Swedish Spuds, Chili Entry, Pork Chops and yummmm

 Well the New Year is off to a good start.  Make it a good one!

Hasselback Potatoes

I had been wanting to try these for some time, and the right occasion arose the other day. The name comes from the Hasselbacken Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, where the dish was invented and popularized. Here's my version.

2-3 baking Potatoes

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan (not the tube stuff)

1/2 cup Panko or other bread crumbs

4 Tbsp melted Butter, divided

1 tsp Paprika

Kosher Salt to taste

2, 1/4" thick wood strips as cutting guides

Preheat the oven to 450F.

While that's going on, peel the spuds, and cut a thin strip off one side to make a stable 'bottom'. Place each spud between the two wooden strips and, using a long knife, slice down to the wood. Make the slices about 1/4" thick. The two wood strips prevent you from cutting all the way through, leaving a 'fan' of slices attacked along the bottom.

Gently flex the fans as you run the spuds under cold water to remove excess starch, and open up the fans a little. They will open more during baking.   Put the spuds in cold water, to prevent discoloration, while you:

Combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, paprika and half the melted butter or margarine in a small bowl.  Crush together or take the ingredients for a spin in a food processor.

Dry the spuds off week and lay them in a sprayed or parchment-lined baking dish. Brush the spuds with the remaining butter. Now pack the cheese mixture along the tops of the spuds; making sure to spoon some between the slices. Bake foil-covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and finish baking for another 15-30 minutes. 

 

Hot & Sour Soup

We actually got a couple of days of winter here (temps below 75F), and Sally wanted a soup for lunches this week. This isn't actually hot and sour soup, but it is an Asian-inspired chicken and vegetable soup.

2 Chicken Breasts

Seasoning for chicken -- your choice. I used Evergladestm, but Old Baytm or Cajun would do

1 bag frozen Veg -- Use your favorite. I used the Gumbo blend, as we both like that blend.

1 can Baby Corn pieces, from the Ethnic aisle

3" piece of Diakon radish, sliced

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

Soy Sauce to taste

Teriyaki Sauce to taste

Hoisin Sauce to taste

Balsamic Vinegar

In your stock pot, saute the chicken for about 4 minutes per side. Season with anything you heart desires. But not flaming hot! Remove from pot. Add a cup or so of water and the frozen veg. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and return it to the pot. Add the baby corn, daikon and mushrooms. Add water to come up to 6 or so cups of broth.

Start adding soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce, a tablespoon or two at a time, stirring and tasting until you get a flavor blend that you like. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes or so, to allow the flavors to marry. Now add balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon at a time, stirring while you add -- until you get the amount of 'sour' you want to go with your blend of sauces.

Pork Chops Apples and Yams

This is one of the first dishes I learned as a Personal Chef, right after the Lemon Chicken Tagine that I discovered along with the USPCA. This is a perfect midweek dinner meal for you busy folks.

2-4 Pork Chops of choice

1 large Yam

1-2 Red Apples

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Peel the yam and cut into 1/2" dice. Cut apple(s) (don't peel) into 1/2" dice as well. Dust the chops with pepper and paprika.

Brown the chops on both sides, then remove from the pan. Add the yams to the pan along with about 3/4 cup of water, and simmer, lidded, for 15 minutes or so, until the yams are getting tender. Remove yams. Place chops back in the pan, and top with the yams and apples, and another 1/2 cup of water. Replace the lid and cook 10-15 minutes until the apples are softening. Plate and serve.

Challah French Toast

Here's another of my AirBnB Cabana Breakfasts. Challah bread, sliced thick and left out the night before, so that it dries out and becomes more absorbent. Then I combine Half & Half, a beaten egg, freshly ground Nutmeg, and freshly ground Black Cardamon seed for their aromatic enhancements. Dredge the bread on both sides, and fry in a dry skillet, turning after a couple minutes. Served with a tropical fruit puree (I like Starfruit) and/or local Seagrape Honey. The breakfast also includes sausage or bacon, and here I've halved two 'sausage logs' sliced out of the styro-pack of sausage.

Bush'stm Best Chili Contest Entry #Bushs

Y'all know that I belong to the "chili does not contain beans" school, right? But when money and braggin' rights for a recipe are at stake (or steak), I can let them call it Chili if they want.

The point here was to take one of the many flavorful Bush's beans varieties, and create a "Chili" around it. I've seen some of the other entries, and frankly they are burying the beans under so many other flavors that the special ingredient (Beans) are lost. What I tried to do was enhance the flavor of my chosen beans with the other flavors, not smother the beans.

Vegan Chorizo and Green Chile Chili con Maize

1 sm can Bush's Vegetarian Beans

1/2 package of Tofurky tm or other brand Chorizo-flavored meat substitute

1 sm can Kernal Corn

1 can Diced Green Chiles (or roast and dice a New Mexico or Anaheim Chile)

1 tsp Cumin

Pinch of Cayenne

Combine everything in a pan and simmer to marry the flavors. Serves two.

  

Of course you can make this a carnivore chili if you want, 

by using real Mexican chorizo...

Leftover ChiliMac

This is for Suzanne Duplantis, who writes the blog MakeOver My Leftover. Suzanne and I cooked next to each other at the WFC Blogger's Challenge back in November.

After making and eating my Vegan Chorizo & Green Chile Chili con Maize entry for the Bush's contest, I had some leftover "chili" (chili doesn't have beans, remember). What to do?

Back in the day, there was a dish called Chili Mac. Macaroni to 'stretch' Chili, duh!  So I boiled up some Corkscrew pasta (any 3-D shape, not long strands, will do). Toss the leftover chili and the macaroni together and top with some shredded cheese -- I used 'real' shredded Parmesan, not that stuff in the can. Even tastier the second time around.