Chicken & Dumplings

Serves 6

From Jay Foster, Farmer Brown, San Francisco.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt + more to taste

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2/3 cup milk

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 6 pieces

Pepper to taste

1 large onion, grated

3 cups chicken stock + more if necessary

1/2 stalk celery, roughly chopped

2 whole peppercorns

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Sift flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and blend with fingers until evenly distributed. Add milk. Mix well with a spoon or your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll until 1/8-inch thick. Cut into diamond shapes, about 1/2 by 1 inch, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. One at a time, tuck one corner of diamond toward the center, and using your palm, roll dough into a torpedo shape. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, deep pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add the chicken and onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until chicken is browned. Add 3 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover chicken. Add celery and peppercorns. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pot, strain and reserve liquid, and return to stove and bring to a simmer. Add dumplings, season broth to taste, and cook on low for 15-20 minutes until dumplings are tender and cooked through. They will firm up the longer they cook, so don't simmer them for too long.

To serve, pour the sauce and the dumplings over the warm chicken.

Per serving: 320 calories, 25 g protein, 37 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat (4 g saturated), 63 mg cholesterol, 588 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Lemon curd

       Title: Lemon Curd
 Categories: Preserve, English
      Yield: 4 servings

           Grated rind and juice
           3 lemons
      2 lg Or 3 small eggs
      4 oz Butter
      8 oz Sugar

  Wash the lemons and grate the rind finely. Place the lemon juice,
  grated rind, butter and sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot
  water. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.
  Beat the eggs in a separate basin and add slowly to the lemon
  mixture, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Transfer to a
  saucepan and cook, stirring occa- sionally, until the curd thickens
  and coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm jars, cover and
  seal.

Fills approx. 1 qt jar.

Cornbread stuffing

Preparation time: 20 min

Yield: 8 (3/4-cup) servings

4		cups crumbled prepared cornbread
1/4		cup butter, melted
1/4		cup chicken broth
8		slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled, reserve drippings
4		ribs (2 cups) celery, sliced 1/2-inch
1		medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
3		tablespoons reserved bacon drippings
1		teaspoon salt
1/4		teaspoon pepper

Stir together all ingredients in large bowl. Use to stuff 12 to 14 pound turkey.

Casserole Directions: Do not stuff turkey. Heat oven to 350°F. Place mixture into greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Cover, bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and temperature in middle reaches 165°F.

Recipe Tip
An 8-inch square baking pan of cornbread will make 4 cups crumbled cornbread.

Baked Ginger Apple Pancake

Serves 6

Gingerbread spices blend beautifully with apples in this puffy pancake. If your skillet does not have an ovenproof handle, cover it with two layers of aluminum foil.

• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon mild molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 large Fuji apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons golden brown sugar
• 1/2 lemon

Instructions: Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and milk until combined. Add flour and whisk until blended. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Let stand for the flour to soften while preparing apples.

In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, preferably with sloped sides, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add apple slices and cook, stirring, until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add brown sugar and stir to combine.

Whisk batter and pour evenly over apples. Bake 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Squeeze lemon over the top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut in wedges.

Per serving: 235 calories, 5 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat (5 g saturated), 125 mg cholesterol, 237 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Vince Curatola's Spaghetti Marinara Recipe

1 pound spaghetti
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 cloves of garlic
1 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes
1 small can anchovy filets
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon oregano
10 leaves basil
1/2 cup Marsala wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, add a generous handful of salt. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.

In large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté garlic in EVOO until slightly golden. Add tomatoes and crush with fork. Cook for about 5 minutes, then lower flame and simmer. Mash anchovies with the oil from the can to a paste consistency and add to sauce. Add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Add oregano, basil and Marsala wine. Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle with grated Romano cheese and serve.

HERBED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

1 (3 lb.) spaghetti squash
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp. dried whole basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Dash of dried whole sage
Fresh basil sprig (optional)

Wash squash; cut in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in a Dutch oven; add water to pan to a depth of 2 inches. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until squash is tender. Drain squash; let cool. Using a fork, remove spaghetti-like strands from squash; discard shells. Place strands in a serving bowl; add parsley and next 5 ingredients, and toss gently. Garnish with a fresh basil sprig, if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

Gingerbread Roll with Lemon Cream

Serves 10

Spicy gingerbread has long been paired with sweet and tangy lemon sauce. My marriage of these flavors resulted in filling this zesty cake with lemon curd lightened with whipped cream. For a holiday treat, use softened pumpkin ice cream for the filling.

• The filling
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• The cake
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup mild molasses
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• Powdered sugar, for dusting the top, optional

For the filling: In a small saucepan over low heat, stir lemon juice, sugar and butter until melted. In a small bowl, whisk egg and egg yolks. Whisk a small amount of warm lemon liquid into the eggs, then stir mixture back into pan. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula until mixture begins to thicken and looks slightly jelled. Strain into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the cake: Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 12- by 17-inch- rimmed baking sheet. Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overlap on each short end. Grease the paper and sides of pan with nonstick vegetable coating.

In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat egg yolks and brown sugar until thick and tan colored, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and mix until incorporated. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, allspice, pepper and salt. Mix into egg yolk batter until combined.

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Add egg whites to batter and fold together until no streaks of white appear.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until top is firm and lightly browned. Remove from oven and place a damp dish towel directly on the cake.

To assemble cake: Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form and fold in chilled lemon curd. Overlap 2 sheets of wax paper 19 inches long on a flat surface. Go around edges of cake with a small knife and invert cake onto paper. Remove pan and gently peel off paper. Spread top of cake with a thin, even layer of lemon filling. Beginning with a short end, roll the cake up, using the wax paper to help roll. Don't be concerned it if cracks; just press back together with your hands. Wrap cake in wax paper and foil and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Before serving, transfer to platter and, if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Per serving: 325 calories, 6 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (8 g saturated), 207 mg cholesterol, 196 mg sodium, 0 fiber.