Tuesday, 31 July 2012

• Cooking with the Godfather

  I am going to bring back some old recipes I posted a long, long time ago when I had about 1 or 2 readers who had Xanga accounts.  No I don't have photos...sorry.  They are quite tasty...trust me.
  

  Dill Pickle Soup
  3 tablespoons butter
  ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  ½ cup white wine
  ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  5 cups water
  1 ½ cups dill pickle juice
  2 teaspoons dried dill weed, crushed
  ½ cup whipping cream or milk
  Salt and white pepper to taste
  1 large dill pickle, cut julienne

  In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion and sauté until soft.  Add white wine and continue cooking until almost all liquid evaporates.  Reduce heat to low and stir in flour (do not brown).  In a large bowl, combine water and pickle juice; add and whisk in all at once to onion mixture.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until soup slightly thickens.  Add dill weed.  Stir in whipping cream or milk to desired consistency.  Season with salt and white pepper.  Remove from heat.  Serve in soup bowls and garnish with julienne dill pickle.
  Makes 4 servings.

  Guiltless Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers
  1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
  1 tablespoon curry paste, or more
  Kosher salt
  Freshly ground black pepper
  4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  2 cups panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

  Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and curry paste, to taste.  Thin this with a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get the consistency of heavy cream, and season with salt and pepper.   Cut the chicken breasts into thick strips.  Drop the strips into the bowl and coat them well with the curry mayonnaise.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 minutes or up to 1 hour.  Pour the bread crumbs onto a plate and toss the chicken strips well to completely cover them.  Put them onto a nonstick baking sheet and into the over.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
  Yields 4 servings.

  Microwave Chicken Curry
  2 tablespoons Indian curry paste
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  ½ bunch basil, leaves chopped
  ½ bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
  2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
  2 tablespoons soy sauce
  Kosher salt
  Freshly ground black pepper
  Steamed rice, to serve
  Paprika, for garnish
  1 scallion, thinly sliced, for garnish

  In a large microwave safe pot with a lid, mix together the curry paste and oil.  Microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Add the chicken to the pot and stir.  Cover with the lid and microwave on medium for 8 minutes.   Add the basil, cilantro, coconut milk, and soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Give it a good stir, cover it, and microwave on medium for 4 minutes.  Stir it again, cover, and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes.  Serve over steamed rice, garnished with paprika and scallions.
  Yields 4 servings.

  Grilled Banana Split Sundaes
  2 to 3 bananas
  1 frozen pound cake, thawed
  1 whole pineapple
  About 10 maraschino cherries
  ½ stick butter melted
  

  Sauce:
  1 pint heavy cream
  9 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

  Vanilla ice cream for serving
  Special equipment: wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

  Preheat an outdoor grill.  Peel and cut the bananas into ½ inch thick slices.  Trim the top off the pound cake and cut the rest into the same size squares as the banana chunks.  Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple and remove the rind from around the sides.  Cut the pineapple in half and then into quarters.  Trim the core and cut each piece again lengthwise.  Cut the strips into ½ inch thick pieces.  On a wooden skewer, alternate pieces of banana, pound cake, and pineapple until skewer is full, leaving about 2 inches for a handle.  You should have 8 to 10 skewers.  Finish with a cherry.  Brush with melted butter and grill for 1 to 2 minutes each side.  (Alternatively, you can broil the skewers for about 1 to 2 minutes per side)

  Sauce: Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small pan over medium heat; do not let it boil.  Add the chocolate to the warm cream.  Let sit for a few minutes, then stir the mixture to melt all the chocolate.  Cool for a few minutes and pour into a squeeze bottle.  Scoop ice cream into bowls and top with a skewer.  Squeeze some chocolate sauce over the top and serve.
  Yields 8 to 10 sundaes.
  
  
  I think I may have said I lived in an Amish paradise.  This is pretty much an accurate depiction of country roads in these parts.
  
  I went fishing there a while back.  I didn't catch anything other than a bird.  It flew right into my line as I was casting.  It freed itself but I was screaming because I hate birds.
  
  I think this was the reason I wasn't catching anything.
  
  Best name at the Olympics...EVER
  
  Now comes the time on my blog where we'll play a game I like to call "Olympics or Gay Porn".  So which is it?
  
  I'd definitely watch that...tis but a scratch.
  
  YES!
  
  If a girl whispered that in my ears I'd need a change of underwear.
  
  There was nothing as exhilarating as beginning my day with donuts and a bottle of Coffee Stout from the good folks at the New Glarus Brewing Company.
  
  Because he hangs out too much with Not Me.
  
  Why am I sharing this?  Why not?
  

  Have a great night and Mahlzeit!

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