Jacques Pepin's Pork Schnitzel ...with crispy rice coating.(Gluten-Free).

Jacques Pepin's Pork Schnitzel ...with crispy rice coating.(Gluten-Free). I needed to share this recipe with you... not only because it's a recipe that comes from one of my very favorite chefs, but because this is an outstanding dish. 

If you are looking for a quick dinner option that kids and adults will enjoy, well this crispy pork schnitzel will please even the pickiest of folks.

While I've made schnitzel many times over and over again, this recipe caught my eye recently because of the ingenious idea to use rice cakes for the crumb topping. Why, oh why have I never thought of using rice cakes? Maybe, because I really don't have them around the house:)...  

In any case, we simply loved the result of the crispy and delicious tasting coating that added a pop of texture a well as flavor to an otherwise ordinary schnitzel. Schnitzel. Ordinary? Not exactly. But this... rice cake topping... takes the schnitzel to another level. A must try!

Using crushed up rice cakes is an excellent alternative to the usual regular bread crumb/panko crumb topping... not only because of the "pop" in texture but it makes the schnitzel gluten-free, making it ideal as a dinner option for the gluten intolerant.

While I have posted the recipe for the balsamic pan sauce that accompanies the schnitzel recipe, I ended up adjusting my sauce to include ingredients on hand. Of course, this dish can easily be made with chicken breasts... even veal. Hope you enjoy...

Tip: You can can easily freeze cooked schnitzels(wrap each individually) and re-crisp in oven for another day. I use my toaster oven for re-heating.

You will need: adapted from Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen via the Kitchn

4 (5 oz) boneless pork loin steaks 

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, optional

1 egg, beaten well with a fork in a shallow bowl

3 rice cakes (1oz), I used wild rice- lightly salted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Making Balsamic Pan Sauce:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar( I used white)

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock ( I used a mixture of chicken and beef)

1/3 cup Bloody Mary mix (I used a bit of ketchup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or chives (I omitted)

Directions:

1. Trim pork  pieces of sinew and fat. Place a piece of plastic wrap over meat and using a meat pounder, pound pork steak until about 3/8-inch thick. 

2. Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper and dried oregano. Set aside.

3. Process rice cake until broken up completely and has small pieces of crumbs... don't over-process so that it gets too powdery.

4. Place rice cake crumbs in a bowl, add egg in separate bowl and beat till combined.

5. Dip each piece pork into the beaten egg and coat well with the rice cake crumbs.

Tip:You can make this ahead if you like and refrigerate.

6. In a non stick pan, heat the oil and butter and add the coated pork and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side... or until cooked through and browned on the outside. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do this in 2 batches (or 2 skillets), adjusting the oil and butter as needed. 

7. Place cooked pork schnitzels on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess fat. Transfer to a serving platter.

To make ahead re-crisp: You can place pork schnitzel in toaster oven at 425 for a few minutes until hot and crispy

To make Sauce: This sauce is a bit on the sweet and savory side... feel free to make your own pan sauce or skip altogether. I ended up adjusting my sauce according to ingredients I had in the house. However, I am posting the original ingredients and method.

1. If using two skillets, combine the drippings in one skillet. 

2. Add the vinegar to the pan and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

3. Add the chicken stock and Bloody Mary mix then continue to cook for about 1 minute, until slightly thickened.

4. Pour the sauce over and around the steaks. Sprinkle cilantro or chives on top, if desired

Romanian Chicken Papricas... chicken with tomato sauce and dumplings.

Romanian Chicken Papricas... chicken with tomato sauce and dumplings. It's been awhile since I've posted, I hope you are all doing well. A big thanks to you all who still try out recipes and share your feedback. I really appreciate your kind words and taking the time to stop by...

Summer has been busy and time has flown by so quickly! I've been meaning to post an amazing ice scream recipe that I made throughout the summer, a recipe that would be appropriate for these warmer months. Somehow I haven't had the chance to make it again so I could take pictures... I'm hoping I can still find my camera, and that it still works:). Truthfully, I have not been cooking or baking much... just haven't had the drive to try out new recipes lately (well, except for the ice scream recipe  that made me go out and buy the ingredients). We've somehow resorted to eating simple meals, and have to say we kind of got into the habit of pulling out whatever is in the fridge or pantry and calling it a meal.... of course always adding some vegetables on the table:).

