2 Recipes: Easy Awesome Chicken Fricasse

Photo by Heather McClelland @ 2theadvocate.com

From Denny: Chicken fricassee, for the uninitiated, is just chicken stew. What makes this favorite comfort food so wonderful is the cooking time that allows all the flavors to meld together into one delicious dish! One reason we enjoy these comfort foods is that the longer foods cook to blend these spices and flavors it actually becomes easier to digest. So, it tastes good AND your stomach thanks you! :)

What is the definition of "fricassee"? Fricassee is all about that beautiful combination of meat and vegetables simmering together in happy harmony in some type of liquid, like just plain water or chicken stock. Long and slow cooking is how it used to be done before society sped up and the recipes had to speed up with it or be lost forever so people have invented shortcuts for wonderful recipes like this.

Shortcuts to save time are using chicken pieces already cut up from the grocery store instead of taking the time to cut up a whole chicken on your own which can use up a good 30 minutes just for that operation.

Available are good jarred or powdered in a package roux products so you don't have to take the time to make your own roux, standing over the stove for another 30 to 45 minutes for that step. Of course, around here a lot of Louisiana people just make up a large amount of roux and then stash it in the refrigerator, pulling out a little at a time as they need it for a dish.

You can also save time by purchasing seasoning vegetables already diced or cut up for you in packages at the produce department of your grocery store, shaving another 30 minutes off this old-fashioned recipe.

Chicken stew (fricassee) is served over rice in this state rather than in a bowl like a soup, gumbo or stew. Then side dishes are added like spring green peas, potato salad or fresh sliced beets, sometimes pickled beets.

Recipes

Chicken Fricassee

From: “Pointe Coupee Kitchen Capers” - To benefit the American Cancer Society in 1970 this recipe booklet was compiled for the Pointe Coupee Antique Show. People still make this simple favorite recipe exactly the same to this day.

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1 large hen or chicken, cut up and skin removed

1/2 cup vegetable oil (today we use canola oil)

1/2 cup flour

2 small to medium onions, chopped (we like sweet or purple onions)

1/2 small bell pepper, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
(Today we use prepared Cajun seasoning in place of these spices)

2 (4 ounces each) cans sliced mushrooms (or equivalent of fresh)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced green onions

Cooked rice


Directions:

1. Prepare hen or chicken.

2. Use prepared roux in a jar or powdered in a package or you can make up your own roux fresh for this dish. To make your own roux: In large, heavy pot, make roux with oil and flour. Stir until it is a dark chocolate brown (about 30 minutes). Add onions, bell pepper, celery. Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. Add chicken and mushrooms (with liquid), salt and pepper to taste. Stir until chicken is coated with roux. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 2-2-1/2 hours for a hen or until meat is very tender. A fryer chicken like what most grocery stores carry will only take about an hour to cook. You could also place this in a slow cooker while you are away at work, coming home to some awesome smells from your kitchen! Check your slow cooker's directions to know how much time to allow for the cooking.

4. Check occasionally to be sure chicken is not sticking, but as the chicken cooks, the meat will throw off its juices forming the gravy. If you want more or if the gravy is too thick, add more water.

5. Right before serving, add fresh minced parsley and sliced green onions.

*****

From Denny: Here's a really easy even faster version of this chicken stew for busy moms on the go! Her 3 boys enjoy this dish so much it is the most requested one she does for them.

Jessica Cuba’s Quick Chicken Stew

From: Jessica Cuba

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 chicken, cut up, or chicken pieces to the equivalent

2-2-1/2 pounds chicken thighs

Salt and pepper to your taste

1 large onion, chopped

Olive oil

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

2 Tablespoons Tony’s (Tony Chachere's brand) powdered roux

Water

2 (4 ounce) cans sliced mushrooms

Cooked rice

Directions:

1. Wash and dry chicken. Remove skin. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Meanwhile in large skillet or pot, sauté onions in olive oil on medium heat until onions are soft.

3. Add cream of mushroom soup and then add 2 tablespoons dry roux to 1 can of water. Add chicken and mushrooms to soup mixture.

