Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Crawley family chauffeur, he inspires Reuben Egg Rolls and Dipping Sauce



This is Tom's Favorite St, Patty's day snack 

Lets put it together 
This irresistible twist on the classic Reuben sandwich features crisp egg roll wrappers stuffed with tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, creamy Swiss cheese. 
 Dip them in homemade Spicy Thousand Island and  horseradish sauce.

What's in it?
  • For the Egg Rolls:
  • About 25 egg roll wrappers 
  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds cooked leftover or sliced deli corned beef
  • 2 packed cup sauerkraut, I like the jared style
  • 1 1/2  cups shredded Swiss cheese 

  • 2 teaspoon caraway seed 
  • 2-3 inches canola oil in a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pan 

  • For the Thousand Island Dressing:
  • 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt 

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon of horseradish 
Lets put it together  
 The Thousand Island Dipping Sauce:
Whisk to combine all of the dressing ingredients. let it rest in the refrigerator. 
 The Reuben Egg Rolls...of LOVE
Place the sauerkraut in a colander and rinse over the sink. Squeeze, squeeze and squeeze as much liquid from the sauerkraut as you can, then coarsely chop very fine. Put this in a large mixing bowl.
Coarsely chop the corned beef, no large pieces.  Transfer the corned beef to the mixing bowl with the chopped sauerkraut, add the shredded Swiss cheese and the caraway seed (if using.) Use your hands to toss the ingredients together so that everything is evenly combined.
Place a single egg roll wrapper with one point facing toward you and one away. Dip your finger in the bowl of water and moisten the two edges farthest away from you. Scoop 1/4-cup of the corned beef filling onto the egg roll wrapper just slightly closer to you than the center of the wrapper. Simply roll the skin tightly. Try to avoid holes in the wrapper as they can cause leaking melted cheese and therefore splattering during the frying process. Gently press the final edge to help seal it and lay it on the clean pan you prepared for it. Repeat until the filling is used up.

Lets Bake the egg Rolls
  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray both sides of the finished egg rolls with non-stick cooking spray and lay them -not touching- on a baking sheet. Bake until the wrappers are golden brown and the Swiss cheese is melted inside. While these are definitely best hot, they are also good at room temperature.



Sunday, March 10, 2013

Anna Bates: The Basics of a Making a Great Roast Chicken

 Anna Bates: The Basics of a Making a Great Roast Chicken


When Anna and Bates moved into there new home, the stove was fired up and the cooking began. Mr Bates remembered roast chicken while growing up. Simple and easy and so good. 





Downton Abbey fans across England have come to call Sundays “Downton Day”.
Mrs. Patmore, Daisy, love to cook and show how food can play an important part in people’s lives.  
Families used to sit down to Sunday dinner, and some to try to keep this one day of the week for gathering for a great meal. 


So it's Roast Chicken and here we go!

Some Chicken pointers:

Picking Chicken:  Picking a good chicken at your butcher or grocer is a great start to get the best results.  Certified Organic tops the charts if you can find/afford, air-chilled is a good choice, and kosher is great because the process of salt brining kills bacteria and enhances the flavor.

Safe Prepping:  the spread of harmful bacteria is particularly evident in chicken and other fowl.  Make sure you disinfect your work surfaces as you go.  It is actually safer to forego the step when advised to wash the chicken before baking. So just check inside the bird for giblets, cut away excess fat.

The Best Breast:  My trick is to add lemon slices or butter between the skin and the chicken breast.

The Key is 165° -170°F:  Use an instant-read thermometer as your most reliable indicator of doneness.  It should read 165° to 170°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (aim for the inner thigh),  Otherwise you look for clean running juices when you prick with a knife.

Give it a Rest:  A trick to ensure the chicken stays moist, let your chicken rest, covered with tin foil for 15 – 20 minutes which allows the juices to absorb.

ROAST CHICKEN
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken (3 lbs is ample for 2-3 people)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemons
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Dried herbs...  rosemary, sage, thyme, flat-leaf parsley.
  • 1 tbsp. softened butter
LETS PUT IT TOGETHER
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  1. Place the chicken into a shallow roasting pan which should have a grill rack. Mix the garlic and toss in fresh herbs.  We love rosemary in our house.
  2. Remove the giblets from the chicken and wipe down the chicken with paper towels.  Rub with olive oil and salt and pepper. Rub other dried herbs you have on hand (rosemary, thyme, Herbes de Provence) and garlic.
  3. Gently separate the breast skin from meat on each side with your fingers or a spatula.  Insert lemon slices and some fresh herbs which will help flavor the bird and keep the moisture in.  Alternatively, you can rub a little softened butter, again between the skin and the actual breast meat.  
  4. Place in the oven, uncovered.  As a general rule, calculate a cooking time of 20 minutes per pound of meat.  The temperature of the chicken needs to be 165° -170°F (see above).
  5. Let the cooked bird rest for 20 minutes to let the juices settle into the meat.  If you cut it too soon, you will see all the flavour on your cutting board. Remove from your roasting pan and cover with tin foil and get your table setting ready.
  6. You may be tempted to make gravy, but you really don’t need it and your doctor will thank you for it. You can use a fat separator to take the fat off and serve the juices on the side to your family/guests.
  7. Carve the chicken and serve with vegetables.

Taste of Downton Life:


Recipes for eating and living better from “The Happy Diabetic”
We’re changing the way you eat one recipe at a time.