However, from time to time(guests being in town), I've been able pull out my recipe index and make some of the traditional Romanian dishes...  I've had this recipe in my draft folder for some time now and thought to post it. It brought wonderful memories for me, as I loved papricas growing up... 

The dish is simple to make... doesn't have complex flavors... but it is still quite delicious and comforting. Romanian sauces are always quite similar, and this sauce isn't much different from the tomato based sauces found in Romanian cooking. However, the dumplings add another dimension to the dish and make it that much more comforting:). Hope you enjoy...

You will need:

1.5-2 lbs chicken meat, cut in 2 inch pieces (I used 2 boneless things, 2 drumsticks, 2 breast pieces)

2 TBS oil

1 onion (1 1/2 cups dice)

2  crushed garlic cloves, optional- I rather like it without

2 TBS tomato paste

2 tsps paprika

3-4 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice to taste

chopped parsley, as needed

Dumpling Batter:

2 eggs(113grams), beaten

7 TBS (67 grams) flour

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Cut up chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Make dumpling batter: 

Beat eggs, add flour and pinch of salt. Whisk ingredients together until combined. Set aside. 

   

3. Heat large skillet on medium heat. Add oil.

4. When oil is hot add chicken pieces in single layer. Allow meat to brown before turning. 

5. Turn chicken pieces over and cook until meat is 3/4 of the way cooked. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

6. Lower heat to medium/low and add onion to pan. 

7. Stir and scrape any browned bits and continue cooking onion and meat for about 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. 

8. Add crushed garlic cloves(if using), tomato paste and paprika. Stir to combine thoroughly and cook for an additional 1-2  minutes. You can remove the pan from the heat so you can combine the ingredients easier without risking burning the meat and onion... and then just place it back on the heat to continue cooking. 

9. Off heat, add 3-4 cups of chicken stock slowly and stir to combine(amount of stock depends how thin you want the sauce to be...start with smaller amount and adjust later, if you feel it needs it.)

10. Place skillet back on heat and add bay leaves.

11. Heat on high and bring sauce to a boil, then lower heat  to a soft boil(med/low heat) and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thickened slightly.  

12. Lower heat to low and make sure there are no boiling bubbles occurring, then slowly place teaspoon sized dumpling batter in sauce ... allow batter to slowly fall from the teaspoon in the sauce. Keep the teaspoon close to the sauce when forming dumplings... otherwise the dumplings will disintegrate if formed and dropped from a distance. 

Tip: It helps to dip spoon in the hot liquid sauce before forming dumplings as this makes it easier for the dumpling to release from the spoon.

13. Continue forming dumplings until all batter is used up. Allow to cook until slightly puffed and soft.... about 10-15 more minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. 

14. Add lemon juice to taste and adjust seasoning. Lemon juice can be optional, but I find it brightens the dish well, bringing out the flavors. Cook for an additional minute or so. Sprinkle with parsley.

Pollo Relleno... Poblano Chile Stuffed Chicken with a Cornmeal Crust

Pollo Relleno... Poblano Chile Stuffed Chicken with Pepper Jack Cheese and a Cornmeal Crust. I felt the need to add a savory dish amongst all the sweets I've been posting lately. Maybe it's not been so "lately"... but rather more like last year:).  In any case, I hope you have all been doing well and enjoying the new year. 

I thought to stop by for a bit to share a savory dish... to give us all a little break from all the sugar in the previous posts:).

So recently I ran across a written recipe I had stashed away in a drawer, in one of my notebooks. There I keep bits and pieces of paper with all sorts of written recipes... recipes that I have kept over the years. So while looking through the papers, I found a recipe that sounded so delicious and different, that I instantly knew I was going to make it. Kept wondering why I 'd never made it before... and it didn't take long before I did make it. And then, I made it again:)...

I went ahead and changed some things with the original recipe... like roasting my own chiles and adding my own seasonings rather than using canned chiles or using prepared taco seasoning . But if you are in a hurry, or if you want to simplify the recipe, opt to use canned whole chiles and add about 2-3 teaspoons taco seasoning to the cornmeal.  

You know, we loved this variation to the usual stuffed chicken breasts. Just loved it! I'll admit, I wasn't exactly sure how the cornmeal crust would play out in the final taste, but it pleasantly surprised me. Sort of reminded me of the southern fried okra, or cornmeal battered catfish. I don't know what it was, but we loved the flavor of the pollo relleno...  the overall flavor was mild enough and not overpowering in any herb or spice. Oh, and it's baked and not fried. Always, always a plus:).

