steve and some spanish olives at the end. I didn't use the lemon, I just didn't think I'd want to mask the flavor with lemon. I served this to Steve's family and it was a big hit. I'm glad I got to try this out!
Check out how all the other participants' recipes came out! Spryte and Dani even have guest bloggers who participated in the challenge. Click their links to see them all.
1 pound Spanish style chorizo links, cut into slices on the bias
2 cups short-grain rice (recommended: Valencia or Arborio)
Pinch saffron threads
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
Lemon wedges, for service
Directions:
Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat.
Cook's note: A large cast iron skillet would work here.
Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until browned all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs.
Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo. Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron. Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid. Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.
It's time for another recipe chosen for Bakespace's Coast to Coast Cooking! This time we chose Paella which can be made in so many ways to please all palates. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that Steve and I are the rare few Italians that do not like seafood. We like fried calamari and sushi and I'll eat tuna salad but that's about it. So my version of paella contains chicken and chorizo. It's very similar to arroz con pollo but the chorizo gives it a totally different and fabulous flavor.
I learned a few things while researching paella recipes and ingredients. There are different types of chorizo, raw which is like Italian sausage, dried which is like soppresatta. They come hot and mild, portugese, spanish, etc. I used dried spanish sausage called Palacios. In my area this can found at Kings Supermarket, Wegmans Supermarket and Fairway Market. I used one package of it which I think was only about 1/2 pound. It's less than the recipe called for but was so flavorful that I don't think I would have needed any more. The rice that should be used is a short grain spanish rice called Bomba or Valencia. I could not find this anywhere so I used Italian short grain rice called Arborio. This rice is usually used for risotto. I'm not really sure why a long grain rice can't be used for this. I think that it would result in a drier rice which is what I was looking for. Next time, I will try it that way,
The recipe that we used is Paella a la Valenciana. This is a traditional paella recipe that we started with. As always in these challenges, we get to make these our own and change them in any way we see fit. I decided to look for another recipe that doesn't contain seafood and found one by Paula Deen. I followed her recipe and then threw in a chicken breast for Steve and some spanish olives at the end. I didn't use the lemon, I just didn't think I'd want to mask the flavor with lemon. I served this to Steve's family and it was a big hit. I'm glad I got to try this out!
Check out how all the other participants' recipes came out! Spryte and Dani even have guest bloggers who participated in the challenge. Click their links to see them all.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 chicken, cut legs, drumsticks and thighs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 pound Spanish style chorizo links, cut into slices on the bias
2 cups short-grain rice (recommended: Valencia or Arborio)
Pinch saffron threads
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
Lemon wedges, for service
Directions:
Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat.
Cook's note: A large cast iron skillet would work here.
Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until browned all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs.
Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo. Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron. Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid. Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.
Bonjour! Can you hear it? My Julia Child impersonation? Use your imagination people!
I bet all you foodies out there are psyched about the upcoming movie Julie and Julia. Well I'm not going to brag but.....ISAWITALREADYOHMYGODITWASAWESOME!!!! Okay, Okay, I'll calm down. Well you all know about bakespace already, geez, I tell you about it all the time and if you're new here or if you don't remember, bakespace is a social networking site for foodies like you and me! Well thanks to Sony and our fearless leader, Babette (the founder of bakespace), I won tickets to see the premier of Julie and Julia! There was a contest and I posted about it on facebook and twitter so everyone could participate in the giveaway. So on Tuesday me and a couple of other bakespace members who won tickets headed over to Garden State Plaza in Paramus to watch the movie.
Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.
If you don't have time to watch trailer I'll briefly tell you what the movie is about (without giving anything away of course!). Julie and Julia is a story about Julie Powell, a food blogger who spends a year making every single recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. To read Julie Powell's blog, the Julie/Julia Project click here. Intertwined with Julie's story is the story of Julia Child and how she came to live in France and how she became a chef. Obviously, you all know who Julia Child is (except my father who thought I was going to meet someone from the food network when I told him I won tickets to see Julie and Julia...that's a post for another day!) but the story of Julie Powell is real. She started off without any readers and before you know it she was contacted by publishers, magazine editors and television network producers. It's amazing how that happened. Being a food blogger myself I can certainly relate to everything (well, except the being published part!) and this movie just pulled at my heartstrings. It was fantastic!!!! I loved it!!! Merryl Streep and Amy Adams were fantastic! Have I convinced you yet that this movie was fabulous? Okay, so again, Thank YOU Babette for making this possible! I don't know how I would have held out for two more weeks!
