Post by nybirder on Sept 30, 2016 9:36:47 GMT -5
Cooking for Two
2013 June Recipes
1. Andouille Sausage with Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Cream Sauce
2. Links to recipes for Pot Pies for Two
3. Turkey or Chicken Pot Pies for Two
4. Utica Greens
5. Meatloaf with Leftovers
6. Greek Barely & Chicken Salad
7. Frugal Gourmet's Chicken Cooked the Chinese Way (link)
8. Family Favorite Pasta Sauce for Two
9. Utica Greens my way
10. Meatloaf with Leftovers
Andouille Sausage with Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Cream Sauce
annrms
½ Vidalia onion, diced
2 teaspoons dehydrated shallots or two fresh, minced
2 tablespoons dehydrated roasted garlic or 4 large cloves roasted, mashed
Vegetable oil for sautéing
2 cups trimmed Brussels sprouts, halved if large
2 cups new potatoes, large dice
12 ounces Andouille sausage, cut into ¾-inch half moons
2-3 cups roughly chopped escarole
3 tablespoons smooth or coarse Dijon
⅓ cup 2% milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives (optional)
Steam Brussels sprouts and potatoes until just tender. Place in casserole dish along with the sausage.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Place the sausage, potatoes, and sausage into the skillet. Sauté until hot and slightly browned. Remove to casserole dish. Add 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Add the onions (& raw shallots) and escarole and sauté until limp. Add roasted or dehydrated garlic and dehydrated shallots. Mix milk and Dijon until blended. Add to onion mixture. Stir until heated. Pour into casserole and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh snipped chives.
~~Pot Pie for 2~~
CardinalPuff
I am looking for a pot pie recipe for 2 using just 1 Pillsbury pie crust then fold in half. What amounts to use, etc. White sauce or ?? I also want to use broccoli instead of peas & carrots.
Re: ~~Pot Pie for 2~~
NYBirder
I don't know if this is the same one--it can be cut in half easily enough for two: www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-weeknight-chicken-pot-pie-turnovers/05275f8f-9dec-4ad3-aeec-a13c54d86cce
If you want easy alternative to a turnover, you could use a 7" pie pan or similar-size shallow casserole. My experience with cutting down a dessert pie recipe has been that half a 9" pie recipe fits in a 7" pie pan. This should be about 2 cups of filling or so. A single Pillsbury crust can be cut in half and rolled thinner to make separate top and bottom crusts. However, it would be just as easy as making a turnover to fill the single crust the way I do when making a dessert pie. I put the crust in the 7" pan, add the filling, and then begin folding the crust toward the center in a number of pleats, working around the pan. There will be an opening in the center where the filling is visible but that never seems to be a problem--the pie bakes the same and tastes just as good but it's sooo much easier and you could use a thinner filling since it's in a dish.
If you want a filling that's more from scratch, here's a recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2011 cookbook that makes enough for two individual ramekins and uses a single pie crust. It looks as though it wouldn't be thick enough for a turnover, though. You could do the individual dishes or, I think, in a single pie pan like above: www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2011/08/11/health-and-family/food-recipes/recipes-for-2.html
Here's another for actual turnovers that uses frozen puff pastry. I don't see why you couldn't use pie pastry instead and use this as a guide for the filling: theredbirdlife.com/2011/03/chicken-pot-pie-turnovers/
Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
This is how I make my version of Utica Greens which is a traditional way of preparing cooked greens which originated here in central New York. You can use your choice of meat. A friend of mine uses bacon. If using hot sausage or pepperoni, be careful with how much hot pepper you add. The traditional recipes use a seeded and thinly sliced long hot Italian pepper cooked with the greens but the jalapeno is easier to find—season to your taste and leave out the seeds if you don’t like things too spicy.
Many people blanch the greens first—I just wilt them in the pan with the wash water still clinging since they have plenty of moisture in them. I have used curly endive in this recipe with good results, too. You need a sturdy green with a little bitterness--spinach does not work in this. However, recently I had a restaurant version with romaine and Italian sausage that was pretty good. Depending on how young and tender your greens are, you may need to add more liquid until they are tender. You need the more assertive flavor of the Romano cheese—don’t substitute Parmesan. It makes the dish. Also, to cut the calories I make these with turkey pepperoni and about half the olive oil and they still have lots of flavor.
