RECIPE WED #22: Bubbles & Squeak

A perfect warm up dinner in the winter time!!

This is a dish my momma 

would make often!! 

We loved it, she would change it up with what was available in the garden, grocery store, or even fridge. 

Kinda like a Shepperd's pie. 

My momma never called it "Bubbles and Squeak" 

but as I grew up I realized it wasn't just a "made up dish" it actually had a name...

Isn't this head of cabbage lovely?! This pic is from this blog.

KAPUSTA- Cabbage Soup

Kapusta is a well known Eastern European recipe featuring Pork, cabbage, & sour kraut. People from Russian, Poland, Lithuanian, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and more have thier own takes on this dish. 

 You can enjoy this as a main dish, soup, or a side dish. It is very versatile and an awesome round #2 Recipe, I often make this utilizing left-overs from New Year's Day. 

Sometimes I have seen it served w/ kielbasa, 

baked with kluski noodles then topped with cottage cheese sprinkled with Smoked Paprika  

and other times mixed cream of mushroom soup 

and served like a casserole.

Pic Credit

I am using this Polish inspired dish to use up the leftovers from New Year's Day Supper in the soup form...

Kapusta- 

Cabbage Soup

1 lg. (28 oz.) sauerkraut, drained and rinsed- save some of the juice- (Or left overs from New Year's Day)
1 med. cabbage, chopped or shredded
1 & 1/2 C Mushrooms, Sliced

Chicken Stock to cover both (I use left over Chicken Gravy and thin with more chicken Stock)
2 c. cooked pork chops or leftover pork roast
Kosher Salt & Course Ground Pepper

1/2 t dried Thyme 

Pinch of Brown Sugar, optional

2-4 T Butter or Bacon Drippings
15 oz  corn nibblets or whatever vegetable you have left over.

1. Add Bacon Drippings to dutch oven and Saute Cabbage until cooked through. 
2. Push Cabbage to outside of pan- add Mushrooms and Carrots, sauteing until mushrooms are cooked & carrots are soft.
3. Combine Cabbage with the pork roast/chops & Sour Kraut. 
4. Add enough Chicken Gravy/Stock to cover. 
5. Sprinkle in kosher salt and Fresh Cracked pepper, to taste. 
6. Cook over low heat, simmering for about 2 hours, adding Chicken Stock as needed and taste to adjust seasoning.
7. If desired,  add some of the reserved kraut juice if more tart is needed. 
8. Add the corn and continue cooking until heated through
9. Serve hot.

RECIPE WED # 17: Romanian Grilled Minced Meat Rolls (MICI)

I love these, but since I did not grow up on the taste of them I have taken some liberties with the recipe and this is not as authentic as it once was, I will include the original recipe with my substitutions...

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 8 ounces chopped suet (don't really have that lying around, so I added 1/2 gr pork)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds ground toasted cumin seeds (Not a fan of caraway seeds, so cumin is close in taste just smokier in flavor)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon finely ground juniper berries
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 t water Gin  (juniper berries {jb}, are what makes gin, so I substitute berries and water for for Gin- I just know that jb would go to waste in my pantry- could also substitute rosemary spring or ground bay leaf)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil-(Used xtra virgin olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons beef broth stock

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, suet (gr. pork), baking soda, caraway seeds (Cumin), garlic, salt, pepper and juniper berries , using your hands. Mix with your hands for about 15 minutes until mixed will get tough if over mix, adding a little bit of the water gin at a time. This part can be made a few hours ahead of time if you like, giving the flavors a chance to mellow.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat. With wet hands form the meat into rolls about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Brush lightly with oil.
3. Grill the meat for 5 to 10 minutes, basting frequently with a mixture of beef broth and any remaining oil, until well done.
4. I will pan fry or roast in 350 oven basting (every 10 min or so) until well done or if roasting will place in a foil tent with beef stock.

RECIPE WED #15: Chicken Paprikash

This is hands down one of my favorite chicken dishes plus one of my dear friends Nancy gave it to me makes it extra special!

Looks like this pic from: 247lowcarbdiner.blogspot.com

She is such a fabulous cook, amazing crafter, meticulous house keeper and inspirational gardener, it's even part of her name, LOL!! She is one of those people who you are so blessed to have in your life- that come along side you and mentor you and the impact of their impression on your life is a thumbprint time will probably never erase.

 Unfortunately similar job advancements that brought her into my life also removed her from my daily life and have placed her many states away. I think though we aren't able to contact regularly I think of her often  especially when I make this dish. She makes dumplings with this dish that are so light fluffy they melt in your mouth and though she gave me the recipe I just can't duplicate it, it always tastes like undercooked lumps of doughy-dough...so  I pair it with her simple spinach salad and EVOO vinaigrette and most of the times homemade eggless noodles- one day I will master the dumpling!!

Her original recipe cooks on the stove pot and calls for basic paprika, we LOVE smoked paprika so I make it with smoked and with my family time constraints I adapted the recipe for the crock pot...tastes soooooo delish,

Chicken Paprikash

• 1 3-4 Lb whole chicken, cut up {or pieces you family likes or is on sale like leg quarters, breasts, etc...)
• 1/2  onion diced 1/2 quartered
• 2C chicken stock
• 2-3T smoked parika
• 1/4-1/2 C sour cream
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• garlic infused EVOO or plain if you have it 
• 1/2 of red and yellow peppers, chopped in large pieces

------------------------------------------------------

1. Season Chicken Breasts with S& P and rub into skin with a light coating of EVOO and allow to come to room temp for 20-25 min
2. Heat skillet and once hot add EVOO over medium heat, do not get so hot it's smoking. Once water flicked across skillet "dances" it is ready to add Chicken
3. Place Chicken skin side down and ALLOW to sear and crisp skin for about 4-5 min
4. DO NOT flip chicken if sticking, it means it has not crisped enough, be patient and allow the skin to get that carmelization, it will tell you once it does by releasing!
5. Once chicken easily turns flip chicken and cook 2-3 min more. NOT cooking all the way through just searing, in the words of Chef Anne Burell "brown food tastes better!"
6. Place quartered Onion and peppers in bottom of crock pot-will infuse the chicken with awesome flavor and later we will sneak in some veggies!
7. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot, pour stock in pan and cook several minutes scraping up all the brown goodness and pour stock over chicken
8. Add finely diced onions, parika and kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
9. Cover turn on low and cook for 4-6 hours.
10. Remove chicken and large pieces of onoins and peppers.
11. Add sour cream to stock {or in our case we use yogurt that has been drained of some it's whey for the cultured aspect}
12. Pick the  meat off of the bones and keep the skin and bones for stock later, I place in gallon bag until it's full then make a flavorful stock from the bones and skin.
13. Wiz the onions and peppers in food processor for a few pulses to puree the veggies. I love how this thickens the sauce and allows me to sneak in veggies and at the same time flavor my dish!
14. Add meat back in and replace lid lightly, turn off heat but leave alone while you make noodles or if you can make a decent dumpling do so now.

Spinach salad

6 oz baby flat leaf spinach
palm-ful of crumbled feta cheese
freshly toasted almond slivers

Toss with favorite EVOO vinigerette, I don't measure I just use a cruet and pour in balsamic vinegar to line, add EVOO to line then add water sprinkling in salt and pepper.

As by evidence of my menus we make this about 2-3 times/month, it's easy, economical, tasty and really once your sear the chicken pieces it really isn't time consuming, after about 10 min of prep it's basically a "set it and forget it" type recipe....ENJOY!