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Riesling Chicken & Mushroom Casserole

Serves 8

Chicken
8 whole chicken thighs (with bone & skin), rinsed & patted dry
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, roughly chopped
To season, Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola or grape seed oil

1. Combine flour, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Remove chicken, shaking off any excess flour and transfer to platter.

2. Warm half of butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat (or use two skillets if necessary). Add half of chicken and sauté until browned on all sides but not cooked completely through. Transfer to platter.

3. Repeat with remaining butter, oil and chicken. Discard flour mixture. Do not clean skillet, but do remove any excessive fat remaining.

Casserole
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola or grape seed oil
2 cups red onions, cut into 2-inch dice
1 pound crimini mushrooms, wiped with paper towel, ends trimmed, halved
2 cups dry Riesling Wine
2 sprigs thyme leaves
1 large bay leaf

1. Reheat skillet with butter and oil over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent (3-5 minutes), then add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until they begin to soften (3-5 minutes).

2. Turn off heat and add wine, thyme and bay leaf. Turn heat back on, bring to a boil and cook until reduced in volume a bit.

3. Reduce heat to low, add browned chicken back into skillet, COVER, and braise until chicken is fork tender (25+ minutes).

Serve
1 cups green onions, very thinly sliced
1 cup créme fraiche or sour cream
1 cup Italian parsley, rough chop

1. Just before serving, remove cover and stir in the green onions and créme fraiche. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve warm along side spaetzle or over any favorite egg noodle.

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Mushroom Stuffed Duchesse Potato Skins

Makes 8

For the Potato Skins
4 medium baking potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

2. Pierce each potato in several places with the tip of a small sharp knife. Place evenly spaced on pan. Bake in oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until potato is soft when squeezed with oven mitt-covered fingers.

3. When potatoes are soft, remove from oven and allow to cool enough to be handled. Cut each potato length-wise in half with a serrated bread knife, being careful not to tear brown outer skin.

4. Remove potato flesh with a small thin-edged spoon or melon baller, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Reserve removed potato in a large bowl.

5. Melt butter in a small sauce pan and add minced garlic. Turn off heat and swirl garlic around in butter several times. With a pastry brush, paint the potato shells outside and inside with the garlic butter. Lightly salt and pepper inside of shell. Reserve garlic butter.

6. Bake the potato shells for 15 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

For the Duchesse Potatoes
Reserved potato in bowl
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk or half and half
1 egg
Salt  and pepper

Piping bag with a large star tip

1. Put potatoes through a potato ricer, food mill, or press through a small mesh strainer.

2. Add butter, milk and egg and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Scoop potato mixture into piping bag and reserve.

For the Red Bell Pepper, Onion & Roasted Chile Medley
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 7-ounce can Ortega fire roasted whole green chiles, drained, 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups onion, 1/2-inch dice
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper

1. Melt butter and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add diced peppers, chiles and onion. Sauté over medium heat until onion is soft and starting to brown. Add minced garlic and stir for one minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Reserve off-heat.

For the Sautéed Mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 8-ounce packages sliced white mushrooms
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 lemon

1. Melt butter and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté over medium heat until mushrooms have released their liquid.

2. Add garlic, salt and pepper and continue cooking  until mushrooms are dark golden brown, stirring frequently.

3. Remove from heat, squeeze lemon juice over mushrooms and set aside.

To Assemble Stuffed Potato Skins
8 prepared potato skins
Red Bell Pepper Green Chile Medley
Mushroom Sauté
Duchesse Potatoes in piping bag
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Reserved garlic butter

Sour cream for garnish, optional
Sliced green onions, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place 8 prepared potato skins on foil lined baking sheet. Divide the vegetable medley evenly into the potato skins. Cover the vegetables with the sautéed mushrooms.

3. On each of four stuffed skins, pipe three swirls of the Duchesse potatoes. On the other four skins, sprinkle about 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese.

4. Place sheet in middle of oven and bake for 7 minutes, until cheeses are melted. Remove cheese-topped skins to a serving plate.

5. Return skins to oven and continue baking for 13 more minutes, or until ridges of potatoes are starting to brown. Remove to serving plate.

6. Using a pastry brush, paint potatoes with reserved garlic butter. Serve with passed sour cream and sliced green onions, if using.

Note: Vegetable Medley and Mushroom Sauté can be made one day ahead and kept chilled in covered containers. Reheat in small skillets before stuffing potato skins.

