Friends Food Family

A Wonderful Southern Staple - Brunswick Stew

When I came home on Thursday night, Jeff had beaten me home and had already stopped at the supermarket. "What's for dinner?", I asked. He handed me a copy of a recipe from Tasting Table called Brunswick Stew. As I read the ingredients, I thought...WOW, this looks delicious...bacon, chicken, corn, green beans, barbecue sauce. Yes, extremely delicious. It had been 10 degrees all week (in New England) and comfort food is the best way to end a bone-chilling day. 

Jeff has belonged to Tasting Table for the past few years and gets recipes once a day. If the recipe looks interesting, he prints it and brings it home. This recipe comes from Chef Suzanne Vizethann of Buttermilk Kitchen, located in Atlanta, GA. Brunswick Stew is a southern staple and I can completely understand why. This recipe is hearty and it has heat, but sweet heat with a real smokiness.

I was saying to Jeff that it reminded me of a "chili" style of stew. The density of the vegetables reminded me of beans. The bacon and barbecue sauce brought depth to the dish and the heat finished that "chili" feeling.

My friend, Lucille, stopped by the following day for lunch and enjoyed a bowl of Brunswick Stew with me. It's so funny how you start talking about how good it is and how members of your family would enjoy this dish. Lucille was saying, "My son would love this..." and I was repeating with, "If my sons, Brian and Michael were home, they'd be enjoying seconds." I'm not sure if it's the mother in us wanting to feed our families delicious dishes or the foodie in us that wants others to enjoy these dishes with us. I guess it's really about breaking bread with friends and family.

The Super Bowl is next weekend and if you are looking for a hearty dish to serve to your football fans, put this Brunswick Stew on your list, there won't be a disappointed fan in the room.

Ingredients for Brunswick Stew (Adapted from Suzanne Vizethann, Buttermilk Kitchen)

1 pound of thick-cut bacon, we used applewood smoked, cut into ½-inch pieces
1/2 cup of butter
1 medium sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped into 1/4 pieces
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup of barbecue sauce, we used Jack Daniels, Original #7
3/4 pound of rotisserie cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup of crushed canned tomatoes
3 cups of fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups of frozen butter beans or lima beans, we used lima beans
3 cups of chicken broth

Preparation

1. In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Pour off the fat from the pan and transfer the bacon to a bowl.
3. Add the butter to the skillet; once melted, add the onion and garlic.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, until the onions are glossy and the spoon leaves a trail when run across the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the barbecue sauce, the reserved bacon and the cooked chicken and stir to combine.
7. Stir in the tomatoes, corn and butter beans. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
8. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the stew for 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Divide into bowls and serve. Enjoy with a big piece of corn bread. This recipe serves 8. 

Written by Tricia White

 

A Quick and Easy Turkey Tetrazzini - Great for Leftover Turkey!

It's been cold in New England and after a long day of work, we want to make something that is quick, delicious and in one dish. These "one dish wonders" are great for dinner and they are great crowd pleasers when you need a dish for a gathering or event. Our last post, Victory Casserole, was a wonderful example of a versatile one dish meal.

After Thanksgiving and Christmas, we had extra turkey which we used to make Turkey Pot Pie and Southwestern Turkey and Wild Rice Soup. As much as we have made Turkey Tetrazzini a few times, we couldn't get past how dry the tetrazzini became as it baked. There was either too much pasta or too little sauce. We decided to look for a new recipe and came across this one from Cook's Illustrated. It's was a delicious version of Turkey Tetrazzini which we now enjoy making. We especially love this recipe for three reasons:

1. The dish was very moist and flavorful (plenty of sauce). Many times there is too much pasta and not enough sauce, ending with a dry Turkey Tetrazzini.

2. It doesn't use cream, but it does use a bit of butter. It had lots of flavor without the heaviness.

3. The bread crumb topping was perfect to add flavor and keep the dish from drying out.

The Tetrazzini was amazing. The sherry and chicken stock complemented the turkey and mushrooms. It was creamy but not overly rich. You actually don't mind going for seconds...or packaging what's left for the following day. For me, I think it tastes better the second day!

I know that everyone struggles getting meals on the table during the week. An easy to make, one dish recipe makes life so much easier. If you don't have any turkey left-overs, a store bought rotisserie turkey breast can work just as well and within an hour you can have this dish in the oven baking with 15 minutes to spare. 