4. Cook for about 1 hour or until chicken is falling off the bones. Serve over hot cooked rice.

***** And a side dish to serve with your awesome chicken fricasse!

Simple Pickled Beets

From: Rose Lorio

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

2 (15-oz. cans) sliced or whole beets; remove about half of the juice from cans

2-4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/3-1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 to 1 thinly sliced small onion, white or red

1 teaspoons of sugar

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. If using whole beets, quarter or slice them.

2. Empty beets into a glass bowl. Discard about half of the beet juice from the can.

3. Add olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Allow to marinate for about 2 hours before serving. Every now and
then stir beets around in juice.

4. Taste and if necessary add another pinch of sugar. After serving, refrigerate leftovers.

*****

Thanks for visiting, everyone!


chicken, chicken stew, chicken fricasse, Cajun, soups and stews, society and culture, home, cooking, comfort food

Recipe: Fast Easy Pecan Crusted Red Snapper

This is a pecan crusted chicken version, pecan crusting is versatile! Image by churl via Flickr

From Denny: This is a very simple recipe to do at home as it comes from a friendly family-style diner restaurant that has been a Baton Rouge institution for decades! The father has retired and the son, a daughter and grandson have taken over running the two locations. Frank's has long been a family favorite for their breakfast, and their homemade biscuits, have put them on the map around here!

Pecan Crusted Red Snapper

From: Frank's Restaurant (2 diners, one on Airline Hwy. in Prairieville and the other on Florida Blvd. in Baton Rouge)

Ingredients:

10 ounces Red Snapper

2 Cups Buttermilk

1 Cup Flour

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Cup Pecot Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon Chopped Pecans


Directions:

Dip Snapper in buttermilk and then into flour.

Add salt and pepper.

Add pecans to bread crumbs.

Dip again in buttermilk and then into pecot breadcrumbs.

Put snapper in hot buttered pan or grill.

Turn snapper 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.


Bourbon Sauce:

1/2 oz Rum

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/4 cup of Demi Glaze

Directions: Mix rum, butter and glaze together. Whip on medium heat until thick. Pour over Red Snapper.


Snapper, Pecan Crusted Red Snapper, easy, Cajun, Fish and Seafood, Frank's Restaurant, diners, Baton Rouge

Video: Watch How Chocolate Molds are Created and Chocolates Manufactured

From Denny: I always wondered how those chocolate molds were manufactured and this video from the Discovery channel shows you the quick process. Get a load of those huge chocolate bars that must weigh 20 pounds or more being dropped into the heating vat to melt the chocolate goodness. I wonder if they feed you all those delicious chocolates you saw on the conveyor belt at the end of the factory tour! :) Can't wait for the holidays after watching this yummy video...




how chocolate is made, food video

Video: Learn Easy Pickling of Fresh Veggies to Help Your Wallet

From Denny: Looks like grandma's pickling of bountiful summer's produce is back in fashion with today's economy. Chef Tyler Florence of Food Network shows us how it's great fun easy to do! Beautiful little food gifts you can give at Christmas time too. Get ready for Christmas in August - now that's planning ahead. :)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Recipes: Interesting Recipes with Figs!

Photo of Mediterranean Fig and Radicchio Salad @ 2theadvocate.com


From Denny: Usually, figs are not my biggest interest but I have to admit that they way they use them in recipes in Louisiana have peaked my interest considerably. The South does have a way with food!

These recipes were featured in our local newspaper's food section this week and they all looked so good I thought I'd park them all here today.

Figs are a great source of fiber, those all important must-have antioxidants, build and maintain strong bones calcium, iron to keep you from feeling tired, potassium and magnesium!

Check out what the first-century Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that “figs are restorative, they increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles.” Sign me up on that program! Who said I was lukewarm on figs? You must be mistaken... :) I wonder if eating figs for your health will become a raging trend like Twitter? Hmmmm... time will tell about this "super" fruit!

