Weave a Thousand Flavors

Tired of Leftover Roast Bird? It's Chicken, Fennel & Sweet Potato Soup to the Rescue

How many times have you closed the refrigerator door to that half-eaten roasted chicken that you have been picking on all week?

Well, here's a soup that will have you waiting for that chook carcass in your fridge.

Just think rich stock flavored with fennel with the scent of anise, natural sweetness of sweet potatoes enhanced with the flavor of brown sugar and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg? I hope that got you to sit up and take notice!

This is such a staple during the cooler months in our home and especially wonderful during busy days, cleaning days, 'I'm-bored-of-cooking-days' and 'I-am-soccer-mom-of-the-year' - days and  of course my favorite 'leave-me-curled-up on-the-couch-with-a-book' days.

So for what ever ails you or for no reason what so ever, just simply because the air is crisp and the trees are barren,  I hope you'll put this on your menu.

 

My whoop dee doo with leftovers ~ Candied Yam & Turkey Patties

After the rather large gluttonous feast of yesterday, I have no business eating for a week! 

So thank goodness, I have 3 ravenous boys (err, a man) to help polish off the leftovers. I'm like a vulture when it comes to leftovers - we're going to pick them bones clean down to the teeny tiniest morsel.

Fact remains that since Thanksgiving, I'm all turkey schmurkeyed out. I have probably eaten my weight in bird and am determined to stay away from turkey recipes for a while. But fact remains, I've still got the detritus of yesterday's meal to deal with.

But then providence has its own plans and send a dazzling smile my way - no I didn't win the lottery and you'd think among  the gargantuan crisis of world hunger, poverty and global warming, the Big Guy may be a wee bit too busy to keep an eye on my refrigerator and pantry supplies, eh?

But no sirree, I receive a link on face book by da man, culinary teacher extraordinaire Richard Grausman, pointing the way to Chef Cole Kraft's recipe from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts for his Yam and Turkey Croquettes.

You get it don't ya - the whole connectivity bit? I mean come on people, who do I have to dig up from his subterranean resting place, Carl Jung?

Anyway, providence need say no more. I donned my flowery apron and off I went slightly adapting Chef Kraft's original recipe taking artistic liberties and all. The end result, I must confess is as dazzling as a smile from sky above.

Got Cake? Bread, Grape & Rosemary Tea Cake

Flour + Eggs + Sugar  = Cake

Bread + Eggs + Herbs = Cake!

If you are reading this and wondering if my mother dropped me on my head when I was little, let me just say that my Mother was an excellent Mum and did no such thing! 

Quirky as I may be, the responsibility of such a splendid attribute rests  solely on my shoulders & mine alone.

Anyway, back to the point, many of my cookbooks live in old packing boxes in the storage area. It isn't because I don't love them so I treat them as orphans - far from it! We simply have no room and were I too bring all my cookbooks in the home to live with us, I'd basically have to move into the car with Mr. Hubby, 2 kids and our enormous Golden Retriever Sydney! Mr. Hubby has allergies & Sydney (our Golden) occasionally farts so that simply won't do!

So to assuage myself, I once in a while drag the boxes indoors and spend a few days sighing & reading & sifting through all those wonderful olden golden recipes. For the longest time, I had misplaced the itty bitty book by Nika Hazelton on Regional Italian cooking which  I had purchased from a street vendor in Mumbai when I was about yay high. So when I found it at the bottom of the box wedged under my coffee table pasta book & Fannie Farmer's Cookbook, I yanked it out with such flourish, that I fell flat on my behind. Anyway, now that we've found each other again, I haven't been able to put it down since. (Needless to say, it now sits on my kitchen counter top)

Anyway, its late in the evening and as I am perusing its picture-less pages, I come across a recipe for a Bread cake and I read it again because the bloody thing has no flour - it's made with stale breadcrumbs!  And I'm thinking, good old Nika's gone batty - anyway I have such respect for her and we've known each other for such a long time that I decided that I simply must  take a chance and fix this cake.

The cake is an old world recipe that hails from Lake Como, in Lombardy, Italy and its as rustic as they come. I call it rustic because it reminds me of the old tea cakes from growing up - they were always very dense and incredibly flavorful with none of that fru fru stuff in it. So don't expect this to be a light and fluffy cake , it isn't, its not meant to be!

You know what it reminded me of - a semolina tea cake that I fix which is also very rustic.

Lacey Chicken Kababs

 

Lacey kababs that is kababs rolled in egg are very popular with the Parsi community in India. The Parsis are India's largest Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The influence of Arabic led to a drop in the 'p' sound in the Persian language, changing "Parsi" to "Farsi" (the name by which the language is now known).

