Bouyiourdi (Baked Spicy Feta)

When my husband and I were in Athens after our cruise we ate in a little Greek restaurant and ordered a dish called bouyiourdi (pronounced a lot like boyardee).  It was a baked feta cheese appetizer served with toasted bread and pita bread.  My husband and I loved it and after returning home I wanted to try to make it as well.  It is a very easy appetizer to make.

 

 Baked Spicy Feta (Bouyiourdi)

Ingredients:

• 1 block feta cheese
• Sliced tomatoes
• Sliced small Cherry peppers (4-6)
• salt and oregano
• chopped shallots
• drizzle of Olive Oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a small baking dish place a layer of sliced tomatoes and cherry peppers.  Sprinkle with salt and oregano. Top with feta cheese.  Sprinkle with oregano.  Layer the top with more sliced tomatoes and cherry peppers and chopped shallots. Season with salt and oregano.  Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Bake at 400F for 25 minutes.

Serve with toasted fresh bread or pita bread.  Great appetizer or lunch.

Printable Recipe

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Mohnflesserl – Austrian Poppy Twist

Mohnflesserl

Growing up in Austria, I loved the fresh baked breads.  My absolute favorite was Mohnflesserl – a savory roll that had been braided and was topped with poppy seeds.  Recently I wanted to make my own at home.  I found a recipe in German and translated it into English.  Before I post the recipe, I have to share a funny story.  My mother would pronounce it Mohnfresserl – and growing up that is what I called it.  Upon my return to Austria in 2011, I landed at the airport in Linz, Austria and promptly ordered myself one, since my ride had not arrived yet.  I did not understand why the lady behind the counter was smirking.  Later I learned, I had been saying it wrong all my life – fressen means to eat like an animal would, flesserl is a braid; I laughed at myself (and my mother).  No wonder my web searches to find a recipe for Mohnfresserl gave me no results…

I realize my last blog post was in October of 2017 – life has been keeping me busy with homeschooling and a new passion for quilting. I still love to cook, so this year I hope to post a few more recipes than I did last year.

Mohnflesserl – Austrian Poppy Twist

Serves 8

translated from German by Becky Pallmann

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 packet yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoon malted barley flour
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• additional:
• egg white
• poppy seeds, salt, other bread topping

Instructions

Place warm water, yeast and malted barley flour (available at Amazon – get diastic type- it adds sweetness and flavor to your bread- if you cannot find it, use sugar in its place).  Add flour, and salt to the yeast and knead until it becomes one ball of dough and pieces have pulled off the sides of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Divide into 8 sections and roll each piece out into a snake. Form into a braided twist (https://christinawaitforit.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/mohnflesserl-flechten-rezept-und-anleitung/ has a great series of pictures that illustrate how to do this.)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Add a little water to the remaining egg white and beat. Brush your twists with egg wash and sprinkle them with poppy seed, kosher salt or other bread topping seeds you may have on hand.

Place a pan of hot water in the bottom of your oven for steam or spray the twists with a mist of water during the baking process.

Bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

I love these with a nice slab of butter while they are still warm.

translated from:  http://www.backenmitchristina.at/mohnflesserl/

Printable Recipe: http://goodcookbecky-printablerecipes.blogspot.com/2018/02/mohnflesserl-austrian-poppy-twist.html

Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls with Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce

I found this lovely recipe for Sesame Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce on the food blogger Carlsbad Cravings site.  She has some delicious looking recipes.  We especially liked the Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce that went with this.  It is easy to make and tasty.  The tricky part is wrapping them in the egg roll wrappers, and remember not to stack them, or they will stick together. Let’s not ask why I know this! hehe  I think next time I will add garlic to the chicken mixture.

 

Here is the recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings.

Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls with Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce

Serves 8-12 egg rolls | adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 bag stir fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, sprouts)
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (my stir fry did not include them)
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 package McCormick brand  Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Sauce (available at Target)
• 2 tsp Sriracha or Sambal Oelek (ground chili paste)
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

additionally:

• egg roll wrappers
• vegetable or canola oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kum brand)
• 3 Tbsp sugar

Instructions:

Make the sauce: Dissolve the cornstarch in the white vinegar and add the Hoisin sauce and sugar to the ingredients.  Stir until well combined.  Refrigerate until serving.

Trim the chicken of any fat, slice into thin strips and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a  non stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes.  Add stir fry mix vegetables, bean sprouts, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.