I came out of the theater and I knew I just had to make a recipe from Julia Child's cookbook. I don't own her cookbook and I didn't grow up watching her on television. I've seen an episode here and there but never was interested in french cooking. Good thing because I would certainly be double my size if I was. Yesterday I did a search on the internet for a Julia Child recipe using chicken breasts and I found the following recipe on HGTV's website. Click here to see the article. The dish was delicious and decadent, I really enjoyed it (even though I overcooked the rice - oops) but unfortunately, this will not become part of my regular rotation. It's just way too fattening...almost one stick of butter. The sauce was amazing, I could eat it with a spoon! I used marsala because I forgot to buy madeira but I don't think it made much of a difference. I also forgot the mushrooms! Hopefully Julia Child isn't rolling around in her grave (yes Dad, Julia Child is no longer with us so I couldn't possibly meet her and get some advice like you suggested)! Okay, enough of my babbling...here's the recipe!
Supremes de Volaille a Blanc (Chicken breasts poached in butter)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Knopf, 1961.
Ingredients:
Rice: 1/3 cup finely minced onions 2 tbsp. butter 1 cup raw, unwashed white rice 2 cups chicken stock or broth salt and pepper small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme tied together with white string.
Chicken: 4 thin boneless, skinless chicken cutlets salt, pepper and lemon juice 4 tbsp. butter 1/4 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup diced onions 1/4 cup diced carrots 1/4 sliced mushrooms
Wine Sauce: 1/4 cup white or brown stock 1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth 1 cup heavy cream salt, pepper, lemon juice 2 tbsp. minced parsley
Preparation:
For the rice, cook the onions slowly in the butter until soft. Add the rice and stir over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until rice, which first turns translucent, becomes a milky white color. Then stir in the chicken stock, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the herb bouquet. Stir briefly until simmer is reached, then cover closely and cook at a moderate simmer, about 18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Do not stir rice at all until this has happened. Then fluff lightly with a fork, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. This can be cooked ahead of time and reheated.
For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400. Cook the vegetables in the butter in a fireproof casserole before adding the chicken. Season meat with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Lay over vegetables in one layer in the casserole, making sure the chicken is coated in the butter. Cover the surface of the casserole with wax paper. Place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the meat feels springy when you push on it. Remove from oven and set casserole aside while you prepare the sauce.
For the sauce: Pour stock and wine into a saucepan and boil rapidly until liquid is syrupy. Then pour in the cream and boil rapidly until lightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the casserole and serve with the warm rice.
Bon Apetit!
For a web companion to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, check out Whisk: a food blog.
Bonjour! Can you hear it? My Julia Child impersonation? Use your imagination people!
I bet all you foodies out there are psyched about the upcoming movie Julie and Julia. Well I'm not going to brag but.....ISAWITALREADYOHMYGODITWASAWESOME!!!! Okay, Okay, I'll calm down. Well you all know about bakespace already, geez, I tell you about it all the time and if you're new here or if you don't remember, bakespace is a social networking site for foodies like you and me! Well thanks to Sony and our fearless leader, Babette (the founder of bakespace), I won tickets to see the premier of Julie and Julia! There was a contest and I posted about it on facebook and twitter so everyone could participate in the giveaway. So on Tuesday me and a couple of other bakespace members who won tickets headed over to Garden State Plaza in Paramus to watch the movie.
Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.
If you don't have time to watch trailer I'll briefly tell you what the movie is about (without giving anything away of course!). Julie and Julia is a story about Julie Powell, a food blogger who spends a year making every single recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. To read Julie Powell's blog, the Julie/Julia Project click here. Intertwined with Julie's story is the story of Julia Child and how she came to live in France and how she became a chef. Obviously, you all know who Julia Child is (except my father who thought I was going to meet someone from the food network when I told him I won tickets to see Julie and Julia...that's a post for another day!) but the story of Julie Powell is real. She started off without any readers and before you know it she was contacted by publishers, magazine editors and television network producers. It's amazing how that happened. Being a food blogger myself I can certainly relate to everything (well, except the being published part!) and this movie just pulled at my heartstrings. It was fantastic!!!! I loved it!!! Merryl Streep and Amy Adams were fantastic! Have I convinced you yet that this movie was fabulous? Okay, so again, Thank YOU Babette for making this possible! I don't know how I would have held out for two more weeks!
