Category: Cooking Archive

Chicken Dumpling, Black Pepper Soup

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Chicken Dumpling Soup

Is there anything in the kitchen more under-appreciated or ubiquitous than black pepper? And what’s with this word, “ubiquitous”? I see it everywhere!

If you don’t like the taste of pepper then move on to the next post, there is nothing to see here. However if you enjoy a good brothy (is that a word?) soup with a little bite then keep reading.

I wish I could tell you that I made my own dumplings from scratch, roasted my chicken and created the chicken broth myself … but I would be lying big time. I took the lazy way out and still managed to create some delicious soup using frozen dumplings, rotisserie chicken and ready-made chicken broth.

EasyTastyHealthy

Difficulty: Can’t mess this up!

Ingredients:

  • (1) rotisserie chicken (use approx. ⅔’s )
  • 6 ozs. frozen flat dumplings
  • (3) stalks celery
  • (1) small yellow onion
  • (3) large cloves of garlic
  • (1) medium carrot
  • 62 ozs. low sodium chicken stock
  • ½ pint Half & Half
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce
  • coarse ground black pepper

Started by adding the low sodium chicken broth to your stockpot and bring it to a simmer. Use half of the package of frozen flat dumplings (about 6 ozs). I know the recipe calls for a lot of chicken broth, but it reduces and becomes more concentrated during the preparation, no need to add any chicken bouillon. As I added the frozen dumplings, I broke them in half … not that it affects the taste in any way, it just makes the soup easier to eat with a spoon. As the dumplings cook (about 20 minutes), dice the celery and onion and sautéed them in a tbsp. of butter and equal amount of EVOO. While the celery and onions are adding their aromas to the kitchen, finely chop 3 large cloves of garlic. Add those to the onion-celery mix when the onions are translucent. Keep sautéing while you grate a medium-sized carrot directly into the broth.

Separate the meat from the rotisserie chicken into small pieces. I didn’t want this to turn into a stew or even a chowder, so I only used about ⅔ of the chicken meat, saving one breast for another use. Add that to the broth along with the celery, onion, garlic mix and keep simmering. Add the Half & Half (you could use cream of course) and the hot sauce. Now it’s time for the black pepper to make it’s entrance. As a noob food-blogger, I didn’t measure the black pepper I added, partly because I was grinding it from my pepper mill directly into the soup. Set your pepper mill to coarse and crank at least 10 times into the broth. Let simmer for a few minutes then taste. I can tell you that I added at least another 10 turns of the pepper mill, probably more, but use your own judgement, keep tasting the broth … you can always add more pepper, taking it out is … well, impossible.

Keep simmering a few more minutes before serving, let it rest a bit then serve to your hungry family and friends.

Sidenote: My plan is to start using a decent SLR for my food photography, but up until this point all the photos you see on the blog have been taken with my iPhone 5. (I’m old enough to remember when you used phones for calling people … crazy)

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Tuscan Ham, Bean and Spinach Soup

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TuscanSoup

 See what I did there? Just by adding “Tuscan” to the name, this soup sounds so much more refined … unlike my “Layered Veggie Thingy”! (I’m learning)

This soup is quick and easy to throw together, lots of fiber, low in calories and full of flavor.

EasyTastyHealthy 

The Cannellini beans are the stars of this soup, packed with protein, iron, magnesium and folate they are the perfect complement to the ham and spinach. Since I don’t plan anything but my vacations very far in advance, I just use canned beans rather than soaking the dried beans overnight and cooking them.

Difficulty: Souper easy!

Ingredients:

  • (3) cans Cannellini beans
  • (1) can chili beans in chili sauce
  • 10 ozs. diced ham
  • 5 ozs. baby spinach (chopped)
  • 48 ozs. low sodium chicken stock
  • (1) tsp. minced garlic
  • (1) tbsp. hot sauce (Frank’s or similar)
  • ground black pepper (to taste)

Drain and rinse the 3 cans of Cannellini beans, add 2 of the cans to your stockpot. If there is a trick to this recipe at all, it is using a potato masher to mash the beans in the bottom of your stockpot. This will thicken the soup and change it from just being some beans floating around in chicken broth to a rich hearty bean broth.

After the beans are sufficiently smashed add some of the chicken broth and stir, making sure that none of the beans are stuck to the bottom of your stockpot, because no one likes burnt beans in their soup! Add the rest of the chicken stock, the remaining can of Cannellini beans, the chili beans with their sauce, the ham, then start warming.

If you are lucky enough to have a good ham bone by all means use it, it will kick the flavor way up, if not dicing a ham steak will suffice, which it what I did this time.

While everything in the stockpot is heating, wilt the chopped spinach in a skillet with a drizzle of EVOO. Once it is thoroughly wilted add the minced garlic and continue heating for another minute.

Add the spinach-garlic mix to the soup along with a tablespoon of Frank’s hot sauce and a generous grind of coarse black pepper. Let it simmer a few minutes then taste the broth. Add more pepper or hot sauce as needed or perhaps a pinch of chili powder or Cajun seasoning. Simmer a few more minutes then serve with a crusty bread or cornbread. Yum!