Add McCormick’s Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Sauce, Sriracha (or Sambal Oelek) and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken filling to a food processor. (You do not want the filling to be overly wet).  Pulse the food processor about 10 times to chop the filling, scraping down the sides about half way through.

Fill each egg roll with about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling and fold the top corner over the egg roll over the filling rolling down about 1/4 turn.  Wet the remaining three corners with a little water to help the egg roll seal.  Fold the two side corners over the filling.  Continue rolling the egg roll and seal to close the final corner.  Do not stack the egg rolls as you make them as the warm filling will cause the egg rolls to stick to one another.

Heat about 1/2 of an inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (about 350 F). Fry 4 egg rolls at a time (or as many as you can comfortably fit into the skillet) turning them over with tongs until all sides are golden brown.  Place the cooked egg rolls on a wire rack to drain any excess oil and keep warm in an oven until all the remaining egg rolls are cooked.

Serve with the Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce and enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Photos below.

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls

You know when you take that first bite and there is an instant party in your mouth that has you in love instantly?  Well, this recipe falls into that category. What is not to love? A kick of spice with warm flavor of cumin over seasoned rice with black beans and minced jalapeno and cheese with a lovely green chili sauce and a squeeze of lime! Hey, I left out the fact there is chicken in that — fall apart chicken because you make it in the crock pot!  Yes, it is love all around!

I found this gem of a recipe at budget bytes it is friendly on the budget and yummy to the taste buds!  Here is my slight adaptation. Originally called Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Verde Bowls… to me the salsa belonged with the verde… but either way it is a keeper!  I used slightly more chicken and upped the spices as a result.

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls

adapted from budgetbytes.com | Serves 6-8 | Prep time 15 minutes.  Cook time 4-8 hours (depending if on high or low)

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 3 lbs total)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 (17 oz) jar Goya Brand Salsa Verde

Instructions:

Slice the onion into rings and place in the bottom of the crock-pot (I like to use a liner in mine, because it makes clean up much easier, and the food does not stick to the sides)

Add chopped bell peppers and place the large chicken breast on top of the veggies.  Season with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pour the Goya Salsa Verde over the chicken.  Cover the crock-pot with the lid and turn to high for 4 hours (8 on low).

My chicken was actually cooked through at 3 hours and I removed the chicken breasts and cut them into bite sized pieces and put them in a serving dish.  I poured the sauce and peppers and onions over the diced chicken.  Ready to serve!

Additional ingredients:

• hot cooked rice (I seasoned mine with a tablespoon of lime juice and 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped)
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed, drained and heated
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and mined finely
• shredded Mexican cheese (like Oaxaca or Queso Fresco)
• 1 lime, cut in quarters
• fresh chopped cilantro

Layer your bowl with cooked rice and beans and serve a ladle full of chicken with salsa verde sauce over the top.  Garnish as desired with jalapeno, cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  Enjoy!

printable recipe

originally at http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/09/slow-cooker-salsa-verde-chicken/

 

Chipotle and Lime Shrimp Tacos

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue).  My husband and I have been on a chipotle pepper kick – especially if it also has adobo sauce. I think my husband must have told me these tacos were good about a dozen times tonight.  Since we are trying to limit our calories in an effort to lose weight, this recipe was appealing since 2 tacos has 462 calories and did not feel like we were starving. You most certainly can cook the shrimp by grilling them on skewers – I opted for the cast iron skillet. Photo credit: Hubby – thank you!

Shrimp Tacos

adapted from Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue) | Serves 4

For the Shrimp Tacos:

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 (6 inch) flour tortillas

For the Chipotle Sauce:

• 1/2 cup crema, sour cream, or mayo (or combination of two)
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• salt to taste

For the Red Cabbage Slaw:

• 4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 a small head)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator in a marinade made with lime juice, olive oil, and chili powder. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.  In the meantime, make the chipotle sauce: Combine the mayonnaise (Mexican crema, or sour cream) with the minced chipotle peppers, honey, tsp lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate the sauce until serving.

Combine the ingredients for the slaw in a medium bowl.  Toss to coat the cabbage.  Refrigerate until serving.

Skewer the shrimp on wooden skewers and either cook them on the grill or cook in a cast iron skillet for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Lightly sprinkle a few paper towels with water and place on a plate.  Top with 8 tortillas and cover with another damp paper towel.  Microwave the tortillas to soften them for 1 minute.