This peace loving genteel community are so much a part of India's secular fabric and are interwoven like colorful strands in a rich dari (rug).

Affectionately known by other communities as Paarsi baawaas they represent an entrepreneurial spirit, an overwhelming love for the Queen of England (so much so that most of them will stand up and salute at the television when the Queen shows, affectionately calling her "my Raani'), a love for western classical music and unique foods including their fish that is sweet and tangy.

These lacey cutlets traditionally made with ground goat (mutton) are just as delicious made with leftover chicken. The term 'lacey' because of the 'lace' that forms when the kababs are dipped in breadcrumbs and then in egg rather than the traditional method the other way around - egg first followed by breadcrumbs.

The result is a light airy coating that I love and makes a nice change to the crispy breadcrumb coating that we're all so used to.

Give it a go and what better way jazz up leftover cooked chicken? 

Roast Pork Tenderloin Blinis with Chipotle Mayonnaise & Pear salsa

 

I made some of that fabulous Pork tenderloin, marinated in feijioda inspired spices, roasted with an orange-serrano chile glaze once again & I was left with the task of what to possibly do with the leftovers. And pork tacos are well, just so common.

The next day, Mr. Hubby asked, "What's for dinner?" to which I responded, "How about Blinis?" & he said "Who's that?" After a good laugh, I realized he'd actually hit on an excellent point. These fabulous savory pancakes which are traditionally served with caviar or smoked fish, seem to have almost become obsolete if not disappeared from our daily culinary vocabulary. So of course a reincarnation is in order!

I've got Snail Mail & Just in time for a Splendid No-Roll Chicken & Pecan Crumb Pie

I love it when the likes of Christmas morning arrives unexpectedly!

Well, it feels like Christmas to me because when the knock on the door revealed the man-in-brown holding a rather large box, I was eager with anticipation at the possibility that it could very well be my coveted and awaited Emile Henry 9" pie dish. Hooray!

This is wonderful timing because it coincides with a conversation I've had with Leslie, one of the owners at the quaint Wildflower Cafe in Clearwater, Florida. They have a wonderfully idyllic neighborhood cafe tucked away which serves a wonderful breakfast, brunches and don't even get me started on their pies!

During a visit many years ago I still remember their excellent Chicken & Pecan pie was. Anyway, I got on the telephone and decided to ask for the recipe because I was pining for a slice and I don't think Mr. Hubby is interested in buying me a $544 air ticket any time soon!

As Leslie pointed out the recipe was also featured in their local newspaper.

Why is the timing providential? Because Pie meets Dish my friends!

For those of you who've hung out with me in the kitchen these last 3 months you probably know that where most women salivates over their Oscar de la Renta's, I salivate over my bake ware & cook ware and as far as I'm concerned Emile Henry & Mauviel top my drool list!

I look past the detritus of my package opening session cluttered around me in a hope to get it cleaned up before Mr. Hubby comes in through the door and starts tsk-ing in displeasure. And finally revealed is this -

Wow! First thought, look how thick it is! My no-names pie dish that I've had for years tends to overcook my pies in spots & is half the thickness of this baby plus, I love the color! A beautiful glistening red, technically a 'cerise' - none of that 'can't quite put my finger on it - could go 2 shades this way or that way'.

I also love that beautiful scalloped edge which I think will be perfect homemade pies - reminiscent of the pinched edges, don't you think? And it can go from freezer to oven!

So lets get started and put the dish to good use so we can start digging into this.....

This I promise you, this pie is going to be on top of your list for holidays, brunches, potlucks, day after Thanksgiving & every other occasion that requires a stress-free fabulous dinner prepared in advance. You know why?

Because its even better, when you bake it, cool it, refrigerate it and then eat it! How great is that? Finally a dish that's made for us busy worker bees.

Also, absolutely brilliant with chutneys and marmalade (in fact I wouldn't advise you miss it for the world) I served it with my special Chutney de POM, Kumquats, Jalapeno & Ginger - the recipe for which is here but you can serve it with any favorite fruit chutney or marmalade of your choice.

The ingredients for this recipe can be divided into the filling & the pie crust (base & topping)

The filling -

Use leftover rotisserie chicken (both dark & white meat in equal quantities for a moist filling), red Spanish or vidalia onion, Tabasco sauce, dried dill, sour cream, mayonnaise, eggs, chicken stock, shredded cheddar cheese.

Chicken - De-bone and chop the chicken.

Onion - Peel, discard the skin and finely chop.