Rotisserie Chicken Enchiladas

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ChickenEnchilladas

This qualifies for one of Poppy’s “Holy Trinity of Cooking” awards.

EasyTastyHealthy

Do winning lotto tickets magically appear when you cut into this warm, spicy and delicious meal … NO … but it is easy, tasty and healthy … (don’t get greedy)!

Difficulty: You won’t break a sweat (unless you make it too spicy)!

Ingredients: 

  • (1) rotisserie chicken
  • flour tortillas (taco size)
  • (1) large sweet onion
  • (1) green bell pepper
  • salsa (medium heat)
  • 10 ozs. enchilada sauce (mild heat)
  • grated cheese (mild cheddar or mexican blend)
  • coarse ground black pepper
  • soy sauce based steak sauce (Dale’s or similar)

Warm the oven to 375°

Cut the onion and green pepper into long strips and start sautéing on medium-medium low heat in a tbsp. of butter and equal amount of EVOO. Stir periodically until the onions start to turn translucent. Add 2 tbsp of Dale’s steak sauce or similar soy based steak sauce. Add a very generous grind of coarse black pepper, stir, remove from heat and set aside. This part of the prep will take about 10 minutes … while the onions and peppers are sautéing, make yourself useful and start pulling the meat off the rotisserie chicken.

OnionsPepper2

Now we are ready to start the enchilada assembly line. If you want to start playing Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” it would be totally appropriate. I usually microwave the tortillas while they are still in their plastic bag for 15-30 seconds just to warm and soften them up for this step. Then it’s just a matter of making a line of chicken meat, 2 tbsp. of salsa, couple pinches of shredded cheese and a row of the onion-pepper mix … fold the sides over enough to trap the ingredients then roll those babies up.

ReadyToRoll

Place the seam-side down in an oiled, deep-sided, oven-proof skillet. I can usually fit 7-8 in the skillet. Pour on the enchilada sauce, making sure to coat them all. Then add a ridge of shredded cheese on top of each enchilada. Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until you see the sauce bubbling … remove, let cool for a few minutes and prepare yourself for the compliments you are about to receive for this “easy-tasty-healthy” dish!

You sharp-eyed readers have probably noticed the pot of beans in the background of the feature photo. This the perfect side for the enchiladas. I almost wish I could find a way to make this sound very complicated … I’m afraid of losing my food-bloggers license if I just tell you to open a couple of cans and heat the mixture, but there is not much more to it than that and it doesn’t really need complicating.

OK, if you have your can openers at ready, let’s do this … drumroll … open a can of black beans (pinto if you prefer), drain but don’t rinse, place in saucepan. Open a can of refried beans, add those to the saucepan along with a scant tsp. of diced garlic and a tbsp. of the steak sauce … heat until warm … top with a pinch of shredded cheese.

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Strati de Jardin, (Garden Layers), aka “Layered Veggie Thingy”

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Finished Veggie Dish

On the afternoon of a predicted winter advisory I did what everyone else in the Midwest seems to do when there is a threat of bad weather … run to the grocery to buy stuff I don’t need, but could need if things get really bad. Among the items I purchased, an assortment of pasta, cheeses and a 3 1/2 pound bottom round roast.  Perhaps it was that nice big chunk of red meat that guilted me into doing something with vegetables.

I remembered seeing a recipe recently that had layered some baked vegetables with roasted beefsteak tomatoes on top. Now the odds of me finding some homegrown beefsteak tomatoes in February at my present location were about as likely as me picking some winning lottery numbers, but it got me thinking. So I set out to procure enough vegetables to create  Poppy’s “Layered Veggie Thingy”. The sweet onions were on sale, grabbed some … potatoes seemed hearty, tossed in a bag of golden potatoes … zucchini and yellow squash looked a little pathetic, but I snatched 2 of each anyway … eggplant, no brainer, as close to meat as you can get in the veggie world … and while I couldn’t score any beefsteak tomatoes, I grabbed the biggest tomatoes I could find in February at the local grocery. Knowing my family as I do,  a 100% pure veggie main dish might be a hard sell, so I added a package of fresh Mozzarella cheese to the collection. Continue reading “Strati de Jardin, (Garden Layers), aka “Layered Veggie Thingy”” →

Poppy’s Steak Bites

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Not my prettiest photo, but here are some steak bites with roasted cauliflower and roasted sweet onions.
Not my prettiest photo, but here are some steak bites served with roasted cauliflower and roasted sweet onions.

Know someone who loves to eat steak but can’t be bothered with cutting it up or cutting around the bones and fat?  Steak bites are the answer.

“Why steak bites rather than whole steaks, Poppy”?

