Books: The Perdue Chicken Cookbook
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Mitzi Perdue >> The Perdue Chicken Cookbook
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FILLO WRAPPED CHICKEN
Deanna Doyel, a Californian, brought these to a pot luck at
my house, and since they were far and away the most popular
food at the party that night, I thought you might enjoy
knowing about them. They're tender, flaky, delicious, and
they look good. You might garnish the plate with some
parsley or watercress. I've served them here to a
gathering of 50 of the Perdue marketing men and women, but
for variation, I cut the chicken into bite size pieces and
wrapped them individually to form cocktail-size morsels.
To make this successfully, be sure to keep the pastry
sheets from drying out or they'll get brittle and
impossible to fold. Work with only one sheet at a time and
keep the others covered with a sheet of waxed paper and
topped with a damp tea towel.
WRAPPED CHICKENServes 6
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt
Pinch ground pepper
1 cup butter or margarine, divided
12 sheets fillo pastry (available in most quality
supermarkets)
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Grated Parmesan cheese
In a shallow dish combine mayonnaise, scallions, parsley,
half of garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. In a small
saucepan over medium heat melt butter with remaining
garlic. Brush one pastry sheet with melted garlic butter,
top with second sheet and brush again. Dip chicken breast
in mixed ingredients turning to coat thoroughly. Place
chicken diagonally on one corner of pastry sheets, then
roll while folding in sides to make a neat rectangular
package. Brush top of wrapped chicken with butter and top
lightly with Parmesan cheese. Preheat oven to 350oF. Place
wrapped breasts in a baking dish and bake for about 35
minutes. They're a golden brown when done.
MUSHROOM SNAILS Serves 4 as
an appetizer
This is one of the very few recipes that I've developed on
my own. In spite of its name, it doesn't contain snails.
I'd eaten escargot (snails) in France, and thought they
were expensive and overrated, but loved the garlic butter
and other seasonings. One day it occurred to me that those
flavorings would be delicious with the mushrooms and
chicken livers that I happened to have in the refrigerator.
I sat down and wrote what I thought would be right, and
then made the recipe exactly according to the directions
that I'd written. The verdict from guests was that these
mushroom snails are a showstopper, especially if you by any
chance have any of the escargot serving dishes with little
indentations for each snail. Since I'm guessing that you
probably don't, I've suggested in the recipe that you serve
the mushroom "snails" on little rounds of sauteed French
bread.
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley
2 tablespoons snipped fresh or frozen chives
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
12 large mushroom caps
6 chicken livers, halved
Preheat oven to 400oF. In a small bowl combine butter with
garlic, parsley, chives and salt. Fill each mushroom cap
with a half chicken liver. Then, top each mushroom cap
with 1/12th of the butter mixture. Bake at until filling is
melted, and bubbly, about 8 minutes. Serve on 1/2 inch
thick slices of French bread which have been sauteed in
butter until lightly browned.
OLD WORLD CORNISH HENS BAKED IN SALTServes 4
This is one of my personal favorites. When it's brought to
the table, this dish looks so impressive that I can still
remember the first time I saw it, which was more than ten
years ago. When the hostess brought the platter with the
four cornish hens, we couldn't be sure what we were
getting. It looked like four chicken-shaped pieces of
white pottery in the exact shape of cornish game hens, only
a little larger. Our hostess explained that she had coated
the cornish hens with a half-inch layer of salt, and then
roasted the hens in this casing. To serve the hens, she
took a small wooden mallet and gave each shell a sharp
whap. Each time she did this, the shell would crack into
several pieces, revealing the fragrant and beautifully-
roasted game hen inside. I thought the hens would taste
salty, but found instead some of the tenderest and most
succulent chicken you could hope for.
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 bunch fresh rosemary or thyme, divided
4 fresh Cornish game hens (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each)
Ground pepper
4 18 x 18 inch squares heavy duty aluminum foil
2 boxes (48 ounces each) Kosher salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups water
Preheat oven to 400oF. Place 2 garlic cloves and a sprig
of rosemary in the cavity of each hen. Season with pepper.
Fold wings back and tie legs together. Place a hen on each
sheet of foil. Fold in edges of foil to form a nest with
sides 1 1/2 inches high. Leave a border of 1 1/2 inches
between hen and foil. Remove hens from nests and reserve.