Assemble the tacos: Place a flour tortilla on your plate.  Spoon 2 to 3 spoons of red cabbage slaw in the center of the tortilla.  Top with 4 shrimp on each taco and spoon a few tablespoons of chipotle sauce over the top of the shrimp.  Enjoy.

2 tacos with sauce and slaw 462 calories according to Cuisine at Home Magazine (June 2010 issue p 9)

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Italian Meatballs

I have recently made a few new recipes.  Two of them by Bobby Flay – and both of them outstanding! This one is for Spaghetti and Sauce.  We LOVED the meatballs!  I will be making them again in the future – maybe even in bulk to freeze them for the future.  I did  not use veal as it is sometimes hard to find.  I doubled the recipe because we had more than 4 people eating dinner… Now I wish I had made even more!

Spaghetti and Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

adapted from Bobby Flay

Serves 8

Meatballs Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 cloves garlic, finely minced and sauteed
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup olive oil/canola oil

Homemade Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, with liquid, pureed in a food processor
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 small bunches fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste
• basil leaves for topping, optional

Instructions:

For the meatballs:

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, eggs, grated Parmesan, cooked garlic, dry bread crumbs, minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.  Use two large serving forks to break up the meat and mix all the ingredients until it is evenly seasoned.  Do not overwork it as it will become tough.  Form 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs with your hands.

Heat a non stick skillet with 1 cup of cooking oil over medium high heat.  Cook the meatballs in batches, turning them over with tongs and continue cooking until golden brown. You do not need to cook them through entirely, as you simmer them in the sauce.  Drain the meatballs on a wire rack for a few minutes while you finish cooking the remaining meatballs.

For the sauce:

In a large stock pot, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat and cook until softened.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add processed tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring the sauce to a boil and add in the browned meatballs.  Reduce the heat to just a simmer and cook the sauce and the meatballs for 45 minutes or longer.

Serve over cooked pasta and top off with basil and additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Printable Recipe

 

Homemade Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

This past summer I visited my parents in Southern New Jersey for a few days.  They are just over half an hour from Philadelphia – home of the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich.  I did have a great sandwich during my visit.  Upon my return to California I wanted to make it from scratch, not using the frozen minute steak product that I have used in the past.  After a quick search on the internet I discovered that the best meat to use is Rib Eye.  There is no going back!  Delicious.  The first two times I made it I completely forgot to take pictures of my sandwiches, so of course.. I had to make them again (and forgot again) and again.  I prefer them on a good crunchy French roll, but a Kaiser roll will do the job.

In order to slice the steaks paper thin, it really helps to freeze the steaks for 45 minutes before slicing them and having a nicely sharpened chefs knife will make it an easy process as well.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 rib eye steaks, freeze 45 minutes before slicing super thin against the grain
• salt and pepper to taste
• sweet onion (like Maui or Walla Walla or other), sliced thinly
• bell peppers (red, green, yellow as you desire) washed, stem and seeds removed, sliced thinly
• mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
• Provolone Cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
• 4 crunchy French rolls, split in half and toasted

Instructions:

Freeze the steaks for 45 minutes to help the meat become a little stiffer and easier to slice paper thin.  I remove the bone first as well as large pieces of fat before slicing.  Using a nicely sharpened knife begin cutting each steak thinly at across the grain. You want it to be as thin as possible.

Season the steak with salt and pepper.

Slice your French rolls and toast them under the broiler.

In a large non stick skillet saute the thinly sliced onions in about 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook over medium  high heat until the onions have softened and caramelized.  Remove the onions to a bowl and over with foil to keep warm.  Saute the peppers next, using the same skillet.  When the peppers are softened, remove them to a second bowl.  Next, saute the mushrooms in the same skillet until they are golden brown, adding more oil if necessary and seasoning with salt and pepper.  Remove to a bowl and cover with foil.

Heat the same skillet over High- medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of canola oil.  Add a quarter of the shaved steak to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Stir.  Cook an additional minute or two as you desire.  Mound the steak in one area of the skillet and top  with two slices of provolone cheese.  Allow the cheese to melt.  With a spatula, carefully lift the cheese topped steak and place on the toasted roll.

Repeat with remaining steak.

I like to have each person top their cheese steak sandwiches with sauteed onions, mushrooms, or peppers as desired.