Several good reasons; steak bites are bite-sized (duh), and easy to eat. There is less waste, everyone can help themselves to as much or as little steak as they want. In our family 3 good sized steaks can feed 4-5 people when served with sides. Maybe Poppy spoils his family or perhaps he is the lazy one. Continue reading “Poppy’s Steak Bites” →

Poppy’s Potato-Cheddar-Sausage Soup

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It was a dark and stormy night. Cop cars suddenly converged on a house just a few doors down from me. Moments later though the mist I could see them leading a ghostly figure away in handcuffs. Apparently this person had failed to provide hot, hearty soup for their family.

Yes, some weather is so miserable that’s it’s actually a crime not to make a batch of creamy, comforting, delicious soup … don’t be that person. Poppy is here to help!

 Poppy's Potato-Cheddar-Sausage Soup

Introducing Poppy’s “Potato-Cheddar-Sausage Soup”.

In Poppy’s not-so-humble opinion, a good potato soup should be creamy yet have some chunky goodness to it. Start by peeling and dicing 6 medium to large Yukon Gold potatoes into ¼” cubes. Drop the potato cubes into 48 ozs. of low sodium chicken broth. If you’re ambitious and want to make your own broth, go for it, but that’s a topic for another day. Crank up the heat and cover your stockpot. Continue reading “Poppy’s Potato-Cheddar-Sausage Soup” →

Poppy’s Favorite Flatbread Pizza

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FlatBread1

Once a scrambled egg walked into a pizza parlor. He asked the waiter if he could have something to drink. The waiter said “Sorry, we don’t serve breakfast.”

… rimshot! (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Ahh, the joys of making a flatbread pizza … talk about a blank canvas, the options are limitless and it’s almost impossible to mess up!

This is one of Poppy’s favorites and in the universe of pizzas, it’s one of the healthier ones … start with a good flatbread (duh). Our local grocery carries some that are made just for pizza. Continue reading “Poppy’s Favorite Flatbread Pizza” →

Spicy Tortellini Soup

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TortelliniSoup

Did Lynyrd Skynyrd get tired of people yelling out … “Free Bird“?

Does Tony Bennett ever think … for crying out loud people, I actually sing songs other than “I Left My Heart in San Francisco“?

This is my families most requested soup … to the point I sometimes say, “Sorry, I’m making something else tonight”. And the most humbling thing … it’s not a Poppy original (and I am very proud of my humility)! I found this years ago on stltoday.com, they featured this soup from the Café Aroma in Edwardsville, Illinois. This is Poppy’s version, slightly modified from the original. Continue reading “Spicy Tortellini Soup” →

Orecchiette Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach

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RoastedTomatoPastaFinalBlur

An old Italian man lived alone in Jersey. It was spring and he wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very hard work for the aging man, as the ground had compacted over winter. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent,

I am feeling sad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If only you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, like in the old days.

Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son:

Dear Papa,

Don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried.

Love, Vinnie

At 7:00 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived at the old man’s house and dug up the entire garden area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day, the old man received another letter from his son:

Dear Papa,

Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love, Vinnie

Aaah, the things we will do for a good tomato … but lets get cooking!

This dish will delight at least 3 of your senses, it looks great, smells wonderful and tastes delicious. I guess if you ate it with your fingers we could add one more sense to the list (let me know how that works out for you).

Orecchiette pasta originates in the sunny southern province of Puglia, Italy and translated means, “Little Ears”). Traditionally made by curling bits of pasta dough over one’s thumb, the little cup-like shape is great for holding sauces and veggies. It’s slightly chewy texture is the perfect complement to the intense flavors of the roasted tomatoes. Continue reading “Orecchiette Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach” →

Cauliflower = Wallflower?

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wallflower: a type of loner, seemingly shy folks who no one really knows, often some of the most interesting people if one actually talks to them.

Pity the poor cauliflower, she sits alone in the produce section, wrapped in cellophane, segregated from the other produce, pale in a world of greens, golds and reds. Cauliflower rhymes with wallflower … coincidence? … I think not.

CauliflowerHead

So how do we bring out the personality in this seemingly boring vegetable? Very simply, we roast her. Roasting turns this wallflower into the belle of the ball, full of attitude, verve, and not the least … flavor! Rich, nutty, must have some more flavor. Best of all it’s very easy. It fits Poppy’s lazy gourmet style perfectly. Just cut up a head of cauliflower into florets with flat sides. The more contact with the baking sheet, the richer the flavor, hence the flat sides. Toss the florets in EVOO and spread on a foil lined baking sheet (unless you really enjoy scrubbing baking sheets). Make sure the florets are not stacked on each other, spread them out so each one has it’s chance in the roasting spotlight. Apply some ground black pepper and sea salt and we are good to go, it’s that easy.

Cauliflower

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then load in the cauliflower. Keep an eye on it, when it starts to brown on the bottom (10-15 minutes) then take a spatula and flip it over and roast another 10-15 minutes. The result is slightly browned, carmelized, and altogether delicious. Serve it as a side (with some fresh grated parmesan), toss it in some pasta, soup or salad … you can’t go wrong.

Viva la wallflower!