Place nests on heavy baking sheets. Fill each nest with
a layer of salt, 1/2 inch thick. Return hens
to nests. In a large bowl combine remaining salt with
enough water to make a heavy paste. Use hands to mold salt
around each hen enclosing it completely in a layer of salt
approximately 1/2 inch thick. Bake hens for 40 to 50
minutes depending upon their size. To serve: With a sharp
knife, carefully cut around the base of each hen following
its shape. Use a spatula to gently lift salt covered hens
out of nests and onto platter. Decorate platter with
sprigs of rosemary. In front of your guests, crack salt
casings with a mallet and dust off any remaining salt.
Garnish hens with sprigs of rosemary.
Note: If you want to try this recipe with a 3 1/2 pound
chicken, proceed in the same manner as for the Cornish
hens, using 1 box (48 ounces) kosher salt and 1 1/2 cups
water. The cooking time would is approximately 1 hour and
15 minutes.
ORIENTAL COOK-OUT CHICKEN Serves 6-8 You
need an outdoor grill with a rotisserie for this one. The
sight of the whole chickens wrapped in orange peel spirals,
turning on the spit is really impressive. Don't let your
guests or family miss this part.
2 whole chickens
2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (undiluted)
4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons French salad dressing
3 teaspoons soy sauce
2 oranges
Rub inside of chickens with salt and pepper. In a bowl
combine orange juice, oil, salad dressing, and soy sauce;
rub mixture on chickens, inside and out. Peel oranges,
spiral fashion, keeping skins in one strip. Cut orange
segments into small pieces and place inside of chickens.
Truss chickens securely with string. Place on outdoor
grill rotisserie rod, securing with forked holders. Place
spiral orange peels around chickens, holding in place with
toothpicks. Broil on rotisserie about 1 hour or until
juices run clear with no hint of pink when thigh is
pierced, basting constantly with sauce.
PERDUE A LA VERTICAL Serves 6-8
NOTE TO CONNIE; THERE'S A LINE DRAWING ILLUSTRATION OF
STUFFING THE BIRD IN THIS RECIPE AND ALSO ANOTHER DRAWING
THAT ILLUSTRATES CARVING. WE HAVE PERMISSION TO USE IT
FROM SPANEK, AND THERE'S NO TRADE NAME ON IT.
One of the really fun things about being Mrs. Frank Perdue
is that people are always giving me tips on cooking
chicken. Recently I met a woman in an airport in Puerto
Rico who told me that my life wasn't complete unless I
tried cooking chicken on a vertical roaster. Not wanting
an incomplete life, I took her advice and found that yes,
vertical roasting really does have a lot going for it. The
chicken cooks about 30% faster because the metal frame
conducts heat and is in contact with the bird's interior.
The bird is also juicier. The heat of the vertical roaster
forces the juices outward while the heat of the oven is
forcing the juices inward. The juices have no where to go,
so instead they just stay inside, tenderizing and flavoring
the meat. Vertical roasters are available in major
department stores as well as in quality gourmet cookware
shops.
Denis Spanek, who patented the first vertical roster,
says he's cooked at least 30,000 birds during
demonstrations and tests, and this is his favorite recipe.
It's now one of my all-time personal favorites too, but
I've felt leery about serving it to guests without knowing
ahead of time that they liked bleu cheese. The last time I
made it, though, I found a way around the problem. I
stuffed one side of the roaster with the bleu cheese-
mushroom mixture and omitted the bleu cheese from the
stuffing for the other side. Then I gave our guests the
choice of which side they'd like.
1 whole roaster
3 ounces crumbled bleu cheese
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup Shittake mushrooms, if not available, use whatever
mushrooms are.
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Place roaster on its back and use your fingertips to break
the skin membrane at the neck opening on each side of the
breast. Work your fingers under the skin across both sides
of the breast and continue along the thighs and legs. Be
careful not to break the skin that's attached at the center
of the breastbone. In a food processor fitter with steel
blade, combine blue cheese, garlic, butter and mushrooms.
Process, pulsating on and off, until mushrooms are coarsely
chopped and mixture just holds together.
