Food good for body and soul
I found this recipe in my “keeper” folder but, of course, could not remember much about it…except that both Steve and I must have enjoyed it, hence its place in the “keeper” folder. Memory like a screen these days… ANYWAY… I tried it again and …
It was early on a Sunday afternoon and I was hungry, with no patience to wait for an evening meal. And, with the weather not cooperating for Steve for anything sailing, I decided to do an abbreviated version of a Sunday Dinner – less complicated, …
Disclaimer – forgive any typos, etc. Posted after a long day! 🙂
When food shopping a few weeks ago, I picked up some egg roll wraps, just for fun. A few weeks later, I realized that I needed to use them soon, as their freshness date (as a refrigerated product) was fast approaching. I just happened to have a half a head of cabbage that needed to be used up, too, and I always carrots in the fridge and cooked chicken in the freezer. No worries that the recipe from which I decided to start (the one on the Nasoya wrap package) called for lean ground pork. While starting with raw meat versus cooked adds yet another level of complexity to any dish, I had also found egg roll recipes that called for cooked chicken, so I decided to create my own recipe based on a few that I found online.
Here are the links to the two recipes from which I was working:
Nasoya Egg Roll Recipe
Baked Egg Rolls
Here is what I used:
Okay – let me start by saying that you should feel free to look at other recipes for seasoning ideas! I was playing around and what I used tasted yummy, but not all the same ingredients are necessary for excellent results.
For example, one recipe called for oyster sauce and I didn’t have any, but I had hoisin sauce. After reading various opinions as to what was a suitable substitute for what, I figured I would add a bit of anchovy paste to add some depth without being overly “fishy.” (Anchovy paste has a way more subtle effect than you would think.) And, I had no bean sprouts but I figured that the daikon radish I had on hand would add an extra texture, albeit not quite that of the sprouts but in step with an oriental dish. And, both recipes called for green onions, another ingredient I lacked. But, I have some chives growing in a pot, so I tossed some of them in.
You may also notice that of the two recipes I cite as sources, one calls for minced ginger and one for minced garlic. Well, hey, why not both? Fun fact: Pearl, my cat of 18 years, whom I adopted when I was in my mid 20s, loved anything, including broccoli, if it was sauteed in garlic and ginger. That cat had good taste. 🙂
Anywhoooo…the process was quick and easy. First, I chopped the veggies.
Then I sauteed the garlic and ginger:
Then I added the veggies and cooked for just a few minutes until a bit soft but still with some crunch.
Next, I added the chopped chicken and heated until warmed through, then added the sauce and cornstarch mix – everything from the hoisin sauce on in the ingredient list that I had mix together until smooth before adding.
Once the sauce was added to the chicken and heated through, I moved the mixture from the pan to a bowl so it could cool off enough to handle. Then I started assembling the egg rolls. I used 1/4 cup of filling for each wrap.
Just so you know, I had no idea that for the first 5-6 egg rolls, I didn’t realize how thin the wraps were and used two per roll. Those that had a double wrap were fine, but not additionally good enough for me to recommend using double wraps all the time unless you try it and find you prefer a thicker egg roll wrap. 🙂
Then I folded up from the bottom and then from the side.
Next, I used just a bit of water when finishing and securing the fold, put them on a very lightly greased cookie tray, brushed just a bit of olive oil on the tops, and put them in my convection/toaster oven at 425 for 12 minutes.
Both recipes noted above said between 10-15 minutes at 400 or 425 degrees in a regular oven, so I would pick your temperature and keep and eye on them.
I thought these tasted great as is, but I did make a dipping sauce from soy sauce, a bit of rice wine vinegar, some sugar and a bit or minced garlic and onion.
So, the verdict is – homemade egg rolls are easy to make and, while there are plenty of recipes with instructions for frying, I think baking works just as well and even better for crispness, especially when reheating (10 minutes at 350 works) and, obviously makes for a lower fat content.
Next time I will make a bunch and freeze to bake at a later date. Quick easy, and healthy – works for me!
I have not posted for ages, but I was determined to document this concoction since it is an experiment that worked. 🙂 Yes, I did start with a recipe, but I adapted it so as to use up a few leftovers from my New …
If you see these at Farmer Dave’s next week at the Wakefield Farmers Market, buy some! I thought they were tiny tomatillos at first, but upon looking even more confused when told they were husk cherries, I was given one to try. They are exquisite! …
There is absolutely nothing like being able to use multiple freshly picked or caught ingredients in a single dish. Nothing. And not much better than such, either.
For those of you reading who don’t know me personally, I am experiencing my first year of being the Manager of the Wakefield Farmers Market in Wakefield MA, which is currently in its third season. And, I am loving it! (A shout out thank you to Kelli Stromski and Maura Racamato who co-managed the first two seasons and are responsible for its ongoing success!)
Anyway, all the vendors to which I refer are at our market, in case you are wondering who I am talking about!
I had corn from Kelly’s Farm, garlic and onion from Farmer Dave, tomatoes from Charlton Orchards and Farmer Dave, green onion and squash blossoms from Flats Mentor Farm, haddock from Globe Fish, basil from my garden, my own homemade chicken broth, and even the lime juice was from the market in that I used the lime leftover from Holly’s (sweetthingfood.com) cooking demo the day before!
What got me going on chowder is that, while we enjoyed the flavor immensely of our experience doing haddock on the grill wrapped in foil, we were not thrilled with the texture since, we decided after the meal, we do prefer at least a bit of crunch with our fish. J No reflection on the quality of the fish itself, by the way! You can’t beat Globe Fish for freshness, that’s for sure.
