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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Spicy Chicken Meada

I just discovered something quite fun. I'm sure there is an Italian equivalent, but these are a portugese brand, like the Bagos. It is like spaghetti, but thicker and hollow! I usually don't like thick spaghetti, but when there's a hole down the center, it's just different and way more fun! This was a "make do with leftovers" recipe because I had made a bunch of chicken legs baked with louisiana hot sauce (brought back from the US - so don't get all jealous about the wine and baguette in the background) that was a little too hot for Eric, so I took them all apart and transformed them into a pasta dish.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
1 lb Meada pasta, cooked al dente
meat off of 5 cooked chicken legs the way you please
1 chopped bell pepper
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
3 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup heavy cream
freshly grated parmesan
shredded swiss
salt/fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1. Sautée the onions and bell pepper in the EVOO. Add the garlic and tomato and deglaze with the white wine.
2. When everything is tender, add the cooked chicken and cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Toss with the cooked pasta and heat through.

Serve piping hot topped with parmesan, ground pepper, and shredded swiss.

Eric said: You should do this more often... It's a keeper!
If you don't have leftover spicy chicken, just add cooked chicken and some tabasco or other type of hot sauce. Louisiana is good though!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Stuffed Puffs

I make my own appetizers/hors d'oeuvres!! I also have a schnazzy new oven that made these turn out perfectly compared to my old oven. There aren't really any rules to making these, but I like to put 2 ingredients with one of those ingredients being a type of cheese.
Ingredients:
1 uncooked round pastry puff (makes 14)
1 beaten egg yolk
here are some combinations I have done...
ham/cheddar*
roasted bell/boursin*
roasted eggplant/mozzarella
mushroom/cheddar
broccoli/goat cheese
roasted zucchini/swiss
asparagus tips/cheddar
* my alltime favorite combos
Directions:
1. Unroll your pastry puff. Cut in half.
2. Place a small amount of your combo in a corner.
Cut a slice out of your dough, and roll from the outside in.
1 dough should make around 14-16 mini puffs.
When we are over 4 I like to bust out 2 doughs for a very fun game of guess what's in it?
3. Place on your oven tray and brush each mini puff with the egg yolk mixture.
4. Pop in the oven at 400°F for around 10 minutes.. check depending on your oven.

I make these all the time now.. it's fun and a crowd pleaser!