The food writers over at 2theadvocate.com advise about figs: "When you buy fresh figs, treat them carefully because they are very perishable. The fig skin is fragile and scars easily. If the skin on some figs is scarred from coming in contact with the tree’s leaves while the fruit is growing, don’t worry. Such marks don’t affect the flavor or nutritional value of the fig.

Fresh figs should be kept refrigerated until ready to eat. Dry figs (unrinsed) will keep in the refrigerator uncovered for five to seven days, but no longer.

If you are freezing the figs, they can be rinsed, patted dry and frozen in a plastic freezer bag for up to six months.

Some people prefer to peel figs before eating. Others, say, “Why bother?”

Whichever style suits the palate, now is the time to turn over a new leaf — a fig leaf, naturally — and try figs fresh, out of hand, or preserved and find out if Pliny the Elder was right."

If you are lucky enough to know someone with a fig tree or can get your hands on a lot of this short season fruit, then by all means, can up some of the crop to enjoy all year long!

Johnny Wilbert’s Fig Preserves

From: John W. “Johnny” Wilbert Jr. of Plaquemine
Yield: about 7 half-pints

Ingredients:

2 quarts fresh figs

1 quart raw sugar or light brown sugar if raw sugar is unavailable

1 lemon, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Wash figs gently. Cut stems, leaving ø inch of stem on each fig to prevent breaking up.

2. Place figs, sugar and lemon slices in a 4-quart casserole dish. Cover with lid.

3. Microwave on full power for 55 minutes, stirring gently after the first 20 minutes, the second 20 minutes and then 10 minutes later. Stir again after the final 5 minutes of cooking.

4. Cool until you can handle the figs. These can be ladled into prepared canning jars immediately or frozen to process later.

5. To preserve, wash canning jars in the dishwasher. Then boil jars in a large pot for 15 minutes. Wash the jar lids and rings and bring to a boil in another large pot of water.

6. Once canning jars are sterilized, fill the jars with the cooked figs and juice to within 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch from the top of each jar. With a clean paper towel, wash the top and rim of each jar to remove any figs or fig syrup that could prevent the jar from sealing. Place a lid and ring on each jar.

7. Put the filled, capped jars in a large kettle and completely cover with water. Boil jars for another 15 minutes to process.

8. Remove from water and place on paper towel-covered counter. Cool. Lids will make a pinging sound as they seal. Check seals to make sure they are tight before storing jars in a cool, dry place.

Now here are two salad recipes to enjoy! Remember: fruits and veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces all work to cool your liver - and when you cool your liver in this heat you end up cooling down your body. Tastes good AND you feel better in 100 degree heat! Though these recipes don't call for it I often add these coolers to beat the heat when making salads.

Fig and Spinach Salad

From: Tommy Simmons, food writer and food section editor @ 2theadvocate.com
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Steen’s cane vinegar

1 Tablespoon Zatarain’s Creole mustard

2 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 bag fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

4 ounces crumbled feta or blue cheese, depending on taste preference

1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans

8 to 10 fresh figs, rinsed, dried and sliced, plus 2 sliced figs for garnish

Mint sprigs for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. In a jar, combine olive oil, cane vinegar, Creole mustard, brown sugar and salt. Shake well to mix.

2. In large salad bowl, toss spinach leaves, crumbled cheese, pecans and sliced figs. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat and toss gently.

3. Garnish with additional figs and a few mint leaves, if desired.

Testing note: I’ve also thrown in five or six sliced green grapes on occasion.

Mediterranean Fig & Radicchio Salad


From: Royal Rose Radicchio Web site, http://www.radicchio.com
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or cane vinegar)

2 teaspoons honey

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 head radicchio, torn

1 head frisée, torn

6 to 8 fresh figs, cut in halves

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1/4 loaf crusty French bread, torn into pieces

1 roll creamy goat cheese, such as Montrachet

Directions:

1. In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey and oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In large bowl, toss radicchio and frisée, then arrange on individual plates.

3. Top with figs, olives, torn bread pieces and bits of goat cheese.

4. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Testing note: If you can’t find individual heads of radicchio and frisée in the produce department, substitute a lettuce mix that contains radicchio and frisée.



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