Eggs - Crack & dispose shell. Beat with a fork & set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add beaten eggs, chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped onions, Tabasco, dill & shredded cheese.

With a spatula stir. Add the chicken stock and stir again. Once well blended, set aside.

Pie crust & topping -

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Gather the ingredients - all purpose flour, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped pecans, vegetable oil & paprika.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients. Use a spatula or use your clean hands. Mix until all the ingredients are completely blended and a crumbly mixture is formed.

Use non-stick baking spray and generously spray the inside of the 9" pie dish - base and side walls.

Separate the mixture into 2 equal parts. Use one half for the base and set aside the other half for the topping.

Using clean hands, spread the mixture (the half for the base) as best you can and press along the sides and the walls so it of as uniform thickness as possible.

Keep pressing the mixture down so it stays in position.

Bake the pie base ion the preheated oven for 15 minutes. It will show only a slight browning but not considerable color difference.

Spoon all the contents of the filling into the baked base.

Sprinkle the other half of the crumb topping uniformly over the pie.

Place in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Do not open the oven door or mess with it in any way during the baking process.

And what you get is the pie with a wonderful crumbly top - gorgeous texture as you can see!

Set the pie aside for at least 45 minutes to an hour before serving or else the filling will be runny. If you are serving the next day, allow the pie to cool completely and then refrigerate.

Cut into the pie and the filling is firm but moist and not at all dry. The base and topping is like a streusel texture, flaky & cheesy.

Serve it with some wonderful fruit chutney. I served mine with my special Chutney de POM, Kumquats, Jalapeno & Ginger - the post for which is here

The pie filling is so very creamy and flavorful. The cheese and pecan pie crust and base provide a wonderful textural and flavor variation to the creaminess of the filling.

Very pleasing to the eye and the belly. I will be making this again and again. Given the ease of preparation it's on my must-do list for brunches!

With little bites of the chutney, the pie is elevated to a whole other level. The spicy-tart-sweet flavors from the chutney, work beautifully with all the elements of the pie. This would be great even with a simple orange marmalade in a pinch me thinks.

I have to say, the Emile Henry pie dish has done its job admirably - there was no uneven browning at all. One must attribute this to the thickness & that burgundy clay they use. I'm thrilled with it and can't wait to use it for all my summer fruit pies!Yum!

Recipe for

Splendid No-Roll, Chicken & Pecan Crumb Pie

Adapted from the Original recipe by Wildflower Cafe, Clearwater, Florida

Please Note - I have used artistic liberties & adjusted quantities of some the ingredients from the original recipe. These differences have been highlighted with cross-outs.

Preparation time - 30 minutes

Baking time- 1 hour

Shopping list

Filling-

12 oz cooked chicken 13 oz cooked rotisserie chicken, chopped

3 eggs

1-1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup chicken stock

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

3/4 tsp dill 1 tsp dried dill

3 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup finely chopped vidalia or red onion

Pie base & topping -

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 tbs vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

6 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation -

The filling -

Chicken - De-bone and chop the chicken.

Onion - Peel, discard the skin and finely chop.

Eggs - Crack & dispose shell. Beat with a fork & set aside.

In a large mixing bowl add beaten eggs, chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped onions, Tabasco, dill & shredded cheese. With a spatula stir. Add the chicken stock and stir again. Once well blended, set aside.

Baking method -

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Gather the ingredients for the pie crust & topping - all purpose flour, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped pecans, vegetable oil & paprika.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients. Use a spatula or use your clean hands. Mix until all the ingredients are completely blended and a crumbly mixture is formed.

Use non-stick baking spray and generously spray the inside of the 9" pie dish - base and side walls. Empty the contents of the crumbly mixture into the pie dish.

Separate the mixture into 2 equal parts. Use one half for the base and set aside the other half for the topping.

Using clean hands, spread the mixture (the half for the base) as best you can and press along the sides and the walls so it of as uniform thickness as possible.

Keep pressing the mixture down so it stays in position.

Bake the pie base ion the preheated oven for 15 minutes. It will show only a slight browning but not considerable color difference.

Spoon all the contents of the filling into the baked base.

Sprinkle the other half of the crumb topping uniformly over the pie.

Place in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Set the pie aside for at least 45 minutes to an hour before serving or else the filling will be runny. If you are serving the next day, allow the pie to cool completely and then refrigerate.

Serve with some wonderful fruit chutney. I served mine with I served it with my special Chutney de POM, Kumquats, Jalapeno & Ginger - the recipe for which is here

Enjoy!