Ingredients for Turkey Tetrazzini (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Topping

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1-1/2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Filling
9 tablespoons of butter, plus extra for baking dish
8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced thin
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3/4 pound of spaghetti or other long-strand pasta, broken in half
6 tablespoons of flour
3 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup of dry sherry
3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups of frozen peas
4 cups of leftover cooked boneless turkey meat or chicken meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the 3 topping ingredients and put aside. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, saute onions and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Boil spaghetti to al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of water and drain. Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon of butter.

3. Make a roux with the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and flour and cook until golden about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in chicken stock and cook over medium high until thickened.

4. Remove from heat and add the sherry, cheese, nutmeg, lemon juice and thyme. Add peas, mushrooms and onions, spaghetti and turkey.

5. Place in a slightly greased 9 x 13 casserole dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake 13-15 minutes until bubbly.

Written by Tricia White

Victory Casserole - Rice, Hamburger, Spinach, Cheese and Tomato Sauce

I love going into our bookcase of cookbooks and finding family favorites in older cookbooks.

One of our staples, when we first moved to Easton (almost 10 years ago), was a dish called Victory Casserole. It came from a cookbook, The Big Book of Casseroles by Maryana Vollstedt. My kids have always liked this recipe. It's a bit like shepard's pie, that mixture of meat, potatoes and vegetables and there is a sauce that holds it all together.

My son, Brian, was home on semester break and one of his requests was for Victory Casserole, for two reasons. First, it's one of his favorite comfort food dishes and second being away at school and living off campus means he makes dinner on a regular basis. He was looking for the recipe on our site and I kept telling him to just type in "Victory Casserole" in the search bar. Come to find out, for all the years we have been making this dish, it didn't make it onto the Friends Food Family site.

As I was photographing the dish, Jeff said, "What a great dish for a football party, it's better than making a big dish of lasagna." I was thinking, he was right. Many of the football gatherings we have attended always contain a large pan of lasagna as a meal choice. What a great one meal dish that can mix up the traditional food offerings.

What's great about this Victory Casserole is the flavors of beef, rice, spinach and cheese tied together with a tomato sauce. The dish is flavorful without many spices. This gives you the opportunity to spice it up if you are adventurous. Think Mexican - maybe some oregano, cumin, chili powder and a salsa for the tomato sauce. Just a thought.

As you get ready to enjoy two more big football weekends, what a great dish to bring or serve at a party. I would suggest doubling it for a larger group, you can probably get 12+ servings out of this delicious Victory Casserole.

Ingredients for Victory Casserole
1 pound of ground beef (85%)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped - about 1 cup
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze out water
3 cups of cooked long-grain white rice
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese 
3 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups of Quick Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute beef, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil. Add the spinach, rice, and 1 cup of the cheese. Mix slightly.

4. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir into meat and rice mixture and mix well.

5. Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Top with 1 cup of Quick Tomato Sauce and remaining cheese and bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 15 minutes longer.

6. Serve victory casserole and top with additional tomato sauce.

Feeds 4-6 people.

Ingredients for Quick Tomato Sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried marjoram, crumbled
4 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and simmer,
uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups.

Written by Tricia White

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake

The holidays were full of such wonderful desserts. From cookies to cakes and pies, I don't think I went through the month of December without tasting something homemade...and most days it was for breakfast.

In my Pumpkin Crunch Cake post, which we made for Thanksgiving, I mentioned a chef named Dennis Littley. He is such an inspiration, not only as a chef but as a social media expert in Google+. He has a blog called A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis which has amazing recipes as well as stories about food. Around Thanksgiving, he had posted a recipe for Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake. It looked mouth-watering and the recipe seemed pretty easy.

The first time I made the cake was for our annual Christmas gathering. I love trying new recipes because I have 20+ people to use as taste testers. From the first slice to the last, people enjoyed the delicious flavor of this ricotta cake. It was crunchy, yet had a smooth sweet texture. I added Grand Marnier and orange rind to my cake which complemented the chocolate and ricotta. For me, this cake was a great success.

On to Christmas...