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Simply Made Chicken Soup with Comte Cheese Crouton

Serves 8

Soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 cups tomatoes, diced small, rinsed to remove seeds
2 whole bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, removed from sprigs
Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper, to season

12 cups chicken stock, purchased or homemade

1. Warm butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic until tender (2 minutes).

2. Add the tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for another minute or so.

3. Stir in the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until warmed through (10 minutes or less).

Croutons
8 slices French Baguette, cut 1-inch thick on an angle, then oven toasted
12+ ounces Comte Cheese, roughly grated or thinly sliced

1. Just before serving, top toasted bread slices with cheese. Return to oven to melt slightly.

Serve
4 cups Rotisserie Chicken, roughly shredded, loosely packed
1 cup flat leaf parsley, very roughly chopped, loosely packed

1. Place one crouton into the bottom of each shallow soup bowl. Gently ladle soup around bread. Garnish with a portion of chicken and parsley onto crouton.

Romesco Sauce Base

1 medium ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
½ cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
One ½-inch thick slice white country-style bread, cut into 3 pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded
½ cup raw almonds or hazelnuts, lightly toasted
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika; more as needed
½ teaspoon hot Pimenton dulce or cayenne; more as needed
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 ½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar

1. Put ancho chile in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak about 10 minutes, drain and set aside.

2. Warm a small sauté pan over medium heat and add ¼ cup olive oil. When oil is hot enough, bread will sizzle on contact. Add bread and reduce heat to medium low Fry bread on both sides until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.

3. Put diced tomatoes in a small baking dish, drizzle with a little oil and place under broiler until slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

4. In work bowl of food processor, put ancho chile, tomatoes, fried bread, red pepper, nuts and garlic. Grind to a chunky paste, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.

5. Add sweet and hot paprika, both vinegars and ¼ cup olive oil from sauté pan. Season with salt. Process again and taste. Should be sweet, nutty and bright with acidity. Place in storage container and allow to sit for 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

6. Put ½ cup Romesco Sauce Base, ¼ cup olive oil and 1½ teaspoons white balsamic vinegar in a mini processor. Process until smooth and spoonable. Place in a small bowl and add additional salt, vinegar or spice to taste. Set aside.

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My Mom’s Goulash

Serves 6

3-4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, 1/2-inch dice
1 pound ground beef
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (14.5 oz) S&W Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A dash each:
Crushed red pepper
Aleppo pepper
Ground cardamom
Ground coriander
Italian herb seasoning
Hungarian paprika
Zatar

1. Cook elbow macaroni until almost al dente, not soft, about 6 minutes. I used about ¼ of the package, but it was more than I needed. Drain in colander and run cold water over to cool. Shake out water and reserve. It will finish cooking later in the goulash.

2. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add diced onion and cook over medium heat until soft and starting to brown.

3. Push onions to the side and add ground beef, breaking up into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown and all liquid has evaporated.

4. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and their juice to pot. Cut any large pieces of tomato into smaller pieces. Discard any green tomato cores. Stir into meat mixture.

5. Put a strainer over pot and pour stewed tomatoes into it, allowing juice to fall into pot. Cut up tomato pieces and add to pot. Discard any little pieces of celery and other remains in the strainer.

6. Add chicken broth and tomato paste. Stir all ingredients in pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. While simmering, add minced herbs and dashes of spices to taste.

7. Add salt and pepper. Mix in 3 to 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni to your taste. Add more salt if needed. Reheat Goulash to bubbling and serve.

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Pecorino Romano Meatballs & Spaghetti

Pecorino Romano Meatballs

Makes 12 to 15 Meatballs

2 cups ¾-inch cubes of day-old sourdough bread
1 pound ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Tomato Pasta Sauce (recipe below)
Cooked pasta of choice (I used perciatelli)

1. Soak the bread in water to cover while you assemble the ingredients for the meatballs.

2. In a large bowl, place the ground beef, garlic, Romano cheese, minced parsley, salt and pepper. Squeeze the water out of the bread cubes and crumble into small pieces as added to bowl.

3. Mix ingredients together with a large spoon until evenly distributed. Pour the beaten egg over and incorporate.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet on high until shimmering. Form the meat mixture into 12 to 15 balls with your hands and add to skillet. Brown on all sides until cooked through and deep golden brown all over. Serve immediately with pasta and pasta sauce.