Then, spoon the stuffing under the skin, working over the
breast, thigh, and leg areas, smoothing it evenly over each
side of the bird. When the bird is stuffed, gently press
it onto the vertical roaster so the metal ring at the top
comes through. Set the roaster in an 8-9 inch cake pan and
add 1/2 cup water to the roasting pan. Baste with a mixture
of 1 tablespoon of dry white wine with paprika. This will
give a rosy color to the bird and the chicken will brown
beautifully. Sear for 15 minutes in a preheated 450 degree
oven. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 15 to
18 minutes per pound
Food Tip: Carve the bird over rice so the rice catches the
drippings.
PHOTO: Black & white - chicken platter w/mozzarella
strips placed in lattice pattern over breast. On ceramic
counter w/napkins, forks, cups & saucers, breads, etc.
ROASTER MARINARAServes 6
Frank is particularly fond of any recipe with tomatoes, and
usually we've found that in restaurants that if you see a
menu item that's "marinara," whatever-it-is is going to be
served with a tomato-based sauce. However, according to
the New York Times food writer, Craig Claiborne, marinara
really means "marine style" or sailor style and marinara
sauces exist without tomatoes. In this recipe, the sauce
is tomato based. I'm fond of this recipe because it looks
so good. Be sure and notice the illustration.
1 whole roaster
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups homemade or prepared marinara sauce (available
in supermarkets)
1 package (6-ounces) sliced mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350F. Remove giblets from roaster.
Season with basil, salt and pepper. Place bird, breast side
up, in roasting pan. Brush marinara sauce over roaster 30
minutes before end of cooking time. Cut mozzarella cheese
into long strips 1/2-inch wide and place in lattice pattern
over breast during final 10 minutes of cooking.
PHOTO: STUFFED CHICKEN
STUFFED CHICKEN JARDINIEREServes 6
I don't know of many presentations that are more impressive
than this. That's the good part. The price for all this
impressiveness is that it's also one of the more time-
consuming recipes in this book. While it's true that there
is a fair amount of preparation required, the work is done
in advance and not at the last minute. This recipe allows
you to surprise your guests with a chicken that appears
whole but slices into attractive pieces of chicken and
stuffing. It's also a low calorie and healthy recipe.
You'll find directions for boning and re-forming a whole
chicken further on, but in case you don't have the time or
desire to do it yourself, a cooperative butcher can do it
for you in about five minutes.
1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
2-3 zucchini (3/4 pound), well scrubbed and grated
2-3 yellow squash (3/4 pound), well scrubbed and grated
4 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (made from 2 slices low-calorie
while grain bread)
1 egg white or 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon of salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or to taste
Yogurt-Herb Sauce (recipe follows)
Fresh tarragon sprigs, miniature zucchini, yellow squash
and carrots, (optional garnish)
Bone chicken except for wings and legs. Using kitchen
string and a large darning needle, sew up any holes in skin
and the split area near tail -- chicken should form a
roughly rectangular shape. Place squash and carrots in a
colander or strainer; press with back of wooden spoon or
hands to remove as much liquid as possible.
In a large, non-stick or lightly greased skillet, combine
grated vegetables, scallions and garlic. Cook over low
heat, stirring frequently, 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture
is quite dry, but not brown. Remove from heat; stir in
tarragon, Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg white, 1/2 teaspoon
pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt and nutmeg.
Preheat oven to 400F. Sprinkle inside of chicken with
remaining salt and pepper. Stuff and truss chicken,
following directions for reforming a whole chicken. Brush
with oil, if desired. Place on rack in roasting pan and
roast 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and roast 1 hour
longer or until juices run clear with no hint of pink when
thigh is pierced.
Refrigerate chicken until ready to serve. Recipe can be
served hot, but will slice more easily if thoroughly
chilled. Serve chicken with Yogurt-Herb Sauce, garnish
with herbs and vegetables, if desired.
Yogurt-Herb Sauce
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Salt and ground pepper to taste
In small bowl, combine yogurt and herbs. Add salt and
ground pepper to taste.
BONING AND RE-FORMING A WHOLE CHICKEN
1. On a large cutting board, place bird breast down with
drumsticks turned toward you. Using a small, sharp boning
knife, cut off tail. Then cut through skin down middle of
backbone.