What I really liked about this dish, is that you can make as many or as few chicken rolls as you need. You can even slice the roll and use it as an appetizer. It works wonderfully well with a red chile sauce or salsa of sorts. I love paring it  with a simple oil and vinegar seasoned cabbage salad.... but you can serve it with other side dishes... macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes or spanish rice. All work well. Just click on the links above if you are interested in the cabbage salad or red chile sauce ... it will take you to the recipe directly without having to search through the recipe index:). 

The nice part is that the rolls are gluten-free, so if you are looking for a dinner-party-sort-of dish to make for the gluten-intolerant guest, these chicken rolls work wonderfully well. And if you are on a search, looking for different ways to cook chicken breast, well, you may want to try this recipe. Different and definitely not boring:). 

I must mention that the cornmeal should be of a fine grind, not coarse...don't want to have it taste too gritty:). The finer the cornmeal the better texture in the overall product. Also, of you really don't like the green poblano pepper taste, I don't see why you couldn't substitute it with a red roasted bell pepper. And if you don't like to use corn, opt for using some ground up almonds as an alternative. Of course, all theses changes  would taste a bit different, but the idea is to make something you like:). 

So here is another variation to the ever-so-popular chicken cordon bleu recipe I posted a few years back. Hope you enjoy...

Note: Can assemble rolls ahead a few hours... say, in the AM and bake later for dinner. Also, roasted chiles freeze well, so make extra for another day.

Tip: While rolling the chicken and battering it up in the egg and cornmeal can be a bit messy, the overall product sort of falls into place as it bakes. 

Feel free to use a toothpick to hold the chicken roll in place before dipping in egg and cornmeal. Allowing the dipped rolls to rest in the fridge for an hour or so will firm up the chicken and minimize the cheese from oozing out too much.

Also, feel free to use a stick of cheese rather than a slice of cheese for easier rolling... but I personally like the cheese to be spread out a bit.

Tip 2: I have made these also with the addition of a  thin slice of smoked turkey as well... along with the green chile and cheese. Went rather well...

You will need:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, (cut in 4 equal pieces)

salt and pepper to taste

Cornmeal crust seasoning:

1/3 cup cornmeal, fine grind

1 tsp ground onion powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp chipotle powder, can use smoked/regular paprika if needed

couple of pinches of kosher salt, or to taste

Egg wash:

1 egg

Roasted Poblano Chile:

2 whole poblano chiles, roasted, skinned, seeded and cut in half lengthwise (or you can use canned whole green chili peppers)

salt and pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

Cheese Filling:

4 slices Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Roast Poblano Chile:

1. Wash poblano chiles and dry. 

2. Place chiles in a broiler pan and broil until skin is blackened and blistered. 

3. Turn over and do the same to the second side of the chile. I usually do this in my toaster oven for about 10-15 minutes on each side. Time is approximate, just check to see when poblanos are blistering and getting that dark skin. 

4. Allow roasted poblanos to cool, then peel  and take out seeds along with the core. Season lightly with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Cut in half lengthwise and set aside.  

5. Cut each chicken breast half in 2 equal pieces lengthwise...you should have a total of 4 thin chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Place each thin chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Or you can place chicken breast inside a large ziploc bag.

7. Pound chicken lightly into a rough rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.... being careful not to pound too hard so as too tear the chicken. Remove plastic wrap.

8. In a bowl combine cornmeal and seasonings. Mix to combine. If your cornmeal is  a bit coarse, opt to run it through a blender to make it finer.... what I ended up doing.

9. Place egg in another bowl; beat lightly.

10. Assemble chicken rolls: Place a chili pepper half on  pounded chicken piece. Place a slice of cheese atop chili pepper. You can also use a cheese stick if you prefer and place it near an edge. Fold in sides and roll up jelly-roll style....and secure with toothpicks as needed. Now, I didn't fold my sides and therefore had a bit of the cheese ooze out. This is normal.

11. Dip rolls into egg and coat with cornmeal mixture. 

12. Place rolls, seam sides down, on a baking sheet pan.... I like to place them in the fridge to firm up before baking... for an hour or so. 

13. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  I love baking the rolls in my toaster oven. Some of the cheese will ooze out, but I like to allow the cheese to firm up a bit as the rolls cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet... I then stuff the cheese back in the sides:). You can use a cheese that doesn't melt so easily... a hard cheddar.