Tomato Pasta Sauce

Makes 8 cups

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
½ medium carrot, finely grated
2 – 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Kosher salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon

1. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Stir periodically.

2. Add thyme and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Watch carefully and keep stirring.

3. Place a strainer over the Dutch oven and empty one can of tomatoes into it. Pick up each tomato and squeeze the juice into the strainer, then squeeze and mash tomato with your hands, adding it to the onions in the pot. Continue with all tomatoes and juice in both cans. Hit the strainer on lip of pot to get all juice from the bottom. Discard seeds in strainer.

Note: Some of the tomatoes may have a hard green core, which should be removed and discarded.

4. Stir the pot contents together and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often. Crush tomatoes in pot with a wooden spoon until as thick as cooked cereal. Season with salt to taste. Serve.

Note: Refrigerate for 1 week or freeze for 6 months.

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Brownies ~ Bourbon-Doused with Black & White Icing

Yield: 16 brownies

Cooking spray

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped medium (I used Callebaut)
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Optional:
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup bourbon whiskey
1 cup white chocolate chips -or- make White Butter Frosting (recipe below)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Make a parchment liner for an 8-inch baking pan that covers the bottom and up two sides with a 2-inch overhang, which will be used as handles to remove brownies from pan. Spray bottom of pan, and then parchment with cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

4. Place a large stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan with about an inch of simmering water. Melt the chocolates and butter in the bowl, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

5. Remove chocolate and let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until each is thoroughly mixed in before adding another. Mix until glossy and smooth.

6. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out with wet crumbs.

7. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Using the handles, remove brownies from pan and cool completely, about 3 hours. At this point you can cut into squares and eat.

8. If you want to do the full monty, using the handles, return the brownies to the pan. Using a toothpick, poke the brownies in several places all over. Douse with the bourbon. Let sit for about a half an hour.

9. Melt white chips in the microwave or in double boiler. Or make White Butter Frosting. Ice brownies and smooth with a small offset spatula. Chill until icing is set.

10. Melt dark chocolate chips and smooth over white icing. Chill until set. Remove brownies from pan with handles and cut into squares. Eat.

White Butter Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Beat in vanilla.

Note: Plain or frosted brownies can be held at room temperature, covered, for three days. If they last that long. Or keep chilled for up to one week.

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Twisted Cookies ~ with Rolled-In Sugar

Yield: 64 cookies

2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (1 pkg) (NOT Rapid Rise, Pizza Crust or Bread Machine)
¼ cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees F)
½ teaspoon sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line 1 cookie sheet with foil. Double pan to bake.

1. In a warm medium bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar. Proof until frothy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut butter into flour until rice-size with two knives or pastry cutter.

3. In the medium bowl, mix eggs, sour cream and vanilla into the yeast mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour. Stir thoroughly with a fork to make a dough.

4. Divide the dough into 2 patties, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. Place patties side by side, not stacked to assure even cooling. My patties were 18.5 oz each.

5. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar and vanilla until evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap so the sugar doesn’t dry out.

6. On a dry surface, place ½ of the vanilla sugar. Place one patty of dough on the vanilla sugar (leaving the other patty in the refrigerator) and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle. Scoop up all the sugar from around the edges and spread evenly over top of dough.

7. With the long edge toward you, fold both edges toward the center, making 3 equal layers. Turn one quarter around and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle. Scoop up any extra sugar and smooth onto the dough. Do not discard any of the vanilla sugar. Use it all.

8. Fold and roll into a 16 x 8-inch rectangle 2 more times. The dough should be about 1/4-inch thick.

9. Trim the edges slightly with a sharp knife to as perfect a rectangle as possible.

10. With the knife, cut the dough the long way into eight 1-inch wide strips. Cut each 16 x 1-inch strip into 4 equal pieces, each 4 inches long.

11. Twist half (16) of the 4 x 1-inch strips 2 times, over-twisting to stretch the dough in the middle. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure the dough twist lies flat on the sheet. You may need to fan out the layers on the ends  somewhat to make sure each is touching the sheet. Press down a little to help it adhere.

12. Double pan. Bake at 375 degrees F, 15 – 20 minutes or until a rich golden brown.  With a spatula, remove from sheet immediately before the caramelized sugar hardens and sticks to the foil. Cool on a rack.