I came out of the theater and I knew I just had to make a recipe from Julia Child's cookbook. I don't own her cookbook and I didn't grow up watching her on television. I've seen an episode here and there but never was interested in french cooking. Good thing because I would certainly be double my size if I was. Yesterday I did a search on the internet for a Julia Child recipe using chicken breasts and I found the following recipe on HGTV's website. Click here to see the article. The dish was delicious and decadent, I really enjoyed it (even though I overcooked the rice - oops) but unfortunately, this will not become part of my regular rotation. It's just way too fattening...almost one stick of butter. The sauce was amazing, I could eat it with a spoon! I used marsala because I forgot to buy madeira but I don't think it made much of a difference. I also forgot the mushrooms! Hopefully Julia Child isn't rolling around in her grave (yes Dad, Julia Child is no longer with us so I couldn't possibly meet her and get some advice like you suggested)! Okay, enough of my babbling...here's the recipe!
Supremes de Volaille a Blanc (Chicken breasts poached in butter)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Knopf, 1961.
Ingredients:
Rice: 1/3 cup finely minced onions 2 tbsp. butter 1 cup raw, unwashed white rice 2 cups chicken stock or broth salt and pepper small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme tied together with white string.
Chicken: 4 thin boneless, skinless chicken cutlets salt, pepper and lemon juice 4 tbsp. butter 1/4 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup diced onions 1/4 cup diced carrots 1/4 sliced mushrooms
Wine Sauce: 1/4 cup white or brown stock 1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth 1 cup heavy cream salt, pepper, lemon juice 2 tbsp. minced parsley
Preparation:
For the rice, cook the onions slowly in the butter until soft. Add the rice and stir over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until rice, which first turns translucent, becomes a milky white color. Then stir in the chicken stock, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the herb bouquet. Stir briefly until simmer is reached, then cover closely and cook at a moderate simmer, about 18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Do not stir rice at all until this has happened. Then fluff lightly with a fork, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. This can be cooked ahead of time and reheated.
For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400. Cook the vegetables in the butter in a fireproof casserole before adding the chicken. Season meat with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Lay over vegetables in one layer in the casserole, making sure the chicken is coated in the butter. Cover the surface of the casserole with wax paper. Place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the meat feels springy when you push on it. Remove from oven and set casserole aside while you prepare the sauce.
For the sauce: Pour stock and wine into a saucepan and boil rapidly until liquid is syrupy. Then pour in the cream and boil rapidly until lightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the casserole and serve with the warm rice.
Bon Apetit!
For a web companion to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, check out Whisk: a food blog.
This is the second year that I've made Fontina Risotto Cakes for Christmas Eve and everyone loves them. I think this will definitely make it on the menu every year. I found this recipe at Epicurious but I believe the recipe originates from Bon Appetit Magazine. The recipe is almost perfect and I got about 14 little cakes. The only thing that you should know is that it takes a little more time to make the risotto than the recipe says. So you will need a little more chicken broth or stock. I used the stock in the box and used the whole thing. I'm pretty sure that there are 3 cups in there. This is a great appetizer and is excellent for a potluck. I fried them in the morning and reheated them in the oven at my sister's house. They were still crispy and not the least bit soggy. To save time I made the risotto and formed the cakes the night before.
Fontina risotto cakes with fresh chives
Bon Appétit | December 2004
Makes 10 servings
3 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons arborio rice 1/4 cup dry white wine 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided 1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese (about 2 ounces) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 large egg yolk 2 large eggs Canola oil (for frying) Additional grated Parmesan cheese Fresh chives
Bring 3 cups broth to simmer in small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm. Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Add broth, 1/3 cup at a time, and simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more, and stirring often, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in 6 tablespoons Parmesan and butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread risotto in 13x9x2-inch pan and cool completely.
Mix 1/2 cup panko, Fontina cheese, parsley, chopped chives, and 1 egg yolk into risotto.
Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; flatten to 2-inch rounds. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Preheat oven to 250°F.