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Austrian Bread Dumplings 101

Semmelknôdel (Austrian Bread Dumpling) was one of my favorite foods growing up in Austria. I have wanted to make a tutorial of sorts for Americans (like myself) to make this wonderful food even though you are not in Austria to enjoy them.  If you love stuffing (dressing) you probably will like this.  They are dumplings made of bread, egg, milk, flour, and regionally also includes cooked bacon.  The region of Tyrol in Austria uses bacon in them.  They call them Speckknôdel.  In this blog post I will have step by step instructions.  If you do not want bacon in them, just leave it out (but why would you?)

To start off, use a stale baguette – you know.. it was sitting on your counter a few days too long but is not completely dried out yet, you still can cut it into cubes with the centers of the cubes slightly soft but pretty dry on the outside.  I also made them with Ciabatta bread with success.  Semmel in Austria is like a Kaiser roll.  Except here in the States, Kaiser rolls are often soft and not the crisp texture that they have in Austria, so I found that a French Baguette does the job perfectly!

Cut the 3 days old French Baguette into 1/2 inch cubes and place the cubes in a large bowl.

Add 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

 

 

 

 

Cube 8 ounces of bacon and fry them in a non stick skillet until crisped up.  Remove the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and place the bacon bits on a paper towel to drain.

 

 

 

 

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from the skillet.  Saute 1/2 cup chopped onions over medium heat until cooked and lightly browned.  Add the cooked onions, cooked bacon, and 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to the bread cubes in the bowl.

 

 

 

 

Mix the bread cubes, bacon bits, onion, parsley, flour by hand to combine.

 

 

 

 

Pour 3/4 cup (6 oz) of cold milk into a measuring cup.

 

 

 

 

Add two large eggs to the milk.

 

 

 

 

Whisk the egg and milk mixture until well combined.

 

 

 

 

Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes mixture in the large bowl.  Begin to combine it by hand (my cheapest kitchen tool), tossing the mixture until it takes on the liquid.  Your hands do get a bit messy, but cleans up with soap and water! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Form the dumplings into snow ball sized balls.

 

 

 

 

You want the breadcrumb mixture to be quite sticky.. flour sticking to your hands.  If you press on the dumpling with your finger and it falls apart, it is not sticky enough… see?

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour over the bread mixture if it does not hold together well.  I added about 3 tablespoons of flour and combined it with my hands again.  This time it was quite sticky!  Perfect!

 

 

 

 

Once again I formed them into balls and this time they stuck together nicely.  You don’t want to squeeze them to death, but you do want nice firm dumplings that hold together nicely.

 

 

 

 

The dumplings should be about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

 

 

 

 

I formed 6 dumplings.

 

 

 

 

Fill a large stockpot with 3 inches of cold water and place over a burner over high heat to bring it to a simmer.

 

 

 

 

When the water begins to simmer (bubbles are starting to come up from the bottom, but it is not at a full boil). Add 1 tablespoon of salt.

 

 

 

 

Carefully lower the dumplings into the salted, simmering water and reduce the heat to medium high, keeping it at a simmer, do not let it boil.  Set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

After 15 minutes the dumplings will have softened up a bit but still hold their shape

 

 

 

 

Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon to a serving bowl.

 

 

 

 

Serve with a meaty gravy like Rahmschnitzel

or Beef Rouladen or Wolfgang Pucks Beef Goulash with Red Cabbage.

Trouble Shooting:

Help me.. they fell apart!!! Well, not all is lost,  you can make Serviettenknôdel- loosley translated “napkin dumplings”. (if they fall apart, they did not have enough flour added to the mixture and were not sticky enough, but there is hope.. you can scoop the dumplings that have fallen apart out with a slotted spoon and place the bread mixture into a clean kitchen towel (you can also use foil).  Form the bread into a log and wrap the bread mixture tightly in the kitchen towel.  Tie off the ends of the towel and place it in the simmering water.  Cook 15 minutes.  Unwrap and slice into 1/2 inch slices.  Serve.)