You can serve these as a side, of course, but we use them in many other ways, too. They are offered as an appetizer in many restaurants here, usually passed under the broiler with a bread crumb topping. I have had them used as a filling for calzones and bread rolls. They are good in sandwiches with roast beef, a hamburger with cheese or even a fried egg. Many restaurants offer a milder version as a side with eggs for breakfast. I like to scramble my spicy greens with eggs for a light meal.
Utica Greens
2 servings
1 small head of escarole (or half of a large one)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 oz. prosciutto, ham, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, pepperoni, even salami or bacon
1/4 - 1/2 a pickled jalapeno, chopped, to taste
1/4 – 1/2 cup chicken broth if needed (or water if using salami, Italian sausage, or pepperoni)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese
Wash the escarole carefully and chop into big pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the meat and cook until it is rendered (you may want to remove some of the drippings if using sausage). Add the garlic and sauté for a minute—be careful not to burn it.
Add the escarole to the skillet and cover. If all of it doesn’t fit the pan, keep adding more as it wilts--it will cook down quite a bit. Add the pickled jalapeno after it's all in the pan. If it seems very dry, add 1/4 cup chicken broth or water, and cover the pan for a few minutes while simmering, adding more liquid if necessary. Uncover and cook until tender and liquid is mostly evaporated.
Toss with the bread crumbs and cheese and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
Re: Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
The greens are cooked down and not juicy but slightly moist. Think of them as a very flavorful version of southern cooked greens without the pot "likker"! There are many ways to use them besides just as a side dish (which is probably the most common.)
I have seen them scrambled in eggs, with eggs on the side, as a filling for calzones or sub sandwiches, layered in a bun with a hamburger, as a bed for serving a chicken breast, veal, or other meat and then covered with a cream sauce, etc., etc., etc. Whenever a menu says something "and greens", we don't expect a salad but these.
Re: Utica Greens My Way
wilderness_NY_Z4
Birdy, those sound good. How would kale or chard work in this?
Re: Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
Chard would be good, I think. Kale has an assertive flavor of its own but so do the other ingredients. Haven't tried it. You might have to blanch it first unless you are using baby kale. A friend made some with me using curly endive from her garden that was really good, too.
Meat Loaf with Leftovers
Beema
You know I dislike having to toss out anything edible, and I had a few veggies that were beginning to lose their crispy sparkle, so I made a meatloaf. This recipe is large enough for four, but we like meatloaf the next day in sandwiches, so I usually make the whole recipe. Just reduce everything by half for a smaller version.
1/2 tomato, diced
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup white sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup leftover baked beans
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup Italian flavored fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a small measuring cup or bowl, stir the egg, and then add the next 7 ingredients, stir until well combined. Add the meat to the large bowl, pour the egg mixture over the meat, and using your clean hands, combine all the ingredients. Then add the bread crumbs and again using your hands integrate the crumbs into the meat mixture. Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan, press down using the back of a fork, then spoon the ketchup over the top of the loaf, using the back of the fork to spread evenly. Bake at 400° for 40 to 50 minutes; allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Re: Meat Loaf with Leftovers
cast_iron_king
“Veggies that were beginning to lose their crispy sparkle”
Haha! I like how you described that!
I also use those less-than-fresh-but-not-actually-tossable veggies in meat loaf on occasion. Your recipe sounds delicious! I also like to add them to a hearty beef or chicken stew. If I know I'm not going to be using them, I have two gallon ziplocs in my freezer--one with chicken bones and one with beef bones. I'll place fading vegetables into those bags with the bones, along with vegetable scraps (carrot tips, onion ends, tough asparagus stems, celery leaves, etc), and every three months or so, when the bags are full, I throw all their contents into a pressure cooker with water and a bouquet garnii of whatever I have handy and make a nice soup stock by extracting all those wonderful flavors! Beats the heck out of the stuff you get in a can (or a box, as the case seems to be these days). I allow the stock to cool and then portion it out by 2-cup measures into quart-sized ziplocs and freeze them flat so they don't take up a lot of room. That way, I always have fresh homemade stock for soups, stews, gravies, etc.
Bloomington, IN
Re: Meat Loaf with Leftovers
Beema
I have even had meatloaf for breakfast... warmed up, with an egg on top.
I just made a sandwich with the last of the meatloaf, using a soft hoagie bun, and some mayo, and boy howdy, was that a good sandwich. The beans in there kept the meat nice and moist. Delish.