Set another rimmed baking sheet in oven. Beat 2 eggs in shallow bowl to blend. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow bowl. Dip risotto cakes into beaten egg, then into panko to coat. Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to coat bottom; heat oil over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, sauté risotto cakes until crisp and brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Serve risotto cakes sprinkled with cheese and garnished with chives.
Test-kitchen tip: These cakes owe their delicate, crisp coating to panko, which have a coarser, lighter texture than regular dried breadcrumbs.
This is the second year that I've made Fontina Risotto Cakes for Christmas Eve and everyone loves them. I think this will definitely make it on the menu every year. I found this recipe at Epicurious but I believe the recipe originates from Bon Appetit Magazine. The recipe is almost perfect and I got about 14 little cakes. The only thing that you should know is that it takes a little more time to make the risotto than the recipe says. So you will need a little more chicken broth or stock. I used the stock in the box and used the whole thing. I'm pretty sure that there are 3 cups in there. This is a great appetizer and is excellent for a potluck. I fried them in the morning and reheated them in the oven at my sister's house. They were still crispy and not the least bit soggy. To save time I made the risotto and formed the cakes the night before.
Fontina risotto cakes with fresh chives
Bon Appétit | December 2004
Makes 10 servings
3 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons arborio rice 1/4 cup dry white wine 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided 1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese (about 2 ounces) 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 large egg yolk 2 large eggs Canola oil (for frying) Additional grated Parmesan cheese Fresh chives
Bring 3 cups broth to simmer in small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm. Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Add broth, 1/3 cup at a time, and simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more, and stirring often, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in 6 tablespoons Parmesan and butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread risotto in 13x9x2-inch pan and cool completely.
Mix 1/2 cup panko, Fontina cheese, parsley, chopped chives, and 1 egg yolk into risotto.
Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; flatten to 2-inch rounds. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Preheat oven to 250°F.
Set another rimmed baking sheet in oven. Beat 2 eggs in shallow bowl to blend. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow bowl. Dip risotto cakes into beaten egg, then into panko to coat. Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to coat bottom; heat oil over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, sauté risotto cakes until crisp and brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Serve risotto cakes sprinkled with cheese and garnished with chives.
Test-kitchen tip: These cakes owe their delicate, crisp coating to panko, which have a coarser, lighter texture than regular dried breadcrumbs.
My mom has always been my biggest fan and supporter and I haven't given her any credit yet on my blog. Sorry Mom! My mother has a great love for food and unfortunately had to deal with picky children and a picky husband for many years! Sorry Dad (but when are you going to eat like an Italian?!?!) lol When I was a child there were many things I refused to try but my mom was always there encouraging me to taste new things. I got there eventually and now the tables have turned. Now it's me helping my mom to explore her palate...but this is not a fight like it was for me! I can always count on my Mom to sample a new recipe I've made, cook with me, clean up after me and basically be whatever I need her to be in the kitchen. In fact, I hate that she is so far away (1 hour!) and rarely gets to taste my food anymore. (I'd like to think I've gotten much better!)
I've tried making stuffed peppers many different ways, some that I love, some are just okay and some will stay with me forever. This recipe is one of those. My mom's recipe for Stuffed Peppers is one of the first things she ever taught me to make. I've made some very minor tweaks which has only improved (not changed!) Mom's recipe.
So here it is! You're going to love this one! It's like a big meatball stuffed inside a pepper!
Here is my Mother's recipe and below are the additions I have made.
Mom’s Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
6 red peppers 2 lbs. ground veal, beef or meatloaf mix 1 egg locatelli cheese, grated approx. ¼ cup dried parsley garlic pepper 1 cup cooked white rice salt 1 can crushed tomatoes
Mix veal, parsley, egg, salt garlic, cheese and rice. Wash peppers, cut off tops (save for another time), fill peppers with meat mixture. Put peppers in a chicken fryer, pour tomatoes on top of peppers and around them. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook on stove top until peppers are cooked approx. 1 hour. Serve with Rice and peas.
Serves 6
After washing the peppers and removing the tops, I make small cut on the bottom of the pepper. This keeps the peppers upright and provides a hole for the sauce to go into. Be careful not to cut off too much because we don't want the filling to fall out, just enough space for the sauce to get in. I also sprinkle the inside of the peppers with kosher salt and little fresh black pepper.