Note: Now, I like to make these rolls in advance and place them in the fridge to firm up before baking... baking time might increase a bit. But I rather like the ability to prepare them in advance.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings(II)... using baking powder.

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings(II)... using baking powder. So here is the second recipe I promised to share awhile back... where you can bake up some delicious crispy chicken wings. No frying involved. 

This method involves using baking powder to crisp up the chicken skin. It's all science, but the result is fantastic. In a nut shell, the baking powder draws out the moisture, breaks down the protein and helps the meat brown. All this gives you the crispiness we enjoy from fried wings... but without actually frying. The method works... and makes for some wonderful hot wings!

I first came across this method a year or two ago but finally managed to make it recently. While the method used only 3 ingredients (chicken wings, baking powder and salt) , I managed to add my own personal touch... adding a bit of pepper and potato starch to further reduce moisture. This is the recipe I'm sharing today, but feel free to skip the potato starch. It works without it. 

I ended up looking at a couple of recipes and decided to combine them...  used the lower amount of baking powder found in one recipe and applied the baking technique of the other recipe. And in the end I managed to make my own version and liked the result.  

For this batch I simply went the traditional route... glazing them with hot sauce and butter:). Hope you enjoy... 

Note: While I posted 2 different temperatures(Cook's Country version), I've also done these wings at 450 deg F as well, with wings having an overnight rest in the fridge uncovered. Baking time will vary, but they bake up nice and crisp by 40-50 minutes or so... Either way you choose, the result will be crispy wings:). 

You will need: inspired by SeriousEats and Cook's Country.

3.5 lbs chicken wings( 12 whole wings= 12 flats+12 drumettes)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 TBS baking powder

1 TBS potato starch(can be optional)

black pepper to taste

Hot Sauce:

3 TBS butter, melted

1/3 cup Franks hot sauce

Directions:

1. Cut up chicken pieces into flats, drumettes, and wing tips. Reserve tips for stock by freezing them.

2. Mix salt, baking powder, potato starch and pepper in small bowl. 

3. With a paper towel blot chicken pieces from excess moisture.

4. Sprinkle baking powder mix all over wings, coating evenly. 

5. Line a tray with parchment paper and place wings in single layer without overlapping.(alternately place wings on a rack and then place them on a baking tray.

6. Place wings in fridge for several hours... this helps the wings dry up further. I placed mine in the fridge in the morning and baked in the evening... about 8 hours later. 

• Preheat oven to 275 deg F

1. Combine melted butter and hot sauce. Set aside until needed.

2.. Bake wings for 20 minutes at 275 deg F, then increase heat to 425 deg F and continue cooking for another 45-50 minutes, or until wings are nicely browned and crispy. 

Note: If you feel the wings aren't browned enough, increase heat to 450 Deg F the last 10 minutes of baking.

3. Remove wings from oven and place in a large bowl. Drizzle hot sauce over wings and toss to coat. Serve immediately. 

CRISPY Parboiled Baked Chicken Wings(I)... with Korean Sauce and Bonus Chicken Stock.

Crispy Parboiled Baked Chicken Wings... with Korean Sauce and Bonus Chicken Stock. Because I don't buy ready made chicken stock, I'm always on the "alert" when it comes to meat bones. I try not to toss them out when I'm de-boning. Funny thing is that sometimes I buy bone-in meat, just for the sole purpose of using the bones to have homemade chicken stock on hand. 

Now the other day, I was really craving some wings.... mainly because I had seen a recipe for a Korean sauce that I wanted to make. I thought it would be good to glaze the chicken wings with a different sort of sauce... something outside the usual hot sauce or BBQ sauce I tend to glaze the wings with. In any case, I ended up buying some wings to bake.

I love baking the wings and always skip the frying. But some time ago I had come across Alton Brown's steaming method... a method that promised crispy wings without frying.  I was willing to give it a go. It would be worth a try... 

But as I was fiddling around trying to find something to steam the wings in, I thought, why not parboil the wings instead. It'd be much simpler ... and this way I could make use of the flavorful liquid to make a stock. Oh, and I'd use up those little wing tips to their full potential, because I sure didn't want to throw them away:)!  Plus, I'd also use up those bits and pieces of vegetables I had sitting in the fridge. And that's what I ended up doing. Sort of went my own way with the recipe:)...

