mom's strudel

(can't believe i just wrote her name in lower case. she deserves ALL CAPS more than anyone i've ever known).

my mom made the most incredible saturday morning strudel. folks raved about it. little did i know that it was quite simple to make. follow this recipe and you'll have enough to make three, yes THREE, strudels of your own.

the dough.

can you read that?

now divide the dough into thirds and pop them in the frig for a bit.

or bake one and pop the other two in the freezer for when you forgot to plan ahead for the in-laws' overnight visit.

when you're ready to proceed, roll out the dough to a large rectangle (approximately 8" x 18") and smear with 3-4 tablespoons of jam/jelly/preserves whatever.

all rolled out with blueberry jam

then fold over the sides to cover the jam and bake in a 450 degree oven. for "20 minutes or until golden".

pull it out and dust with confectioner's sugar.

you'll thank me.

it's one of the easiest recipes ever and yet it garners accolades beyond belief.

and then we made some muffaletta!

italian rounds split and hollowed

olive salad* spread on bottom half with a layer of sopresatta on next

then the provolone

some spinach leaves

capicola

then the mozzarella and mortadella

finally, another smear of olive salad on the top half

close them up. wrap them in foil or plastic and press them under the weight of a pot of water for 30 minutes then refrigerate for at least several hours

slice into wedges and nosh away (photo coming tomorrow when we devour ours).

sarah g's favorite dish

i made this last week for "teeny tiny group" (hi broomski), and was thrilled to find out that chicken pot pie is a favorite dish of one of my favorite "groupers"- sarah. she especially liked this version because of it's secret ingredient.....and i quote sarah here: "Omg, I'm never not putting bacon in chicken pot pie again!!!".   and i'm encouraging you to make the same commitment. because like so many other things, bacon just makes it better.

the recipe is not very different from the one i use for chicken and dumplings in that they both start with a homemade chicken stock:

some sauteed veggies (this time in bacon fat):

fresh herbs (thyme here):

thyme and wine

and cooked chicken (i cook mine in a mixture of water and milk as it's supposed to make the chicken more tender. could be an old wives tale, but i do it anyway):

ew!! raw chicken!

here's what the pot looks like after you've crisped the bacon, sauteed the veggies in the bacon fat, added some butter and flour to make a roux, poured in the strained chicken stock, a little cream, a glug of sherry and the herbs:

after this thickens, add the cooked chicken that you've now shredded or chopped and pour the whole gloppy mess into a baking dish (cast iron if you have it) and cover with pie crust (thank you mikey!).

bake for 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven then turn the heat back to 350 and cook for another 45 minutes or until the crust is golden.

i can't believe i didn't get a picture of the finished product, but it was a HUGE pot pie....cooked it in our 13" x 16" roasting pan....and it disappeared rather quickly.

hope you get the chance to make some for the people you love. it's comfort food at its best.

ingredients you'll need:
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
6 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
s & p
5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
6 T butter
2 diced onions
3/4 c flour
1/4 c heavy cream
2 c diced carrots
fresh thyme
glug of sherry
pie crust 

pollo y dumplings

 (a.k.a. "the one dish i can make without a recipe in front of me")


i love chickens. even raised them once upon a time. but the name the english bestowed upon them is just wrong. say it....CHiCKen. it's all hard edges and staccato.

then you look at what the spanish language writers did. they clearly understood the grace and beauty of this humble bird...pollo. round and soft and smooth. as is this dish.

it's a combination of my favorite parts of two or three recipes...and if you happen to make a batch yourself...it just might be the best thing to hit your stomach in a long time.

sweet potato maple bacon fried goodness...

maple-glazed sweet potato doughnuts with bacon crumbs

you really must try these - well, not these these as they have already been consumed - but you should definitely whip up a batch of your own very soon.   it takes only 30 minutes to mix the dough (the night before works best) and then you can fry them up in the morning while the coffee brews, more or less. 

these are so good, i've made them twice in the past week. and that's a lot considering i usually take my breakfast in bed and wait for the house to be emptied of all inhabitants before venturing out from beneath the covers. i am not a morning person. but the thought of having these warm, puffy, bacon-encrusted morsels in as little as 45 minutes has changed all that. 

here's a picture of the dough (looks like any other dough, i know) and if you look carefully, you'll see my fancy doughnut cutter (both pieces) in the background....

...a wine glass and the cap to an over-sized bottle of olive oil.

glaze (check), bacon crumbles (check).....time to fire up the fryer

after you fry, drain, dip, drip, roll and cool...they will look like this:

fry: 360 degree fat (shortening, vegetable oil or lard)

drain: on brown paper for 3-4 minutes

dip: in maple glaze (recipe below)

drip: on a wire rack so the glaze spreads out a bit

roll: the tops in bacon crumbs (i use an old coffee grinder to chop some a bit finer)

cool

summer supper salad number three

it's got everything. beef, potatoes, onions, cheese and greens.

although we've made and tasted many variations over the years, this steak salad's a keeper for us as it contains enough filler material to keep everyone's tummy content until breakfast.

but if you want to make a version that's more "ladies-who-lunch" friendly, simply omit the potatoes and add sliced asian pears and some toasted walnut pieces. voila!

this is how we worked it in our kitchen (30 minutes from frig to fork):

while crisping up about 6 slices of bacon (cut into 1/2" pieces),
you can assemble the dressing using:

4oz bleu cheese. i like maytag (probably more for their quaint logo that hasn't changed in years and is still applied via a foiled sticker to their business envelopes - as much as for the taste).

1/3 c sour cream

1/3 c buttermilk (or plain yogurt)

2 t red wine vinegar (quality matters)

then slice up a scallion or two and add it to:

a platter of torn romaine leaves

drain the bacon (it's been about 7 minutes now) on a paper towel-lined plate and add some yukon gold or fingerling potatoes, cut in slender wedges to the skillet. cook until soft and crispy-browned on both sides (should take 10 - 12 minutes) then transfer to another paper-lined plate.

season a 1" thick sirloin steak (1.5 lbs fed our family of five) with s&p and cook in same skillet over med-high heat (5-7 mins per side for medium-rare).

let meat rest for 5 minutes while you assemble the salad.

slice the meat thin and add to greens and bacon along with the potatoes:

then dress (see photo at top of page) and enjoy.

ps  leftovers go in a pita for lunch the next day. of course.

the guacamole recipe that ended it all. finally.

don't worry. everyone's fine.
what this recipe ended for me (back in jan '08), was that reinventing-the-wheel search every time i wanted to make some guac. you know what i'm talking about. that dish you find yourself craving, and it's a basic (we're not talking risotto or cheese souffle here) so you decide to make it yourself.  and then you panic....which recipe is really the best? how do i know that the effort i put into this dish will really deliver on the other side?
i don't know what dishes do this to you, but mine are simple things like tomato sauce (still haven't found the perfect one there - so DO share!), banana bread, hamburgers, mac 'n cheese...every time i go to make one of these dishes i spend at least an hour searching the internet for that one perfect rendition. you know what i mean, right?
anyway, i've got a guacamole recipe that has spared me said frantic search, and i thought i would share it with those of you who have not yet found your perfect guac recipe (and to those of you who already have a recipe memorized  - you might want to reconsider...)

oh wait! i can't possibly post the recipe right now. you see, i'm in the middle of this (the logistical workings of an inter-office move of twenty or so people and all their...belongings):

those scraps of paper you see are photos of every piece of furniture/lighting fixture and accessory in our offices...
there has to be an easier way...but it's also a project reminiscent of both colorforms and paper dolls. how much fun is that?!


anywho - guacamole recipe coming your way before the weekend - ends!