2. Keep knife close to backbone to loosen flesh, cutting
around small oyster-shaped piece of meat part-way down
back; leave oyster attached to skin. Just below oyster,
use point of knife to locate and sever ball joint between
hip and thigh.
3. Working toward neck, loosen flesh from carcass. When
shoulder blade is reached, keep bone to your right and cut
through joint to sever wing from shoulder.
4. Continue loosening flesh around edge of carcass until
you reach breastbone. Do not try to detach this because
skin is very thin at this point. Turn bird around so neck
faces you; repeat steps 2 and 3. Carefully, cut through
two spots where wishbone is attached to carcass.
5. When both sides of carcass and wishbone are loosened,
lift carcass and cut breastbone away from meat. Cut
through cartilage, but do not worry about leaving some
attached to flesh. It can be removed more easily later
without piercing skin. Remove carcass and, if desired,
simmer with vegetables to make a stock.
6. Using kitchen string or unwaxed dental floss, thread a
large darning needle. Turn chicken skin-side up and sew
closed any holes in skin. Stitch split area near tail
together so that chicken roughly forms a rectangle.
7. Turn chicken skin-side down and carefully remove any
remaining cartilage in breast area. Detach small breast
fillets and use to cover less meaty areas near thighs.
Season meat, if desired.
8. Mound stuffing down center of breast. Pull skin up on
either side around stuffing and re-form chicken. Sew back
of bird closed.
9. Truss bird into attractive chicken shape.
A TRIO OF SHOW STOPPER "VEAL" CLASSICS
Chicken breasts, when pounded and flattened, can make an
excellent substitute for veal. And if your market has them,
the thin sliced boneless roaster breast is even better,
since you don't have to pound or flatten the individual
pieces. The fact is, if someone didn't tell you, and if
you're not a food professional, there's a good chance that
you'd have difficulty telling the difference. The muscle
fibers in both meats are surprisingly similar; they're both
low in fat, and neither has much collagen, the factor that
makes meat fibrous and chewy.
The basic ingredients in most of the "veal" dishes that
follow are boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They're
called "cutlets." A scaloppine is a cutlet sliced in half
lengthwise.
By the way, if Frank had his way, from now on you wouldn't
think of chicken breasts as an inexpensive substitute for
veal. You'd think of veal as a more expensive substitute
for his chicken breasts. In fact, Frank likes to say that
"Anything veal can do, my chicken breasts can do better,"
He points out that chicken breasts are richer than veal in
vitamin A, niacin, and calcium, and they're lower in
calories and cholesterol. They're equal to veal in
protein, and of course, they're much, much more affordable.
If thin sliced boneless roaster breast is unavailable
in your market, you can make your own scaloppine, place a
skinless, boneless chicken breast half on a flat surface,
insert a sharp knife into the side and cut the chicken
breast into two wide flat slices. Put these slices
between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet
or rolling pin to 1/4" thickness.
CHICKEN OSCARServes 4
Veal Oscar is served in some of the finest New York
restaurants. You can make this chicken version yourself
for a small fraction of the restaurant cost.
8 scaloppine (about 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves) or 1 thin sliced boneless roaster breast
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup cooked crabmeat
16 cooked, fresh asparagus spears or 1 can (10 1/2 ounces),
drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup Hollandaise Sauce (optional)
Dip scaloppine in flour to coat lightly, shake off excess.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add
scaloppine and saute for about 1 1/2 minutes per side until
lightly browned and just cooked through. Remove to serving
platter. Top with crabmeat and asparagus spears. Cover
and hold in 250 degree oven. Add broth to skillet and cook
over high heat to reduce by half. Stir frequently. Remove
scaloppine from oven. Top with sauce and Hollandaise, if
desired.
PERDUE PARMIGIANOServes 4
This is a little like the Austrian treatment of veal, but
with an Italian accent. Serve it with spaghetti. If you
don't have commercial bread crumbs handy, dry a couple of
slices of bread in a 250 degree oven, and then whirl in the
blender or food processor. Presto! Your own bread crumbs.