Since the Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake was such a success, I decided to make it for our Christmas Eve dessert. With the craziness of the day, I didn't have any mascarpone cheese and had taken out a package of cream cheese, knowing I could substitute the two. Jeff made a last minute run to the market and picked up the mascarpone cheese I needed. I mixed together the ingredients and got the cake into the oven before the guests arrived. I was so excited to have people try the ricotta cake again. Then, it dawned on me...it's a ricotta cake and I didn't put any ricotta in it. I grabbed the cream cheese and mascarpone and completely forgot about the ricotta. Hmmm...I think I have a cheese cake. There was nothing I could do, so I finished the cake and we served it for dessert. The center was a bit heavy (probably an understatement) and 1/2 the cake sat on the plate until I threw it out about a week later. OK, I need to put that recipe to rest for a while.

On to my After Christmas Holiday Party...

This year, we were going to Tammi's house for our office party. Tammi is not only my co-worker but my social media partner in crime. She writes a great dog blog called Gracies Bark. I volunteered to make the Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake and I was dreading it. We were picking up the ingredients when I came across coffee-flavored mascarpone cheese. My eyes lit up! This would be perfect for the cake. I couldn't wait to get home to try this out...coffee, ricotta, chocolate and orange...that sounded pretty good. Paying attention this time, I got the ricotta and coffee-flavored mascarpone into the cake.

The first cut went to my boss's husband, Mike, who really enjoyed the cake. We proceeded to cut the cake into large and small pieces and had people guessing what was in it. They loved the orange flavor as well as the subtle chocolate tone. Everyone agreed, it melted in your mouth. It was nice leaving the last piece with Tammi, so no leftovers...SUCCESS!

This Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake is back on my favorite's list and for good reason...if I can arrive or make a dessert and end up with an empty plate at the end of the evening, it's worth blogging about.

Ingredients for Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake

Cake

2-1/3 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier or orange flavored liquor
8 oz of very cold butter sliced thinly

Filling

8 ounces of ricotta
8 ounces of mascarpone (We used coffee flavored mascarpone)
1 large egg
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange rind
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. In a food processor, place all of the cake ingredients into the bowl (except for the butter) and pulse for 30 seconds.
2. Cut the butter into thin slices and add it to the mixture. Using short, quick pulses, mix until chunky (about 8-10 quick pulses). The mixture will be blended but chunky.
3. Press half of the mixture gently into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan that has been greased with butter and dusted with flour. Do note mash down the mixture.
4. Mix the ricotta, mascarpone, egg, sugar and orange rind together using a fork.
5. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir to blend.
6. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust.
7. Crumble the remainder of the crust over the filling, covering the filling completely *
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°
9. Remove from oven when the top is golden and slightly firm.
10. Cool on wire rack and serve at room temperature.

Slice and share...no fighting!

Written by Tricia White

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup with Rustic Croutons

What's better than making desserts through the holidays? Starting the New Year with some amazing soup recipes. So, let's start off the New Year with Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup.

My food adventure began on Friday when Dan, one of my co-workers, took me over to one of my favorite places in New Bedford, Sid Wainer and Son. Before we go in, there is a small fruit and vegetable store called Friendly Fruit in the same parking lot. They sell fruits and vegetable which have a short shelf life. I love it because we use the produce within a day or two and it is perfect. As I was getting some garlic, pears, and mushrooms, I came across a big bag of kale. My first thought was Portuguese Kale Soup. It would be a great dish to finish off the weekend.

Before we went grocery shopping, we looked for some Kale Soup recipes. Jeff grabbed one of his new cookbooks from Christmas, The Fresh and Green Table by Susie Middleton. Her recipe for Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup sounded delicious. We had all the ingredients...PERFECT!

This recipe was very easy, the ingredients were simple and the best part was the homemade chicken broth. I was cooking a roaster chicken to make chicken soup for later this week. When it called for 3 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, we used the homemade broth and what a difference that makes. I try to make my own broth when I am making chicken soup, but it never dawns on me to use the homemade broth in other things. We are so sporadic about using our broths, I need to remember to freeze it to use at another time. (I keep telling Jeff that if I could be a full-time blogger, we'd have homemade broth all the time. And I could freeze what we didn't use.)

One hour later, we were ready to serve the Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup. It smelled amazing and I couldn't wait to try my first bite. OK, it was AMAZING. The chicken broth, the kale, white beans...and the croutons with garlic and Parmesan cheese...had wonderful flavor. It ate more like a meal than a bowl of soup. And, you won't normally hear me say this, but it was light. After all the heavy meals through the holidays, it was nice to have something that was light yet filling. I might even use the word, "healthy".

January will be filled with a few more soup recipes, along with a hearty beef stew. We made it last week end and just need to get the ingredients down. We cook so often, we are putting together our own recipes but we aren't good about recording the specific amounts. 