I saute one onion and 3 cloves of garlic in a small frying pan. Once onions are softened and garlic is cooked (not browned) I set it aside to cool. This gets added to the meat mixture.
Once peppers are stuffed I put a little extra virgin olive oil in the pan and saute the peppers on all sides for a few minutes, until the skin blisters. I saw this done on a cooking show and it really does add some additional flavor.
Other than those few things I do exactly what the recipe says and they really were delicious!
My mom has always been my biggest fan and supporter and I haven't given her any credit yet on my blog. Sorry Mom! My mother has a great love for food and unfortunately had to deal with picky children and a picky husband for many years! Sorry Dad (but when are you going to eat like an Italian?!?!) lol When I was a child there were many things I refused to try but my mom was always there encouraging me to taste new things. I got there eventually and now the tables have turned. Now it's me helping my mom to explore her palate...but this is not a fight like it was for me! I can always count on my Mom to sample a new recipe I've made, cook with me, clean up after me and basically be whatever I need her to be in the kitchen. In fact, I hate that she is so far away (1 hour!) and rarely gets to taste my food anymore. (I'd like to think I've gotten much better!)
I've tried making stuffed peppers many different ways, some that I love, some are just okay and some will stay with me forever. This recipe is one of those. My mom's recipe for Stuffed Peppers is one of the first things she ever taught me to make. I've made some very minor tweaks which has only improved (not changed!) Mom's recipe.
So here it is! You're going to love this one! It's like a big meatball stuffed inside a pepper!
Here is my Mother's recipe and below are the additions I have made.
Mom’s Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
6 red peppers 2 lbs. ground veal, beef or meatloaf mix 1 egg locatelli cheese, grated approx. ¼ cup dried parsley garlic pepper 1 cup cooked white rice salt 1 can crushed tomatoes
Mix veal, parsley, egg, salt garlic, cheese and rice. Wash peppers, cut off tops (save for another time), fill peppers with meat mixture. Put peppers in a chicken fryer, pour tomatoes on top of peppers and around them. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook on stove top until peppers are cooked approx. 1 hour. Serve with Rice and peas.
Serves 6
After washing the peppers and removing the tops, I make small cut on the bottom of the pepper. This keeps the peppers upright and provides a hole for the sauce to go into. Be careful not to cut off too much because we don't want the filling to fall out, just enough space for the sauce to get in. I also sprinkle the inside of the peppers with kosher salt and little fresh black pepper.
I saute one onion and 3 cloves of garlic in a small frying pan. Once onions are softened and garlic is cooked (not browned) I set it aside to cool. This gets added to the meat mixture.
Once peppers are stuffed I put a little extra virgin olive oil in the pan and saute the peppers on all sides for a few minutes, until the skin blisters. I saw this done on a cooking show and it really does add some additional flavor.
Other than those few things I do exactly what the recipe says and they really were delicious!
Most people are familiar with the traditional rice ball. I love them. I love the Sicilian ones too (shhh! Nanny wouldn't be happy about that! lol) but this is something much more simple than that. This is a great way to use up leftover rice, they can be a great appetizer maybe even served with a dipping sauce of your choice or you could have them the way Nanny intended...as they are. I don't remember that there was ever a actual reason or occasion that she made these. She made them, we ate them, end of story. They are delicious and simple and again remind me of my childhood. Thanks again to Mom and to my Aunt Maryann who helped me out and told me how to make the croquettes.
Ingredients
1 cup of Carolina rice, prepared according to box and rinsed (makes 3 cups cooked)***
1 egg, beaten
About 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3/4 cup - 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Fresh or dried chopped parsley, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
Canola oil, for frying
***NOTE - Rice must be very cold and dry. Cook rice the day before and refrigerate for best results.
Directions
1. Add all ingredients (except for oil) to bowl with cold rice and mix. Rice should stick together nicely. If mixture is too wet add more breadcrumbs.
2. Add oil to a nonstick pan and let it get hot enough for frying.
3. Meanwhile, form rice mixture into egg shaped patties.
4. When oil is hot, gently place croquettes into oil. Do not touch them until nicely browned, then flip.
5. Place croquettes on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
Posts