My favorite way to use up leftovers .. if you are lucky enough to have leftovers:

Cut the cold dumplings into slices and then melt about half a tablespoon of butter in a non stick skillet… fry the bread dumplings turning over from time to time until golden brown.  Add an egg to the skillet,  season with salt and pepper and cook as you desire.  Yum: Breakfast is served!  This is called Knôdel mit Spiegelei (Dumpling with sunny side egg)

I blogged this dish already, but some time ago: https://goodcookbecky.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/semmelknodel-austrian-bread-dumplings-with-bacon/

 

Greek Chicken Roulades

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged more than one  item in a week!  I have been in the mood to try new recipes.  Here are two recipes from Cuisine at Home.  I did not have enough Kalamata olives to make this dish, but did have olive tapenade in my fridge that I used in the filling.  Also, I doubled the recipe from the original.  I made Cuisine at Home’s recipe for Creamy Orzo to go with this.  Both recipes are easy to prepare, prepared in about 30 minutes, and tasty, in short: they are keepers. Start cooking the Orzo first. Now for the recipes:

Creamy Orzo with Feta and Sun-dried Tomatoes

adapted from Cuisine at Home | Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
• 4 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil.  Add the orzo and bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat, and boil, uncovered, for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Turn off heat.  Drain any excess liquid.  Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, salt, and pepper.  Serve warm with Greek Chicken Roulades.

 

Greek Chicken Roulades

adapted from Cuisine at Home | Serves 4 (doubled from original)

• 1/2 cup olive tapenade (originally 24 Kalamata olives)
• 6 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 6 Tbsp minced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of fat
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 12 Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions:

Combine the olive tapanade, breadcrumbs, minced sun dried tomatoes, lemon zest, minced garlic, and dried oregano in a small bowl.

Slice or pound the chicken breast halves to 1/4 inch thickness.  Spread about 1/4 of the tapenade mixture on the chicken breast halves.  Roll up and secure chicken roulades with toothpicks.  Repeat with remaining 3 chicken breast halves.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Sear the rolls of chicken about 3 or 4 minutes each side until golden brown.  Remove the chicken to a platter.

Saute the minced shallots in the same pan you cooked the chicken in for about 2 minutes.  Add the white wine.  Cook for a few minutes until the wine has reduced by about half.  Add the chicken broth and the chicken rolls back into the pan along with the chopped Kalamata olives.  Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.  Cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken roulades to a clean platter.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and stir to a slurry.  Add to the sauce in the pan and whisk in.  Cook to thicken.

Remove toothpicks and cut the chicken rolls crosswise to show the filling. Serve with Creamy Orzo and the white wine sauce.

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Shaking Beef

My husband had a dish called Shaking Beef at PF Chang’s and gave me a taste of his dish.  I loved the flavors instantly.  Months have passed since then and it still was a dish I wanted to make at home.  I found this recipe by Mark Bittman at the NY Times. It is not quite like the one at Chang’s, which has roasted potatoes and broccolini in the dish as well. Perhaps next time I will make it using roasted potatoes and broccoli.  I did use watercress and lettuce (half and half each) this time, but next time will just stick with the lettuce as it is cheaper and in my opinion tastier.  I did use beef tenderloin like the recipe called for, but next time will change that to something like flat iron steak and cut it thinly to save on costs there!  That said, it was a really tasty dish and I look forward to making it again.  Here is the recipe:

Shaking Beef

adapted from Mark Bittman (NY Times) | Serves 4 | approx

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin, trim of excess fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 5 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine (or rice wine)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 bunch watercress and half a head of red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions:

In a zip top bag, combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and add the steak cubes.  Refrigerate for about two hours.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar, rice-wine vinegar, white white, soy sauce, fish sauce and stir.

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. (This is for additional seasoning at the table if you desire)

Cut the lime into wedges (also for seasoning just before eating).

Thinly slice the red onion and cut the scallions into pieces.

Heat a wok over medium high heat and add 3 tablespoons of canola oil.  When the oil is shimmering add half the beef cubes at a time.  Sear for 4 minutes, turn the steak cubes over and repeat to brown.  Add half the red onion slices and scallions and cook for half a minute longer. Add half the sauce to the beef mixture and cook for a minute longer.  Melt half the butter into the sauce and remove the beef onion mixture to a large bowl.  Repeat with remaining oil and beef following the same process. Finishing with the sauce and butter. Add to the bowl of cooked beef and onions.

Place the watercress and lettuce on a large platter and arrange the beef and onions on the bed of lettuce. Pour the sauce over the beef and onion mixture.

Serve.  Season with additional salt and pepper mixture if desired and squeeze lime juice over the beef.

Enjoy!

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