Have a great week and enjoy a bowl of Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup!

Ingredients for Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 ounces of pancetta, diced

1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic

2 bunches of kale, stemmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces (about 6-7 cups)

4 cups of chicken broth (we used homemade...definitely worth it!)

2 cups of water

1 - 15 ounce can of small white beans, drained

2-3 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Rustic Croutons (recipe after preparation)

Preparation:

1. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, carrot and pancetta along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

3. Cover the pot and cook until the onion has softened between 6-8 minutes, be sure to stir occasionally.

4. Uncover and continue to cook until the vegetables have shrunk and they are slightly browned, another 6-8 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

6. Add the kale and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

7. Stir kale with thongs as it begins to wilt, mixing well with the contents in the pan. Stir in the broth and water and bring to a boil.

8. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until the kale is tender, about 8-10 minutes.

9. Add the beans and cook uncovered.

10. Stir in the lemon juice, 1-2 teaspoons and remove from heat.

11. taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Ladle soup into bowls, top with the Rustic Croutons and Parmesan cheese.

 

Ingredients for Rustic Croutons:

4 ounces of crusty bread, including crust, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 large garlic clove, smashed and peeled

1 teaspoon of fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped

2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place bread in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a small skillet, heat oil and butter over low heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and break it up further by mashing it with the back of a spoon. 

4. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the garlic has just begun to brown. (2 minutes)

5. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the pieces of garlic.

6. Drizzle the garlic oil over the bread cubes, stirring to mix, add the rosemary or thyme and toss again.

7. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

8. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another minute.

9. Remove from oven, let cool and add to the Tuscan Kale and White Bean Soup.

Written by Tricia White

It's 2013 and I'm still searching for the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Happy 2013! And as you can read, I am still in search of the BEST chocolate chip cookie. I'm just a plain dessert person at heart. You can serve up any of the fanciest desserts around and it will never pique my interest quicker than a chocolate chip cookie. Kind of like the dog in UP!...squirrel.

We were getting ready to make dinner for our New Year's Eve gathering when I needed a dessert. I'll admit, I was lazy, I knew Jeff would want a "fruit" dessert, like a pie or tart. I didn't want to make the dough...etc, etc. So, I made the executive decision to make, my favorite, chocolate chip cookies.

I couldn't make the ones we make all the time, Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are excellent but I needed to be a bit more creative. That was when I went into my Pinterest account and began the search. I found this new recipe on "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" board. Pictures speak louder than words and I went with "the best ever chocolate chip cookies" by Dishing the Divine.

I checked out the recipe and figured this would be so easy, melt butter, mix with sugar, eggs and vanilla, add dry ingredients, and chop some bittersweet chocolate. In 5 minutes, I had the chocolate chip cookie dough together and ready to measure.

The dough needed 30 minutes in the freezer which was perfect as I was finishing the last of the Lobster (lob-stah for you New Englanders) Cakes. At that point, my son, Brian, came in slightly frantic, "I need to bring a dessert to that New Year's Eve Party tonight", and it was 6 PM. Never fear, I doubled the recipe, plenty of cookies to be had. 

Once they were partially frozen, I placed them on cookie sheets and into a 400 dgree oven for 7 minutes, then 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes. They came out beautiful, golden brown and crackly. I had 10 for my guests and two dozen went out the door with Brian. After dinner we enjoyed coffee and chocolate chip cookies with coffee and vanilla ice cream, PERFECT. These cookies had a great crunch with a caramel chewiness. The bittersweet chocolate is such a great balance for a sweet cookie. I will say, these were probably one of the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have made in a while. Reports from Brian's party ended with, "and there were none left." I will add these to my "Giant Cookies" list, too, because no one can ever have enough giant cookies.

I look forward to this next year, delving into the next culinary adventure. My prediction is that you will see us incorporate even more of our garden produce into our recipes and trying to once again simplify the process and of, course, search for more chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Do you have a BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie? We'd love to hear about it! 

Ingredients for the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies (slightly altered)

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt 
3/4 cup of butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 - 2 cups of chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chips and chopped them)

Preparation

1. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and stir until creamy.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Stir in the chocolate.
4. Drop the dough 1/4 cup at a time on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400.

5. Place approximately 6 cookies per cookie sheet as they will spread.
6. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350.
7. Bake an additional 7-9 minutes or until the edges look golden brown.
8. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Written by Tricia White