These parboiled wings tend to be a bit more drier than normal ... just because most of the fat is rendered in the boiling and baking process. However, they do have a nice crisp exterior. The Korean red pepper sauce worked wonderfully well with the wings. I lightly coated the wings, but it gave them the needed moisture as well as imparting a ton of flavor. A little bit of spice...  a little bit of sweet. 

My husband loved these wings, so I'm planning on making them again this way ... especially since I get the bonus chicken stock in the process. Always, always good to have some homemade chicken stock on hand. 

I made 2 versions of baked crispy wings. This was part 1....next time I'll share the second method. Hope you enjoy...

Note: The Korean red pepper sauce is so versatile... use it in all sorts of stir-fries or add it to ground meat for lettuce wraps, glaze meatballs, etc. 

Since I had some leftover sauce, I ended up using it as a stir-fry sauce for vegetables... it worked wonderfully well with the snap peas and zucchini I picked from my garden, but you can use other veggies of choice. 

You will need:

26 whole wings(about 3lbs), separated in 3 pieces( flats, drumettes, wing tips)

1 TBS kosher salt

1 large garlic clove, sliced

6 cups water

Bonus Chicken Stock

parboiled liquid from above

parboiled wing tips only

1/2 parsnip

1 large carrot

1-2 ribs of celery

1 small onion

1 cup extra water

Korean Gochujang Sauce adapted from Maanghci

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS oil

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup(now, I haven't used honey, but it should work)

1/4 cup hot pepper paste(gochujang)

1 TBS cider apple vinegar

toasted sesame seeds

Other Sauce of Choice

BBQ sauce 

Hot sauce 

Honey mustard

Directions:

Parboil Chicken Wings:

1. In a large soup pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.

2. Add all wing pieces, sliced garlic and salt.

 

3. Boil chicken wings for about 7 minutes, stirring them every so often and skimming off the scum.  

4. Remove pot from heat and with a slotted spoon remove wings (flats and drumettes) unto a plate... leaving behind the stock and small wing tips.

5. Arrange wings on plate in a single layer and allow to cool. You can blot them from excess water and bake right away... or you can place them in the fridge uncovered for several hours(which is what I did).  

Make Bonus Chicken Stock:

1. To the pot with the chicken liquid and wing tips, add the cut up vegetables, 1 cup water and heat to a boil. 2. Lower heat to a simmer and cover pot. 

3. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and strain vegetables. 

4. Place stock in small containers and freeze for later use... or use in recipe of choice.  

Make Korean Sauce:

1. To make sauce, add oil and garlic to a medium skillet and cook till garlic is lightly golden.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix to combine  and continue to cook on low until sauce is thickened....3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to use for glazing wings. You can do this while the chicken wings bake.  

Bake Chicken Wings and Glaze:

• Preheat oven to 425 Deg F

1. While oven is preheating take wings out from fridge.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly oil parchment paper.

3. Place wings in a single layer, skin side up unto parchment paper lined baking sheet.

4. Place baking sheet on top 1/3 rack and bake for 20-25 minutes.

5. Turn wings over and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until nicely golden and crispy. 

NOTE: Baking time varies depending on size of wings, so adjust accordingly. 

6. Remove from oven and glaze with sauce of choice. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, if using the Korean sauce. 

Tip: If you have any leftover sauce, you can easily stir-fry a few veggies with a TBS of oil for a couple of minutes and add in a heaping TBS of the Korean red pepper sauce to coat. For the veggies I used 1/4 of an onion, a couple handfuls of  flat snap peas and 1 medium zucchini.

French Style Omelette... with herbs and cheese.

French Style Omelette... with herbs and cheese. With summer in full bloom, my garden has yielded plenty of herbs... mostly in stages throughout the summer season.However, I don't always use all the herbs growing, as some of it goes to seed rather quickly. But somehow, parsley and chives have been plentiful all summer long. And so recently I was determined to use some of them in a dish...

For some time now we've been buying local farm fresh eggs and love their taste. As of late though, we've been able to get them delivered in town which makes it much easier for us... eliminates the long drive down to the farm. In any case, my husband ends up picking them up during the work week and brings them home... right around lunch time. It's the perfect time to make a super quick and delicious meal... with ingredients I have on hand. Ingredients that are super fresh. And of course an omelette is always welcome.... but the French style makes it especially nice.

