A tribute to Mom: Sour Milk Biscuits

This recipe is a tribute to my Mom, who passed away on January 3. Chicken and biscuits were her favorite meal. I make Sour Milk Biscuits as my go-to biscuit. This is my standard biscuit base for that meal, and it also makes a wonderful breakfast biscuit slathered with butter and raspberry jam. Here's to you, Mom: may you have heavenly chicken and biscuits every day in the hereafter.


Sour Milk Biscuits

3 cups flour

½ cup shortening

pinch of baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sour milk*

melted butter (optional)

*Make sour milk by mixing 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar OR fresh lemon juice with enough milk to measure 1 ½ cups at least 15 minutes before starting to make this recipe.

Sift all dry ingredients together. Cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in sour milk with a large spoon, by hand. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or so. Roll out at least ½" thick and cut with a biscuit cutter or the top of a small drinking glass. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with melted butter if desired. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 -15 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen small biscuits (2" diameter) or 15 large ones

Summer Meals: Tortellini Salad with Grilled Chicken

Sometimes it's just too hot. Salads of all kinds are the mainstay of a lot of my summer meals. Salads that are the meal.

Tortellini Salad with Grilled Chicken
this is a fine salad even without the grilled chicken, so don't hesitate to enjoy it that way

3 packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 zucchini, blanched, then plunged into ice water
1 yellow squash, blanched, then plunged into ice water
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 red bell peppers, cut into fine strips
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2-3 cups  washed, dried, and chilled fresh baby spinach

1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup very fine olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

shredded parmesan cheese
pint package of fresh grape tomatos, washed, dried, and chilled

2 or 3 boneless chicken breast halves, washed and patted dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


Cook the tortellini per package directions for aldente pasta. Drain, then rinse immediately under very cold running water. Drain very well, then place in a very large mixing bowl  (I use a stock pot). Remove the zucchini and yellow squash from the ice water and slice into very thin wheels. Cut the wheels in half, then add to the pasta. Add the red onion, red bell pepper, celery, and dill toss the mixture to blend well.

For the dressing, mix together the white wine vinegar, mayonnaise, and mustard in a deep bowl. Whisk in the olive oil very slowly in a thin stream until it is completely incorporated and emulsified. Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste.

In another bowl, add the spinach and toss with a very small amount of the dressing, just enough to barely coat it. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of the shredded parmesan cheese. Arrange the spinach along the bottom and sides of a large shallow serving bowl/dish.

Set aside a 2-3 tablespoons of dressing. Toss the tortellini salad with the remaining dressing, adding an ounce or so of the shredded parmesan. Refrigerate, covered, for six hours or overnight.

Prepare the chicken: On a very hot grill, cook the chicken breasts that have been seasoned with salt and pepper for 8 to 10 minutes per side. Remove from grill to a dish, then sprinkle with the lemon juice and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes or so. Slice the chicken against the grain into thin slices.

To serve as an entree: Spoon entree-sized portions into individual serving bowls or plates and top the salad with the slices of the warm grilled chicken. Garnish  with some of the grape tomatoes,  drizzling with some of the reserved dressing. Garnish with more parmesan, and finely chopped dill,  if desired.

To serve as a side salad: Garnish the top of the salad with grape tomatoes, and a little finely chopped dill and parmesan, if desired. I usually do not add grilled chicken when I make this as a side. It's a great picnic salad for a crowd.


Serves 6 or so as an entree, or 12-15 as a side salad.

Notes from the Groaning Board: Chicken/Turkey and Dumplings

We're still recovering from another Thanksgiving dinner. You know the symptoms: glassy eyes, lethargy, the feeling that you'll never want another bite of food for the rest of your life. But it doesn't last as long as we think it lasts, and before you know it, we're sniffing around the kitchen again to appease the hunger gods.

Here's a recipe for that mother-of-all-leftovers, turkey (or in some cases, chicken). It's homey, good, and very satisfying on a cold late autumn day. The leftovers of this are wonderful rewarmed with a little additional sauce added to compensate for the sauce the dumplings soak up.

Turkey (or Chicken) and Dumplings
A good recipe for using up odds and ends of vegetables, if you have any: peas, carrots, mushrooms, leeks, summer squash, what-have-you. Saute them until soft before adding to the recipe.

A 4 or 5 qt. dutch oven with tight fitting lid
Oven 350 degrees

1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter
1 small onion, roughly chopped

Saute the onion (and if you plan on using some oddball veggies, those, too) in the dutch oven in the butter.
Remove when soft, draining excess butter back into the pot.

