Category: Side Dish

Posted on » by Dana & Nancy » Theme:

Swampy Green Soup

IMG_6482

Recipe adapted from: allrecipes.com, courtesy of JessieD

Ingredients:
1 small onion diced
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup spinach
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 cup green peas
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup and 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried sage
hot sauce
Approximately 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in bottom of stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until transparent. Add broccoli, spinach, bell pepper, cucumber, and green peas, stirring to combine. Stir in chicken broth and olive oil. Puree using immersion blender until smooth. Heat soup over medium-high heat. Stir in pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and sage. Add hot sauce to taste, stirring to combine. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Divide mozzarella cheese into 4 bowls. Pour the hot soup over the mozzarella cheese to serve. You can sprinkle additional cheese to garnish on top, if desired.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Sweet and Spicy Asian Wings

(Emeril Lagasse, 2002)

Sweet and Spicy Asian Wings

Note, this make s a lot of sauce. Probably at least 4-5 X more than is needed for the wings. The chicken doesn’t require a lot of sauce since it’s got a really bold flavor.

Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients
2 cups orange juice (I used 3 cups of orange pineapple juice instead of orange and pineapple separately)
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I used much less thai bird chili from my garden, gave it a nice kick)

Directions
In a large saute pan set over medium-high heat, place the orange juice, pineapple juice, orange zest, garlic, ginger, green onion, sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and red pepper flakes. Bring the pan to a boil and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup, about 18 to 20 minutes.

I let it cool for a bit thend poured some of it into the sauce into the wings. It’s not as thick as I would have liked Next time I might cook it down longer. I did cook it longer than it called for.

Overall I would give this a 7 out of 10. Sauce could have been thicker.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Grilled Chicken Wings

Grilled Chicken Wings (Cooks Illustrated)

Makes 24 wing pieces, serving 4 to 6
We prefer grilling over charcoal for the smoky flavor it imparts. But a gas grill is easy to use, and it yields a flavor that’s almost as good.

Ingredients (I more than doubled the wings but used the same amount of water, sugar and salt and it was fine)

  • 3/4 cup kosher salt(or 6 tablespoons table salt)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 12 whole chicken wings (about 2 1/2 pounds) separated into sections, wingtips discarded
  • Ground black pepper

Instructions
  1. In gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag, dissolve salt and sugar in 1 quart water. Add chicken; press out as much air as possible from bag and seal; refrigerate until fully seasoned, 30 minutes. I left it overnight and it was fine, next time I would cut back on salt and sugar a little if I it will soak overnight but the flavor was still really good. Remove from brine, rinse well under running water, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and season with pepper.
  2. Turn all burners on grill to high, close lid, and heat grill until hot, 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust one burner to medium and grill chicken pieces over it, turning once, until color is light spotty brown, skin has thinned, and fat has rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Using tongs, move chicken pieces over burner still set on high, turning constantly to prevent charring, until wings are dark spotty brown and skin has crisped, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately, with a sqeeze of lemon or lime, or with an accompanying dipping sauce, if desired.
I had a new propane to the flame was high. I cooked it on low and I still got burnt spots since sugar burns so easily. Still, it was really good.