The French style omelette is different than a regular omelette in that it is much creamier.... has small curds rather than large. And it also has a smooth surface that lacks the usual golden color found in regular omelettes. Traditionally, the omelette is stuffed with herbs or cheese and then rolled in a cylinder. Looks pretty fancy. And when you think about it... it's just eggs:). 

But making the omelette does take some practice. However, once you learn the technique it's real fun to do. And you can easily change it up by using different fillings and herbs... or if you want, you can even leave it plain. But a good French omelette is almost custard-like in texture... so you don't want to over cook and have the center be dry. Unless of course you prefer it that way:).

There are a ton of videos online that show you how to make the French style omelette, but I've only included a link to the more traditional technique mastered by Jacques Pepin. You'll find the link below. I fold mine a bit different than Jacques Pepin, just because I find it easier for me(and it's not so wet inside)....but feel free to use whatever folding method works for you. Hope you enjoy...     

Note: While I used herbs I had in my garden(parsley, dill and garlic chives) you can use whatever herbs you like ... classic combination is chives, tarragon, chervil and parsley.

Tip: If you would like to see a video of the technique you can see Jacques Pepin making the French omelette HERE . Practice does make "perfect":)...

  

You will need:

2 ex-large farm fresh eggs

1 TBS butter( now, I'll be honest, I also use oil)

2-3 tsps fresh herbs of choice*

salt and pepper to taste

*I used regular chives, garlic chives, parsley, dill... can use tarragon, chervil,etc. or chives only.

Additional Filling: optional, can use other fillings of choice like cooked vegetables or meat.

1-2 TBS grated cheese (gruyere, jarlsberg, or whatever cheese you like and have on hand)

Directions:

1. Finely chop herbs of choice. Set aside. Grate cheese if using and set aside.

2. Crack eggs and beat well. I love to use my chopsticks, but you can use a fork or rubber spatula. 

3. Season eggs with salt and pepper and add the herbs. Mix to combine.

 

4. Heat a 6 inch non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add a pad of butter and allow it to melt and sizzle.

5. Lower heat to low and pour the eggs in the hot buttered skillet. With one hand, using your chopsticks, fork or rubber spatula,mix the eggs continuously but gently.... while all along shaking the skillet back and forth with the other hand.... until mixture resembles small curds surrounded by liquid egg. 

6. Stop moving the pan and scrambling the eggs and allow the eggs to set for 30 seconds or so.... making sure the top is still somewhat wet.  

7. Remove skillet from heat and use the chopsticks or a rubber spatula go around the edge to release the sides, making sure the omelette can easily move in the pan.

7. Tilt the pan so that 1/3 of the omelette is sitting in the "lip" of the skillet, sprinkle the cheese in the "nook"and fold the omelette in thirds(like a letter) using a spatula if needed. Place it back on the heat to set a bit (only if you feel it needs it) then roll it onto a plate... making sure the fold is underneath.

8. Form the omelette into a pointed long cylinder shape. Serve immediately.

OPTIONAL: Brush the top with a bit of melted butter. 

European-Style Crusty Rolls...

European-Style Crusty Rolls...  I've been looking for a crusty bread roll recipe for the longest time. I simply love crusty rolls that have a tender crumb inside. And I'm not talking about your typical soft dinner rolls... nor am I talking about the rolls that have a chewy crust where you need to tug at them.  These rolls are special.

The rolls have a crust that is crispy and crunchy rather than chewy... and they have a wonderful soft tender crumb. They remind me of a cross between a good french bread and a baguette. Oh, and the flavor is unbelievable! I've been on the lookout for this type of bread roll for years...  and I mean years! And you can see I'm quite excited:). I just had to share it with you...

Interestingly, I had given up on ever baking this type of bread roll at home... simply because I never really found a recipe that looked good enough to try. I wanted a crispy roll... wasn't looking for a chewy crust or super hard crust. I wanted rolls that were like those you tend to find in bread bakeries all over  Paris or other European bakeries. I realize I'm not good at describing this roll... but it's the best I can do.

And so, this past week,  while looking at a favorite blog, I noticed a recipe for the type of roll I had been searching all these years. The title sure sounded promising... Hard European-style Crusty Rolls. Why, that's exactly what I wanted to make. The pictures looked just as promising... it had to be good. And I was willing to set aside a day to make them. On top of it all... it came from a reputable bread source... none other than King Arthur Flour.  