1/2 cup flour
4 cups turkey or chicken stock, or a combination of stock and leftover gravy
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Add the flour to the remaining butter in the dutch oven; cook to make a roux over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the roux is pale golden. Add the stock 1/2 cup at  a time, whisking into the roux to prevent lumps. When all the stock/gravy is added, add seasonings. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, then add meat and vegetables.

Add:
4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken
2 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
the sauted onion, and whatever other veggies you are adding

Bring the filling to a simmer, stirring gently, then add the dumplings to the top, and pop into a 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 hours.

Dumplings
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
a tablespoon of chopped chives (fresh or dried)
a tablespoon of chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the herbs, if using. Cover and refrigerate at this point if you are not baking the dish immediately. Otherwise, soldier on.
Whisk the egg into the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture until just blended together, no more. Don't overmix! It looks kind of wet and shaggy. Scoop large spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture over the hot filling to cover the top. Bake immediately as directed above.
NOTE: The steam from the sauce helps to keep the dumplings tender, so don't peek at them while they're baking.  Your patience will be rewarded with lighter, fluffier dumplings.

Makes 6 generous servings.

If you have leftovers, cover tightly and refrigerate up to three days. Add a bit more stock to the pot before reheating in the oven for 30 - 45 mins. at 350. Or you could do what we do in a pinch: Place serving size portions in soup plates and microwave them, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes each.

Simple Chicken Supper: Clara's Chicken

My knitting group had a lovely, lovely holiday-themed gathering last night at the beautiful home of Beedle Hinely (of biscotti fame!). As my contribution to the goodies, I made my favorite chicken dish that's super easy. If you have a houseful of guests or family,or need something to take to a potluck,  this recipe can be doubled or tripled without any problem ... or time!
It's delectable, super-simple, and has the taste of something you've slaved over all day to make. My kind of recipe!

CLARA'S CHICKEN
this recipe was given to me by my mother's late lifelong best friend and partner in decades of crime, Clara Albrecht. She was a treasure!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese


Place boneless breasts in a well buttered 7 X 11 baking pan/casserole and top with the Swiss cheese slices.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup sherry wine
1 can cream of chicken soup

Whisk together the sour cream, wine and soup and pour over the breasts.

1 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing crumbs
6 tblsp. butter, melted

Blend crumbs and butter well and sprinkle densely over the soup mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

That's it. Honest. This takes all of 10 minutes to prepare! You have plenty of time to whip up an impressive dessert, or make an elaborate salad and veggie dish.

Doubled, make in a 9 X 13 pan.

Friday, November 4, 2011: Roast Chicken and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake for Cold Nights

One of my knitting friends, Beedle Hinely, shared a recipe for roast chicken that is to die for. We love to make roast chicken during the cold months: no meal is as comforting or as satisfying on a cold fall or winter night. Enjoy! For dessert, something gooey and chocolatey seems just right. How about an old-fashioned Hot Fudge Pudding Cake? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

ENZO’S MOTHER’S CHICKEN

Roasting Chicken – 5 to 8  lbs.

Salt

Sage

A lemon, quartered (leave rind intact)

One or two red onions, quartered

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Olive oil

4 or 5 russet potatos, halved

Butternut squash, peeled and cubed

A red pepper, seeded and cut in eight pieces

2 or 3 heads of garlic, separated but not peeled

6 to 8 carrots, peeled and left whole

Pepper, garlic salt

Several hours ahead of roasting: Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold running water and pat dry. Refrigerate on a platter to allow to dry thoroughly.

Peel vegetables and set aside.

Dust cavity of the chicken with salt and sage. Stuff with the quartered lemon, 1 red onion quartered, and some of the fresh rosemary.

Rub the chicken skin with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt. Brush the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil, and lay several rosemary sprigs in a bed in the center bottom. Lay chicken on top of rosemary.

Toss the second quartered onion, the potatoes, the red pepper, the butternut squash cubes, carrots, garlic lightly in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Arrange vegetables around the chicken, and sprinkle with pepper and garlic salt. Roast in a 375 degree oven (with rack in quarter of the oven),  until done, based on weight of chicken. Baste chicken occasionally with pan juices, and turn vegetables a couple of times during roasting.

Roast for 2 to 3 hours, based on weight of chicken. Use pop up timer or thermometer to determine when the chicken is done.

* * * * * * * * * *

HOT  FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

To be served warm

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

2 tblsp. unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup milk

2 tblsp. Melted shortening or butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 ¾ cups hot water

Oven 350 degrees

Measure flour, sugar, 2 tblsp. Cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Blend in milk and shortening. Pour into ungreased square 9 X 9 pan.

Stir together brown sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pur HOT water over batter, and place in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 mins.

While warm, spoon cake into dessert dishes and top with whipped cream or ice cream.

8 servings