2013 June Recipes
1. Andouille Sausage with Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Cream Sauce
2. Links to recipes for Pot Pies for Two
3. Turkey or Chicken Pot Pies for Two
4. Utica Greens
5. Meatloaf with Leftovers
6. Greek Barely & Chicken Salad
7. Frugal Gourmet's Chicken Cooked the Chinese Way (link)
8. Family Favorite Pasta Sauce for Two
9. Utica Greens my way
10. Meatloaf with Leftovers
Andouille Sausage with Brussels Sprouts in Mustard Cream Sauce
annrms
½ Vidalia onion, diced
2 teaspoons dehydrated shallots or two fresh, minced
2 tablespoons dehydrated roasted garlic or 4 large cloves roasted, mashed
Vegetable oil for sautéing
2 cups trimmed Brussels sprouts, halved if large
2 cups new potatoes, large dice
12 ounces Andouille sausage, cut into ¾-inch half moons
2-3 cups roughly chopped escarole
3 tablespoons smooth or coarse Dijon
⅓ cup 2% milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh snipped chives (optional)
Steam Brussels sprouts and potatoes until just tender. Place in casserole dish along with the sausage.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Place the sausage, potatoes, and sausage into the skillet. Sauté until hot and slightly browned. Remove to casserole dish. Add 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Add the onions (& raw shallots) and escarole and sauté until limp. Add roasted or dehydrated garlic and dehydrated shallots. Mix milk and Dijon until blended. Add to onion mixture. Stir until heated. Pour into casserole and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh snipped chives.
~~Pot Pie for 2~~
CardinalPuff
I am looking for a pot pie recipe for 2 using just 1 Pillsbury pie crust then fold in half. What amounts to use, etc. White sauce or ?? I also want to use broccoli instead of peas & carrots.
Re: ~~Pot Pie for 2~~
NYBirder
I don't know if this is the same one--it can be cut in half easily enough for two: www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-weeknight-chicken-pot-pie-turnovers/05275f8f-9dec-4ad3-aeec-a13c54d86cce
If you want easy alternative to a turnover, you could use a 7" pie pan or similar-size shallow casserole. My experience with cutting down a dessert pie recipe has been that half a 9" pie recipe fits in a 7" pie pan. This should be about 2 cups of filling or so. A single Pillsbury crust can be cut in half and rolled thinner to make separate top and bottom crusts. However, it would be just as easy as making a turnover to fill the single crust the way I do when making a dessert pie. I put the crust in the 7" pan, add the filling, and then begin folding the crust toward the center in a number of pleats, working around the pan. There will be an opening in the center where the filling is visible but that never seems to be a problem--the pie bakes the same and tastes just as good but it's sooo much easier and you could use a thinner filling since it's in a dish.
If you want a filling that's more from scratch, here's a recipe from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2011 cookbook that makes enough for two individual ramekins and uses a single pie crust. It looks as though it wouldn't be thick enough for a turnover, though. You could do the individual dishes or, I think, in a single pie pan like above: www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2011/08/11/health-and-family/food-recipes/recipes-for-2.html
Here's another for actual turnovers that uses frozen puff pastry. I don't see why you couldn't use pie pastry instead and use this as a guide for the filling: theredbirdlife.com/2011/03/chicken-pot-pie-turnovers/
Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
This is how I make my version of Utica Greens which is a traditional way of preparing cooked greens which originated here in central New York. You can use your choice of meat. A friend of mine uses bacon. If using hot sausage or pepperoni, be careful with how much hot pepper you add. The traditional recipes use a seeded and thinly sliced long hot Italian pepper cooked with the greens but the jalapeno is easier to find—season to your taste and leave out the seeds if you don’t like things too spicy.
Many people blanch the greens first—I just wilt them in the pan with the wash water still clinging since they have plenty of moisture in them. I have used curly endive in this recipe with good results, too. You need a sturdy green with a little bitterness--spinach does not work in this. However, recently I had a restaurant version with romaine and Italian sausage that was pretty good. Depending on how young and tender your greens are, you may need to add more liquid until they are tender. You need the more assertive flavor of the Romano cheese—don’t substitute Parmesan. It makes the dish. Also, to cut the calories I make these with turkey pepperoni and about half the olive oil and they still have lots of flavor.