And the result? The rolls were amazing... exactly what I had been looking for all these years! Oh, and they are simply delicious. They have such a great flavor from the starter... slightly mimics the tang in a sourdough bread. Not tangy, mind you, as a sourdough... but different enough, that lets you know it's not your typical quick risen bread.

I have gladly stopped my search for crusty rolls. So grateful to KAF... for sharing such a beauty of a recipe. Here's another recipe that needs to be shared with you all. Definitely a favorite! And it needs it's place in my recipe index. Hope you enjoy...   

Note: This recipe needs quite a few hours of "idle" time. It's best to bake this bread on a day when you have things to do around the house. While you don't need to do a  lot of hands on per se... the bread dough does need plenty of time to rest, rise, cool and bake.... something like 6 hours(that's not including the overnight starter).  I ended up shortening the cool rise in the fridge by an hour and still got outstanding results.

Tip: Rolls can be frozen after baking... and the rolls re-crisp to amazing crunch in the toaster oven.

You will need: adapted from King Arthur Flour and their  helpful step-by-step pictorial

Makes 12 small rolls

Overnight Starter (room temperature):

1/2 cup cool water

1 cup(4 1/4 oz) all purpose flour (I used King Arthur Flour)*

1/8 tsp instant yeast

Main Dough:

3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 oz) all purpose flour (I used King Arthur Flour)*

1 cup lukewarm water

1 1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp instant yeast

all of the starter from above

* make sure you fluff up the flour and then scoop if not using scale, as that is what I ended up doing. I put the scale amounts for those who need it.

Egg Wash:

1/3 cup water 

1 egg white

Directions:

The Night Before Make Starter: 

1. In a bowl, mix the starter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Second Day Morning:

1. In bowl of a standing mixer bowl, combine the dough ingredients and starter from the night before.

2. With dough hook, knead  for 7-8 minutes... until dough is somewhat smooth and soft.... and just tacky to the touch. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water at the beginning of kneading if you find the dough is too stiff... or a couple of tablespoons of flour at the end of kneading if the dough is too soft. 

3. Shape dough in a ball and place dough in oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. After 1 hour... gently deflate dough (it won't have risen much), cover again and allow to rise for another 1 hour. Gently deflate and gather dough from ends and bring it to the center, cover and allow to rise one more hour another. Total rising time is 3 hours.

4. Place dough on an oiled counter and divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape dough pieces into balls. I just like to grab a lime size piece of dough from the bowl and shape into a ball eliminating the oiled counter.  

5. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them with an oiled piece of plastic wrap.

6. Let  rolls rise for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place ( left mine for 1.5 hours) until they're puffy... almost but not quite doubled. 

7. After the 1-2 hour rise time, place rolls in the refrigerator for another 2 to 3 hours. I ran out of time and left mine in the fridge for only 1.5 hours.

1/2 hour before baking: Preheat the oven to 425°F.

1. Whisk together the egg white and water until frothy. 

2. Remove  rolls from the refrigerator, and brush them with the egg wash... Don't worry, you will not use all of egg wash. 

3. With a VERY sharp knife, slash a 1/4-1/2 inch deep cut across the top of each roll. 

4. Immediately place the rolls in the preheated oven.... middle rack.

5. Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're a deep golden brown. 

6. Remove rolls from the oven, and cool on a rack.  I left mine only for 20 minutes, and turned off oven and allowed the rolls to cool off in the oven with the door wide open.

Tip: For best crunch, open the oven door, and allow the rolls to cool in the turned-off, open-door oven.

Romanian Chiftelute Marinate... Chicken Meatballs in a light tomato gravy.

Romanian Chiftelute Marinate... Chicken Meatballs in a light tomato gravy. I realize I haven't posted in a great while. Probably the longest break I've taken since the first day of blogging. Many of you may have wondered why the absence. 

I can't explain how it all happened. It didn't happen all of a sudden. But I've come to a point where I've lost the passion I once had, that kept me blogging because I LOVED it. I still love to cook and am in the kitchen cooking or baking most days.    

While this blog will always have a special place in my heart (I still use it for my personal reference), I've slowly decided to back off a bit. I'm sure I'll still be around... especially to answer questions... and post a new recipe every once in a while. And I ALWAYS love to hear your feedback. 