13. Discard foil on cookie sheet and replace with new foil. Repeat with remaining 16 dough strips.

14. Start over with the second dough ball and remaining half of sugar.

Note: Store in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Freeze in ziplock freezer bag for 2 weeks. Defrost at room temperature with top of bag unzipped, so that moisture can evaporate and not melt sugar or make cookies soggy. When room temperature is achieved, re-zip bag.

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New England Clam Chowder

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1 large onion, cut into ½-inch dice
2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch dice
1/2 cup flour
2 baking potatoes, peeled, cut into ½-inch dice
4 cups whole milk
3 (6-ounce) cans minced clams, strained, chopped, juice reserved
1 cup minced curly parsley
½ pound white fish filet, cut into ½-inch dice (optional)
1 cup whipping cream
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Add flour and whisk to mix well, about 1 ½ minutes. Add potatoes, milk, reserved clam juice, half of parsley and whisk thoroughly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 20 minutes.

3. Add chopped clams and fish (if using) and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the whipping cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes longer.

5. Save about 2 tablespoons of the remaining minced parsley in a small bowl for garnish,  and add the rest to the chowder. Stir well.

6. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with reserved minced parsley.

Note: You may substitute 1 pound of salmon, cut in ¾-inch cubes, for the white fish filet. Add ½ cup or more milk to adjust consistency if necessary.

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Hard-Cooked Eggs on Toast with Béchamel Sauce

To Assemble

Place one or two slices of toast on serving plate. Top with sliced or quartered hard boiled eggs. Knap Béchamel sauce over eggs. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Make the Toast

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover sheet pan with aluminum foil.

2. Using one or two pieces of toast per person: cut off crusts and place firm sandwich bread on sheet pan.

3. Bake 7-8 minutes to desired color. Set aside.

Note: You can also just use your toaster and leave the crusts on.

Make the Eggs

1. Place 1-2 eggs per person in saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil.

2. When boiling starts, remove from heat and let eggs sit in hot water for 10 minutes.

3. Drain hot water from pan and fill with cold water. Let sit for about 10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and reserve.

Make the Béchamel Sauce

Makes 1 cup
Recipe may be multiplied with these ratios up to 4 cups of milk

1 cup milk
Slices of onion
Bay leaf
½ teaspoon peppercorns

1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons flour
½  teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
dash of nutmeg, optional

1. In a saucepan, add onion, bay leaf and peppercorns to milk and bring to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat and infuse for 10 minutes.

2. To make the roux, melt butter in another heavy saucepan. Whisking constantly, add flour to butter and cook until foaming around the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Pour the hot milk slowly through a strainer into the roux, whisking constantly until it thickens. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg if using.

4. Return to heat and bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low, whisking for two minutes. Adjust seasoning.

5. If your sauce is too thick for your use, add additional milk by tablespoons to desired consistency.

Note #1: You may prefer a more or less thick Béchamel:
Thin Béchamel: 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour in above recipe
Thick Béchamel: 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in above recipe

Note #2: You can skip the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns if you prefer. Your sauce won’t be quite as flavorful, but this sauce is so sweet and wonderful, it will be fine.

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Soft Buttery Northern Style Cornbread

10-inch Cast Iron Skillet

450 degrees F

1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal (I use Albers)
½ cup AP flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten
1 ½ cups buttermilk
½ cup salted butter melted in a small bowl, cooled slightly
¼ cup salted butter melted in a 2^nd small bowl

1. Put a 10-inch well-seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk and ½ cup melted butter.

4. ***Take skillet out of the oven.***

5. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and quickly stir together.

6. Pour the 1/4 cup melted butter into the skillet and tilt to coat the bottom.

7. Pour the batter into the skillet. Do not tilt. Some butter will be on top of the batter.

8. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Tester will come out clean.

9. Using a long metal spatula partially under cornbread to guide, move the pan slowly into a nearly vertical position while you are sliding the cornbread out onto a cutting board.

Note: This cornbread freezes beautifully. Cut it into serving-size pieces and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Place all wrapped pieces in a large ziplock freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat in microwave, partially unwrap plastic from each piece, leaving only the top of the cornbread exposed. Do not reheat on high. Use medium or low setting, heating until cornbread is hot throughout but still soft. Too high heat or for too long will make a hard dry area in the middle of the cornbread.