You can serve these as a side, of course, but we use them in many other ways, too. They are offered as an appetizer in many restaurants here, usually passed under the broiler with a bread crumb topping. I have had them used as a filling for calzones and bread rolls. They are good in sandwiches with roast beef, a hamburger with cheese or even a fried egg. Many restaurants offer a milder version as a side with eggs for breakfast. I like to scramble my spicy greens with eggs for a light meal.
Utica Greens
2 servings
1 small head of escarole (or half of a large one)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 oz. prosciutto, ham, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, pepperoni, even salami or bacon
1/4 - 1/2 a pickled jalapeno, chopped, to taste
1/4 – 1/2 cup chicken broth if needed (or water if using salami, Italian sausage, or pepperoni)
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese
Wash the escarole carefully and chop into big pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the meat and cook until it is rendered (you may want to remove some of the drippings if using sausage). Add the garlic and sauté for a minute—be careful not to burn it.
Add the escarole to the skillet and cover. If all of it doesn’t fit the pan, keep adding more as it wilts--it will cook down quite a bit. Add the pickled jalapeno after it's all in the pan. If it seems very dry, add 1/4 cup chicken broth or water, and cover the pan for a few minutes while simmering, adding more liquid if necessary. Uncover and cook until tender and liquid is mostly evaporated.
Toss with the bread crumbs and cheese and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
Re: Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
The greens are cooked down and not juicy but slightly moist. Think of them as a very flavorful version of southern cooked greens without the pot "likker"! There are many ways to use them besides just as a side dish (which is probably the most common.)
I have seen them scrambled in eggs, with eggs on the side, as a filling for calzones or sub sandwiches, layered in a bun with a hamburger, as a bed for serving a chicken breast, veal, or other meat and then covered with a cream sauce, etc., etc., etc. Whenever a menu says something "and greens", we don't expect a salad but these.
Re: Utica Greens My Way
wilderness_NY_Z4
Birdy, those sound good. How would kale or chard work in this?
Re: Utica Greens My Way
NYBirder
Chard would be good, I think. Kale has an assertive flavor of its own but so do the other ingredients. Haven't tried it. You might have to blanch it first unless you are using baby kale. A friend made some with me using curly endive from her garden that was really good, too.
Meat Loaf with Leftovers
Beema
You know I dislike having to toss out anything edible, and I had a few veggies that were beginning to lose their crispy sparkle, so I made a meatloaf. This recipe is large enough for four, but we like meatloaf the next day in sandwiches, so I usually make the whole recipe. Just reduce everything by half for a smaller version.
1/2 tomato, diced
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup white sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup leftover baked beans
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup Italian flavored fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a small measuring cup or bowl, stir the egg, and then add the next 7 ingredients, stir until well combined. Add the meat to the large bowl, pour the egg mixture over the meat, and using your clean hands, combine all the ingredients. Then add the bread crumbs and again using your hands integrate the crumbs into the meat mixture. Add the meat mixture to a loaf pan, press down using the back of a fork, then spoon the ketchup over the top of the loaf, using the back of the fork to spread evenly. Bake at 400° for 40 to 50 minutes; allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Re: Meat Loaf with Leftovers
cast_iron_king
“Veggies that were beginning to lose their crispy sparkle”
Haha! I like how you described that!
I also use those less-than-fresh-but-not-actually-tossable veggies in meat loaf on occasion. Your recipe sounds delicious! I also like to add them to a hearty beef or chicken stew. If I know I'm not going to be using them, I have two gallon ziplocs in my freezer--one with chicken bones and one with beef bones. I'll place fading vegetables into those bags with the bones, along with vegetable scraps (carrot tips, onion ends, tough asparagus stems, celery leaves, etc), and every three months or so, when the bags are full, I throw all their contents into a pressure cooker with water and a bouquet garnii of whatever I have handy and make a nice soup stock by extracting all those wonderful flavors! Beats the heck out of the stuff you get in a can (or a box, as the case seems to be these days). I allow the stock to cool and then portion it out by 2-cup measures into quart-sized ziplocs and freeze them flat so they don't take up a lot of room. That way, I always have fresh homemade stock for soups, stews, gravies, etc.
Bloomington, IN
Re: Meat Loaf with Leftovers
Beema
I have even had meatloaf for breakfast... warmed up, with an egg on top.
I just made a sandwich with the last of the meatloaf, using a soft hoagie bun, and some mayo, and boy howdy, was that a good sandwich. The beans in there kept the meat nice and moist. Delish.