Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce, African Peanut Stew, Ricotta and Olive Stuffed Bread, Orange Beets, Stuffed Chicken Breast and Spicy Boozy Mousse

Today we have a larger collection of recipes.  The first two make great dinners for a couple nights, and the rest combine to make an amazing night's dinner.  Stick with me till the end; I finish with an incredible dessert.

First up today, we have a Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry with a Peanut Sauce, which makes for a decently healthy dinner, and makes it quite simple to eat half a cabbage.  To make, saute 3 cloves garlic and 1lb thinly sliced steak in a bit of hot oil until barely pink.  Then, saute 1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced cabbage in a bit of oil with a bit of water until it wilts, then add the cooked steak back in.  Whisk 1/4C peanut butter, 1/3C orange juice, 3T soy sauce, 1T rice vinegar and 2t sugar together and pour over everything, and serve topped with peanuts.  Makes a good dinner that's quite simple, healthy and tasty; but this is the weakest of this batch of recipes.  Via http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/beef_cabbage_stir_fry_with_peanut_sauce.html

Next up is an absolutely awesome African Peanut Stew.  Saute 2-3lbs of chicken thighs and/or legs, 1 sliced large onion, a 3-inch piece of minced ginger and 6-8 minced garlic cloves in a pan with a bit of oil, in stages if necessary.  Add 2-3 lbs chunked sweet potatoes, 1qt chicken stock, 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes, 1C peanut butter1C peanuts, 1T coriander, 1t cayenne pepper to the chicken and onion in a stock pot, and simmer for ~90 minutes, or until the meat shreds easily and the potatoes are tender.  Shred the chicken well and add salt and pepper to taste; there should be a nice peppery taste.  Add in 1/5-1/2C cilantro, and serve.  Also quite good cold.  Another way that this soup is very good is blended; I took a portion of the soup and pureed it with an immersion blender, and it turned into an extremely creamy and complex soup that was just awesome.  Via http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/african_chicken_peanut_stew/

Next up we have the first course of an awesome dinner; a Ricotta and Olive stuffed Bolso bread.  To make the dough, combine 3+C flour (half all purpose, half bread) with 1T proofed yeast, 1 1/4C milk, 1T honey, 2t salt, 2t melted butter, 1t ground oregano, 1/2t basil and 1/2t crushed rosemary, and kneed until smooth and well combined.  Let rise for at least an hour, or until doubled.  Meanwhile, make the filling.  Combine 1 egg, 1/3C grated cheddar, 1/3C sliced green olives, 1/2lb ricotta cheese, 1/4t salt, 1t dried oregano, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2+T finely chopped sun-dried tomato and 1/2C grated Parmesan.  Once the dough has risen, roll out into a large square on semolina flour, and spread the filling down the center third.  Using kitchen shears, cut diagonal slits down each edge (with the same number on each edge) that are ~1/2'' wide.  Fold a flap up at the top and bottom, then alternate sides, braiding the sliced dough to form what you see in the picture.  Brush with egg wash (an egg beaten with a bit of water), then bake on a stone at 350 for ~45 minutes.  Makes a bread that is great cold or warm, and makes a quite attractive loaf.

The freshly made loaf

And the cut loaf, showing the filling

Next up, a simple recipe for roasted beets.  Wrap cleaned and trimmed beats in tin foil, and bake at 375 for about an hour.  Unwrap, then peel immediately under running cold water (the outside will get cool enough to handle while under the tap, and the inside will stay hot.  Beets suck to peel before baking).  Then, slice 75% of the way down in slices, spread the wings and drizzle with orange juice and orange zest that has been reduced by half.  Beets are naturally sweet, and adding the juice just accentuates the natural flavors.  Via http://www.lemonsandlavender.com/2011/02/hasselback-style-roasted-beets-with.html