Anyway – what to do with the leftover fish? Aha, chowder came to mind, although I knew it could not be a true fish chowder since the fish was already cooked. I had saved the liquid that was in the foil, but knew it could not carry the fish flavor enough to be the highlight. That is why I say “with haddock” in the recipe title. If I cooked the fish from raw in the chowder rather than adding it at the end, it would have been Fish Chowder with Corn, Tomato, and Basil. But, it wasn’t. <grin>
Since I was looking for a way to use a number of ingredients, I did my usual trick of typing in the list of ingredients I had available into Google and, voila! The perfect solution!
I used a recipe from the New York Time site for Corn, Tomato and Basil Chowder as my basis. I did make some changes, albeit most of them minor, and I am 100% certain that the recipe as written is scrumptious. But, here is what I did:
Corn, Tomato, and Basil Chowder with Haddock
1. Slice corn kernels off cob and place in a bowl. Run back of a knife along each cob to remove additional corn pulp. Add pulp to bowl; reserve cobs.
2. In a medium soup pot or Dutch oven, fat, butter, or oil over medium heat. Stir in onion, green onion or shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add broth, reserved cobs, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Remove cobs and discard.
4. Stir in corn kernels and pulp, tomatoes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes more. Stir in the basil and lime juice. Turn off heat and let soup cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
And, to top it off, I added a few drops of hot sauce, just for fun, but it is not at all necessary.
While the recipe from which I was working didn’t state anything about freezing, I came across a number of similar recipes that noted that this sort of chowder freezes well. I know how I am going to enjoy a fresh corn taste this winter, whether I make it with or without the fish! Now, if only I could find a way to preserve the delicate flavor and subtle crunch of squash blossoms. I wonder if they can be frozen as one does with basil leaves? I might just try that next. 🙂
It was a hot day and I knew Steve would want to grill and I didn’t want to spend the money on pre-marinated chicken or the like. But, I didn’t have time to defrost AND marinate for long enough the 2 pounds of boneless, skinless …
I’ve had two 8 lb hams in my freezer since two days before Easter. Why, you might ask? Well, based on the minimum number of folks I expected to come for Easter, I had thought I would do an experiment and bake two 8 pound …
THIS is comfort food. If you are vegetarian, see the end of the post for how to adapt this recipe without losing out on all the flavors. Although, I think this came out so very wonderfully because I used ham from the amazing ham I prepared last week using My New Favorite Ham recipe.
Click the recipe title to see the original recipe from which I started.
Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Ingredients
An asterisk * means I made a change to or added an ingredient.
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1 1/2 cups milk via a 5 oz can of evaporated milk, 2 Tbsp of instant dry milk, and water to make 1 1/2 cups total.*
• 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (will use more next time!)*
• Salt and pepper
• 1-2 tsp dried parsley *
• 2 tablespoon olive oil (for sauteing)*
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper *
• 3/4 cup grated carrot *
• 1.25 lb of assorted potatoes, thinly sliced (I used what I had on hand)*
• 8 ounces/2 cups of cooked ham in about 1/2 inch chunks.*
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese *
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil a baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a simmer while stirring. When sauce has thickened remove from heat, season with salt and pepper (and I added parsley, as well) and set aside.
In a skillet, cook onions in olive oil (or butter if using original recipe ingredients) until golden brown.
I sauteed the oinons until almost done to my liking before adding the chopped green pepper. This is because I didn’t want the moisture from the pepper releasing into the oil before the oinions had a chance to start browning. I cooked the mixture just a bit more, then stirred in the grated carrot and put it all aside until ready to assemble the dish. I figured the pepper and carrot would have plenty of time to cook in the oven.
Spread one third (1/2 cup) of the white sauce in bottom of baking dish and top with half of the potatoes. Spread out half of the onion/veggie mix, ham, and one third (1/2 cup) of the cheese. Pour another third of the sauce on that layer. Add the other half of the onion/veggie mix, ham and top with the last 1/2 cup of sauce and remaining cheese.
Bake for 45 – an hour minutes until golden and bubbly. Then, have at it!
This was really, really tasty. Again, I do think that the leftover ham, with its sweet and spicy flavor, added tremendously to the flavor. But, I think adding the green pepper and carrot gave a flavor boost to this old favorite, as well.
There is, of course, no reason why this can’t be made with a chopped up ham steak or sliced ham. For some sweetness, use pineapple or apple juice in lieu of water if using evaporated or powered milk, or sprinkle some brown sugar, as well as some clove powder over each layer.
And, if you prefer a vegetarian, or even vegan version, this seasoning method will work for you, also. And, vegetarian or not, ou can also add more potatoes or other vegetables. Just be be sure to cook more watery veggies down before baking the final dish so as to not add too much moisture.
If you want a “meaty” texture in there, use soy or seitan (wheat gluten) based protein items that have a smoky/ham sort of flavor. Also – when I was eating a vegan diet, I had no problem making a nice roux/white sauce with soy or rice milk, etc. I think I actually made it with just flour, oil, and water a few times. (Hmm, I will have to try that to make sure my memory is correct!)
All-in-all, this is a tasty and pleasantly textured dish, whether you follow the traditional recipe I link to at the top, try out my version or experiment with my additional suggestions. In the end, it is indeed one of those comfort food dishes that every cook should have in their repertoire. Except for my friend Kathleen who can no longer eat onions. I have NO idea what to substitute for that!
Okay…this is a really amazing recipe. A big thank you to Joan Nova of her Foodalogue blog. Here is the scoop: I had picked up a ham on sale [Click HERE for the great baked ham recipe I used with this dish!] that said to …