But for the past several years, I've struggled to write about what matters most to me... here on a food blog. My relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has hardly been mentioned... aside from the verses posted on the side and banner above.... and in a few comments.  I didn't know how to combine the two without feeling like I'm "shoving Christianity" your way.  So I've kept this site mostly free from what matters most to me in my life... and that is my Saviour, My King, the Lord Jesus Christ.   

So during my absence, I've been trying to strengthen my spiritual walk in written form. As a little girl I used to write in a journal of sorts. It wasn't daily, but it was a special place where I could talk with my Lord about what mattered most to me. I kept the journaling for a few years... then college years arrived, then marriage and slowly my journaling dissipated from my life.  

This past February I decided to blog about my walk with God... in another place. Separate from food. Separate from other activities. I didn't want to share my spiritual blog with anyone....  Didn't see the need to. Actually, my writing started well before February, in a small notebook...  and later on it moved to a blog. Since writing on the blog, the Lord kept nudging at me... share it... because someone may be encouraged. 

My desire is for all my readers to know the true Savior... the one who died for our sins, that we might have eternal life. I realize that God has to do the work of salvation in each of our hearts... He ultimately  does the saving. Not me, not you. But He does use us to further His kingdom. And so I'll share my other blog... for spiritual food... for those of you who care to drop by and be encouraged to walk daily with the King. Here is the link: God's Grace In Montana. I'll also place a link on the side bar for quick reference.

~~~~~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~~~~

I couldn't drop by without sharing a recipe... a recipe I LOVED as a child. I made it recently and thought to add it to my Romanian section and hope you enjoy it as well. The recipe, in order to work, requires made-from-scratch meatballs... you could probably get away with using a good quality chicken stock, but I highly recommend a homemade version as well. And while you can serve the meatballs and sauce with rice or pasta, I wouldn't recommend it... just because good mashed potatoes and this dish work incredibly well. 

The sauce is a light tomato gravy that has a slight tanginess from the vinegar...but is balanced by a touch of sweetness.  Yes, it's simple, but it's delicious with the flavorful meatballs. There is no garlic or onion in the sauce.... and I wouldn't add it either, just because in order for this dish to be different from other sauce recipes, the sauce has to let the meatballs shine. There's nothing overpowering. 

I'm sure there are a ton of variations to this dish... but this is the way my mom made it and I wouldn't have it any other way. I know I usually say you can change the recipe to fit your tastes... and you definitely can:)... but somehow this recipe is good as is. You can decrease the vinegar a bit if you like, and if you like your sauce a bit more tomato-y, feel free to use rounded tablespoons.  Also, if you like a thicker gravy add slightly rounded tablespoons of flour as well. 

Thank you for being faithful readers and for being with me all these years. I'll do my best to post a recipe every so often.... but my priority is growing in the knowledge of the LORD. Hope you enjoy...

       

You will need:

Note: I've included the links below to the meatballs, stock and mashed potatoes.

20 Romanian fried chicken meatballs

Sauce:

2 TBS oil

2 TBS flour

2 TBS tomato paste

1-2 TBS apple cider vinegar, depending on tanginess desired

1/2 tsp sugar

3 1/2- 3 2/3 homemade chicken stock

few whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper as needed

chopped parsley

Side:

mashed potatoes

Directions:

1. Add oil in a medium soup pot  and heat on medium/low till oil gets somewhat hot. 

2. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or so... until flour is thoroughly mixed in with the oil and turns a pale color. 

3. Remove pot from heat and add vinegar... it will sizzle and clump up somewhat. 

4. Off heat, add the tomato paste and whisk until fully combined with the flour mixture.

5. Slowly add the chicken stock while whisking continuously to remove all lumps. 

6. Place pot back on heat and add sugar, bay leaves and a few whole peppercorns. You may choose to season with salt if needed... depending on how salty the chicken stock is. 

7. Add cooked meatballs to sauce and increase heat to bring the sauce up to a boil. Cover pot and lower heat to maintain a simmer.

8. Cook sauce for 10 minutes covered. 

9. Remove lid and cook an additional 20 minutes ... adjusting heat to maintain a soft boil. I left my heat on a medium/low. Stir sauce every so often to ensure nothing is sticking. 

10. Cook until sauce coats the back of the spoon and thickens slightly... similar to a gravy. Sauce will thicken a bit more as it sits and cools down.  

11. Season with salt if needed and ladle unto a mound of creamy mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and freshly cracked pepper. Serve with a salad... or pickled vegetables/sauerkraut/pickles.