ENGLISH PEA AND MUSHROOM SALAD

INGREDIENTS
2 cups English peas, shelled and cleaned
1 lb. Oyster mushrooms, shiitake, hedgehog
or any kind of your favorite mushroom.
4 shallots, peeled and sliced
3 garlic gloves, chopped
2 T. fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

PROCEDURE
Heat a medium size sauté pan over medium- high heat.
Add ¼ cup of oil. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
Add the vinegar and reduce the liquid by half.
Add the thyme and cook for a few seconds more.
Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Add the oil and adjust the seasoning.
Boil 4 cups of salted water. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes or until the peas are tender.
Drain the peas and shock them in ice water. Drain when cool.
Add the peas to the mushroom mixture; serve over beef, fish, chicken or pork. This is also good to add to grains for a healthy alternative.

MOM'S CHICKEN PAPRIKASH
This time of year reminds me of my Mom's Chicken Paprikash, warm and filling. I have altered her original slightly but it is still full of wonderful flavors, aromas and memories

INGREDIENTS
4 lbs. Chicken pieces (legs, thighs, breast)
½ cup paprika
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups chopped Spanish onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 head fresh fennel, sliced
2 quarts chicken stock
2 cups sour cream
2 T. Flour
Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE
Lay chicken on a sheet tray and generously dust with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil.
Place the chicken in the pot when the oil becomes hot. Brown the skin and turn over to brown the other side.
When the chicken is thoroughly browned, remove it from the pan. Add the onions, fennel and celery and cook for 2 minutes until the onions become slightly translucent.
Place the chicken on top of the celery onions and add the stock until the chicken is covered.
Place the lid on the pan and place it in a preheated 400-degree oven. Cook until the chicken leg meat is falling off the bone, approximately 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid.
Add a little flour to the sour cream. Add the sour cream mixture to the stock and stir until completely incorporated. If you like a thicker sauce, reduce the liquid by half before adding the sour cream.
Serve over buttered noodles, speatzles or dumplings.

CHERBED SPAETZLES
Yield: 8 portions

INGREDIENTS
2 Eggs
3 Ounces Milk
6 Ounces Flour
1 Ounce assorted herbs such as chives, parsley, tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE
Combine the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Add the flour and mix.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Using a spaetzles machine or a colander, drop the dough into a large pot of boiling salted water. Simmer until they float.
Remove the spaetzles with a slotted spoon or strainer, shock in cold water. Drain well.

Spaetzles Alternatives

Spinach Spaetzles
Using the above recipe add 12 ounces of spinach
that has been blanched and chopped.
You may need to adjust the amount of flour added to the dough.

Mushroom Spaetzles
Grind ½ cup of dried mushrooms in a coffee grinder. Add the powder to the dough. You can add more mushrooms if you like to enhance the mushroom flavor.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Vidalia or sweet onions, sliced
2 cups Portobello or cremini mushrooms, diced
3 T. butter
3 T. Oil
S & P
1 qt. heavy cream
10 large eggs
4 quarts stale bread cubes
2 T. fresh thyme chopped
2 T. Parsley, chopped
1 T. Fresh sage leaves, chopped

PROCEDURE
Heat a skillet over medium high heat.
Add butter and oil. Sauté onions for 5 minutes or until they start to caramelize.
Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until just done. Set aside to cool
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs. Add cream and mix.
Place bread cubes, onions, mushrooms and fresh herbs in a large mixing bowl. Add custard to mix and combine all ingredients making sure to coat all of the bread well.
Grease a casserole dish or a 9 X 5 baking dish.
Add mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes to make sure the bread is well soaked with the custard mixture.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

DRIED FRUIT BREAD PUDDING

INGREDIENTS
1 cups Pecans or walnuts, toasted
2 cups dried fruit such as cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots
4 quarts stale bread cubes
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 qt. heavy cream
10 large eggs

PROCEDURE
Place bread cubes, dried fruit. Cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Add custard to mix and combine all ingredients making sure to coat all of the bread well.
Grease a casserole dish or a 9 X 5 baking dish.
Add mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes to make sure the bread is well soaked with the custard mixture.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

SHEPPARDS PIE

Ingredients
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
3 T. oil
1 cup Spanish onion, chopped
2 T. Garlic, chopped
½ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 pound ground lamb
1T flour
1 cup beef stock
1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 T. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
S&P

Procedure
In large skillet heat oil, add onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Saute for 10 minutes.
Add lamb and cook until done about 15 minutes.
Remove excess fat from pan. Add flour and mix cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
Add stock and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Place mixture into a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Drop a few pieces of butter onto potatoes.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until potatoes are golden brown.

Chef’s Note:
Although Lamb is the traditional meat used in this dish I have great success when I have substituted Beef, chicken or turkey. I have even cut the lamb with turkey and it was great too!

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH CREOLE RICE

INGREDIENTS
Dry Spice Mix
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
Pinch cayenne
1 T. paprika
1T. Chile powder

GUMBO
2# Chicken thigh meat, cut into bite size pieces
½ # Andouille sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
½ # Tasso Ham, diced
½ cup lard
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup flour
2 cups onions, chopped
¾ cup green peppers, chopped
¾ cup red peppers, chopped
½ cup yellow peppers, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 T. Garlic, minced
2 qts. Chicken stock, warm
S & P
1 cup cut okra
3 T. Gumbo File Powder
½ cup scallions, chopped
½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 qt. Creole Rice

PROCEDURE
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Heat a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium high heat. Add lard and heat.
Add chicken pieces and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Stir regularly over heat to brown chicken evenly.
Add sausage and Tasso ham. Cook for 5 more minutes allowing ham and sausage to render its fat.
Drain chicken, ham and sausage. Reserve liquid.
Return liquid to cook pot, add oil and flour to make a roux. Reduce heat to medium – low and cook until roux becomes a nutty brown color. Scrape bottom of pot to incorporate all the chicken and sausage particles from the bottom of the pan.
Add dry spice mix into roux. The roux should be a dark red color at this time.
Add all vegetables and toss into roux, cook for a few minutes just until all vegetables start to soften.
Slowly add the chicken stock incorporating the stock totally before adding more. When stock is incorporated, adjust the temperature to medium high heat.
Return chicken, sausage, ham and okra to the pot. Cook for 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Stir frequently.
Add Gumbo File Powder, scallions and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes. File will help the gumbo thicken.
Serve over Creole rice.

CREOLE RICE
INGREDIENTS
3 T. butter
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cups Chicken stock
1 cup long grain rice
1 bay leaf
S & P to taste

PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat a sautoir pan (a high – straight sided sauté pan) over medium heat.
Add butter. Sweat the onions.
Add rice and mix with the butter and onions.
Add the stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
Cover tightly, place in oven and cook for 18 – 20 minutes.
Season and fluff with fork.

TRADITIONAL NEW ORLEANS DIRTY RICE
INGREDIENTS
½ oz. butter
6 oz. chicken livers, cleaned and chopped
1 medium shallot, finely diced
S & P to taste
¼ cup green pepper, small dice
3 T. parsley, chopped

PROCEDURE
Sauté chicken livers and shallots in butter until tender and falling apart.
Add peppers and parsley, season with salt and pepper.
When above rice is cooked, add liver mixture and mix well.