Recipes

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice
  • 1/2-2/3 cups of long grain rice
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small onion)
  • 1 cup diced carrots (2 medium)
  • 1 cup diced celery (3 ribs)
  • 7 Tbsp butter, diced, divided
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced (1 1/2 tsp)
  • 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp of each dried thyme, marjoram (or oregano), sage and rosemary
  • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk

Instructions

  • Prepare wild rice according to directions listed on package. *(I use a rice cooker to prepare the wild rice. This should take about 40-45 minutes).
  • While the rice is cooking, gently boil the chicken breasts in 5 cups of water. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the breasts and cool, reserving the liquid in the large pot. (The soup will be made in this pot later.) Use two forks to shread the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
  • While the chicken cooks, melt 1 Tbsp butter in a sauté pan. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute 4 minutes, add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.
  • Combine the cooked aromatics with the chicken broth, thyme, marjoram/oregano, sage, rosemary and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Using the pan in which the aromatics were sautéed, melt remaining 6 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook 1 1/2 minutes, whisking constantly. 
  • Then while whisking vigorously, slowly pour milk into butter/flour mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens. 
  • Add milk mixture to soup mixture in pot along with shredded chicken and cooked wild rice. Add the uncooked long grain rice. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the white rice is cooked.
  • Let soup cool slightly and serve.

Best Banana Nut Bread

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Ingredients

  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 6 large, very ripe bananas*
  • 8 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped, (optional)
  • 2 tsp. sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several stem vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes.  This can bubble over, so keep an eye on it.

Transfer bananas to a strainer placed over medium saucepan and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.  You should have about 1/2 cup liquid.

Bring banana liquor to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half.  Remove from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with a fork until fairly smooth.  Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining.  Gently fold in walnuts, if using.  Scrape batter into prepared pan.  Slice remaining banana into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  Shingle banana slices on top of the loaf leaving the center space open to ensure even rise.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes.  Cool bread 15 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crème Pâtissière

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ngredients 

  • 2 cups (455 g) whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (see note)
  • 4 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup; 115 g), plain or toasted
  • 1 ounce (3 tablespoons; 30 g) cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
  • Yolks from 4 large eggs, straight from the fridge (2 1/2 ounces; 70 g)
  • 1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tablespoons; 30 g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions

  1. In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, combine milk and scraped vanilla bean along with its seeds. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover to prevent evaporation, and let steep for 30 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice. Set aside.
  3. In a medium heatproof mixing bowl set on top of a dampened towel (this serves as a stable base), stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks until mixture is pale yellow, smooth, and fluffy, about 1 minute.
  4. Uncover infused milk and remove vanilla bean (see note). While whisking continuously, slowly pour milk into egg yolk mixture in a thin stream, until all of it has been added.
  5. Return the mixture to the same saucier. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute. When it begins to bubble, set a timer and continue whisking for 1 minute. This step is important to neutralize a starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.
  6. Off-heat, whisk in butter until melted and thoroughly combined. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heatproof medium bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer bowl to prepared ice bath to chill for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
  7. When ready to use the pastry cream, whisk until smooth.

Hoppin’ John

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Ingredients

  • 6 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)
  • 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
  • 8 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
  • Fresh scallions, sliced

Directions

  1. Cook bacon: Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until starting to crisp, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add vegetables and seasonings: Add celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes.
  3. Add broth and peas: Add broth and black-eyed peas, and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until peas are tender, about 40 minutes.
  4. Drain pea mixture, reserving cooking liquid. Return pea mixture and 1 cup of the cooking liquid to Dutch oven. Cover to keep warm; set aside.
  5. Cook rice: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 18 minutes.Fluff rice with a fork. Alternatively, cook the rice in the rice cooker.
  6. Combine rice and pea mixture: Gently stir into pea mixture in Dutch oven. Stir in remaining cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Sprinkle servings with sliced fresh scallions.

Pork Tenderloin with Fennel

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Ingredients 

  • ▢ 1 lb. pork tenderloin
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds
  • ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ▢ 2 fennel bulbs, trims removed and fronds reserved
  • ▢ 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ▢ salt and pepper
  • ▢ 1 cup dry white wine
  • ▢ 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ▢ juice form 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Use paper towel to pat dry the pork until dry. Rub fennel seed in pork, evenly distributing throughout.

3. In oven-safe pan or skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Brown tenderloin on all sides for about six minutes. Set aside on plate.

4. Cut fennel into 1/2 inch wedges Using the same pan, sauté fennel and garlic over medium heat until fennel is brown and tender, about six minutes. Add wine and deglaze pan, scraping up brown bits. Add butter and broth to pan and stir.

5. Place pork on top of fennel and transfer pan into oven. Roast until internal temperature of pork reaches 145-150 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes.

6. While pork is resting, transfer hot skillet to stove top, bring contents to simmer until almost completely reduced. Add lemon juice, reduce heat and stir in 1/2 cup reserved (and chopped) fronds.

7. Slice pork, serve over fennel wedges and top with sauce.