8 scaloppine (about 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves) or 1 thin sliced boneless roaster
breast
1/4 cup flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8
teaspoon Ground pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
6 tablespoons oil
1 cup homemade or prepared marinara sauce (available in
supermarkets)
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Place seasoned flour on a sheet of wax paper. Break eggs
into a shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place bread crumbs
on a separate sheet of wax paper. Dip scaloppine in flour
to coat lightly, shake off excess. Dip in beaten egg, then
coat with bread crumbs. In large skillet over medium-high
heat, heat oil. Add saute scaloppine and saute for about
1 minute per side until golden brown. Drain on paper
towels. Arrange scaloppine in shallow baking dish or
casserole. Cover with marinara sauce and mozzarella
cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake in 350
degree oven for 15 minutes.
PERDUE WIENER SCHNITZELServes 4
I had the real thing in Austria, and I don't think it was
any better than this. Serve it with buttered noodles.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or 1 thin sliced
boneless roaster breast
1/4 cup flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8
teaspoon Ground pepper
6 eggs
1 cup fine bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, quartered
Pound chicken between plastic wrap to flatten to 1/4 inch
thickness. Skip the previous step if you are using thin
sliced boneless roaster breasts. Break 2 eggs into a
shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place bread crumbs on a
separate sheet of wax paper. Dip cutlets in flour to coat,
shake off excess. Dip in beaten eggs, then coat with bread
crumbs. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt half
of butter. Saute breaded cutlets until golden brown and
cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove to heated serving
platter. Add reserved butter to skillet and fry remaining
eggs sunnyside up to desired doneness. Season with salt and
pepper. Place 1 egg on top of each cutlet, sprinkle with
parsley and garnish with lemon quarters.
NOTE TO EDITOR: CAN WE HAVE THE SECTION ON "MENU FOR THREE
BEAUTIFUL GUESTS" PUT ON ITS OWN PAGE, SEPARATE FROM THE
OTHER RECIPES? I'D LIKE TO HAVE IT HIGHLIGHTED IN SOME
MANNER.
LET'S USE THE STORY BOARD FOR THREE BEAUTIFUL GUESTS HERE.
MOST OF THE READERS WILL NEVER HAVE SEEN A STORY BOARD
BEFORE AND WOULD FIND IT FASCINATING.
PHOTO: POSSIBLE PHOTO OF THE FOUR CORNISH, IF WE CAN FIND
IT IN COLOR.
MENU FOR THREE BEAUTIFUL GUESTS
One of Frank's most memorable commercials is "Dinner with
Three Beautiful Guests."
In the commercial, while Frank roasts four fresh Cornish
game hens, he showers; shaves; puts on a tuxedo; chills
some champagne; arranges flowers in a vase; turns on soft
music; and then opens the door to greet three ravishing
beauties. The commercial has been so successful that the
advertising agency produced a sequel, dramatizing an actual
letter that arrived at Perdue Farms' consumer relations
department:
"Mr. Perdue, I have a complaint. I prepared four of
your Cornish hens just as you did on T.V. I showered and
shaved just as you did on T.V. I dressed as you did on
T.V. I chilled the wine, and laid the birds on a bed of
wild rice just as you did on T.V. Your advertising is
misleading. No pretty girls have knocked on my door."
People sometimes ask me if the original ad makes me
jealous. Actually it's my favorite.
QUICK, CRISP CORNISH HENSServes 4
Wild rice is a completely different crop from regular rice.
It is chewier and has a more nut-like flavor. The people
who grow it refer to it as "the caviar of grains."
This is a good and quick method for roasting Cornish hens
but it can smoke up your kitchen. If you don't have a good
fan, preheat your oven to 500oF and then reduce it to 375oF
when you put the hens in - and then roast them for 45 to 50
minutes instead of the half hour mentioned in this recipe.
4 fresh Cornish game hens
Salt and ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced, fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bunch fresh parsley
4 small bay leaves
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups hot, cooked wild rice
1 lemon cut in wedges as garnish
Bacon and Wild Mushroom Gravy (recipe follows)
Place rack in lower half of oven; preheat to 5000F. If you
have a ventilator fan on stove, turn it on. Reserving
other giblets for gravy, discard necks and livers. Season
hen cavities with salt, pepper and thyme. Trim stem ends
from parsley and add 1 tablespoon to each cavity, along
with a bay leaf. Tie legs together, fold back wings and
place hens breast side up in a roasting pan.
Roast hens for about 30 minutes, basting once with butter,
until skin is brown and crisp and juices run clear with no
hint of pink when thigh is pierced. Remove hens from pan
and skim off all but 3 tablespoons drippings to be used in
gravy. Serve on a bed of wild rice; garnish with parsley
and lemon wedges and pass gravy separately.
Bacon and Wild Mushroom Gravy
1 ounce dried wild mushrooms (cepes, morels or porcini)
1 cup boiling water
1/4 pound bacon, diced
Giblets reserved from hens, chopped
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup flour
2-1/2 cups chicken broth or water
To reconstitute mushrooms well, pour boiling water over
them and allow to steep 10 minutes. Strain through a
coffee filter and reserve liquid. Rinse mushrooms to
remove any sand; chop finely.
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, fry bacon until
crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels. Leaving 2 tablespoons
bacon fat in pan, add giblets, mushrooms and onion and
brown about 5 minutes. Add to Cornish drippings in
roasting pan. Whisk in sherry and flour. Cook, whisking
frequently for 3 to 4 minutes or until flour is browned.
Add bacon, reserved mushroom liquid, and broth to flour
mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently, and cook
gravy to thicken. Serve with hens.
CIDER-GLAZED CARROTSServes 4
1 pound baby carrots, peeled
2 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced, fresh parsley
Cut larger carrots in half on a diagonal, if necessary, so
that all carrots are approximately the same size. In a
saucepan over medium heat, bring cider, butter, honey, salt
and pepper to a boil and add carrots. Cook 5 minutes or
until just beginning to soften; remove with slotted spoon.
Bring cider mixture back to a boil and cook 5 minutes to
thicken glaze. Remove from heat. Two minutes before
serving, reheat carrots in sauce, tossing frequently.
Serve garnished with parsley.
PEAS IN CHIVE CREAMServes 4
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt and ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 tablespoon snipped fresh or frozen chives
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cream and
seasoning to a boil and cook until thick, about 5 minutes;
whisk frequently. Five minutes before serving, stir in
peas and bring back to a boil, stirring frequently. Add
chives just before serving.
STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFFServes 4
1 quart long-stemmed strawberries
1 cup sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar, sifted
Arrange strawberries attractively on four individual
dessert plates. Garnish each plate with a big dollop of
sour cream and a heaping tablespoonful of sugar. Dip
strawberries first into sour cream, then into sugar.
ZURELLI'S SPINACH CUTLETS
Chuck Zurelli, a butcher for one of the large supermarket
chains, makes this for his customers. It's not hard to do
at home and it looks professional. You may want to
substitute fresh minced onion and garlic for the onion
powder and garlic powder that Mr. Zurelli uses.
There is a trick to it though. We all know that having
sharp knives is a Good Thing, but how often do you sharpen
yours? Are you like me, that once a year would be average,
and if you were to get up to once a month, you'd be feeling
pretty virtuous? Chuck Zurelli does a little better than
once a month. If you were to watch him at work, you'd see
that in the process of butterflying chicken breasts, he'll
almost automatically run his knife across his sharpening
tool every 15 or 20 seconds. Since meeting Mr. Zurelli,
I've asked other butchers how often they sharpen their
knives. It turns out that Zurelli is typical. The
professionals feel it's worth their while to keep their
knives very, very sharp. Now that I've tried it, I think
they're right. If you're doing some serious cutting, how
about a few quick strokes on your sharpening tool? It does
make a difference.
For each serving:
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half or 1 slice of the
thin sliced boneless roaster breast
4 spinach leaves
1 slice provolone cheese
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Vegetable oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Take a half boneless chicken breast and butterfly it open.
Or use a slice of the thin sliced roaster breast. Remove
the membrane and sinews, since these can tighten unevenly
and distort the look of the final product. Take four
spinach leaves and layer these over the butterflied fillet.
Top this with a slice of provolone cheese, cut about as
thick as the pre-sliced cheeses used for sandwiches. Season
with a few shakes each of onion powder and garlic powder.
(Don't add salt until after it's finished cooking; salt
will draw out the juices and toughen the meat.) Roll up
the fillet tightly, jelly roll fashion. Fasten with a
toothpick or tie with kitchen twine. Preheat oven to 350oF.
Brush chicken with oil to seal in the moisture and then
bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through. Season
with salt and pepper.
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