Next up, we have a spinach stuffed, bacon wrapped chicken breast which, besides being quite large and impressive looking, are quite tasty.  Start off by thoroughly flattening 3-4 chicken breasts with a meat hammer.  The thinner you can get them the better (I may have used a regular hammer to help; I suggest a layer or two of plastic wrap over the chicken while you beat it.  Prepare the filling by combining 1 package chopped frozen spinach with 2/3C ricotta, 1/2C shredded pepper-jack cheese, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2T lemon juice, black pepper, salt and 2/3C sliced and sauteed mushroom caps.  Fill the flattened chicken with the mixture, then wrap with 3 pieces of bacon to secure and place in a baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes at 375, then broil for 5-10 minutes to crisp the bacon.  Make sure not to overcook it, as overcooked chicken gets dry.  Consider pouring some white wine in the bottom of the baking dish to add moisture and flavor to the oven as it cooks.  They end up being quite large, and exceedingly tasty.  Via http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breast/Detail.aspx

The wrapped chicken

And cut open revealing the deliciousness within

Finally, a absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing mousse that has the consistency of rich custard and the flavor of a decadent spiced dark chocolate bar.  To make, combine 2 eggs, 3/4C milk, 3T dark rum, 1T maple syrup, 1/2+t cinnamon and a pinch chili powder in a bowl and mix well with an immersion blender.  Melt 6oz good chocolate (I used dark Ghirardelli chips) and add in 3T strong brewed coffee, then slowly pour that into the other ingredients while running the blender.  Continue blending for a bit until nice and frothy, then distribute into ramekins and chill for at least a couple hours.  Absolutely amazing; I have no other words for it.  Via http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-spicy-boozey-mousse-041125

So there you have it, enough for dinners for at least a week and enough for a nice dinner party.  Enjoy!

Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps, Roasted Chicken Risotto with Caramelized Onions, Orange-scented Olive Oil Cake, and Two Types of Dinner Rolls

So, last Monday I moved to a new apartment in downtown Chicago for my job, which starts June 7th. As a result, I have had a LOT of free time to cook! Therefore, this post may get a little lengthy, but eh, deal with it.

First off, we have a Mu Shu-type chicken lettuce wrap. To start off, cook a couple sliced chicken breasts lightly seasoned with pepper in canola oil until they begin to brown. Then, add 2+ cloves of garlic, a little cayenne pepper and grated (or dried, as it was all I had) ginger to taste and whatever vegetables you want to add and sauté for a minute or so (I used red bell pepper, but pretty much anything would work; water chestnuts would be great). Then, add 3T honey and 3T low-sodium soy sauce and continue to cook until the chicken is well done and the veggies are softened. Serve in large lettuce leaves, and drizzle some sauce from the pan over the top for added bonus. This was really good and came together in about 15 minutes, so would be great for a busy evening. A little messy to eat, but that just added to the fun!

Next, we have a roasted chicken with Risotto and caramelized onions. This ended up to be absolutely delicious, and made 5-6 servings. I started off with a rotisserie chicken, which I picked the meat off of and saved, then made a stock from the carcass (sauté onions and carrots in olive oil, then add carcass, water, garlic, thyme, parsley, basil, salt, pepper and simmer for 2 hours, strain, refrigerate and skim). Then, to make the dish, heat 2T olive oil in a pan and caramelize an onion or two, then set aside in a dish with 1/4C balsamic vinegar. Heat 2T more olive oil in a pan, stir in 1.5C uncooked rice and stir well for 2 minutes, then add 1/2C dry white wine. Then, reduce heat and add 7C chicken broth one cup at a time (waiting until it is absorbed to add more). Once all the broth is absorbed, add the onion and vinegar mixture, 2C of the roasted chicken (chopped), and 2T butter. Looks a little ugly, but is absolutely delicious.

Next up is the orange-scented olive oil cake. This didn't turn out quite as well as I had expected, but was quite good nonetheless. To start, you basically candy some oranges after making them not quite as pungent. To do do, quarter 2 oranges and add to a pot of boiling water for a couple minutes. Discard the water and repeat. Then, add the orange quarters, 4C water and 1C sugar to a saucepan and boil until the orange rinds can easily be pierced with a fork. Discard the syrup, and food-process the orange quarters to form a chunky puree. Then, add to the food processor 2.5C flour, 2t baking powder, 1t baking soda, 1.3C sugar, 1t vanilla and 4 eggs and process until well incorporated. Then add 6T olive oil and process more until combined. Pour into 9''-10'' buttered and pam'd pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Make sure the center is done; that seemed to be the part that bakes slowest for me. When it comes out, drizzle with a reduced syrup made from 1/4C orange juice and 1/4C sugar that have been simmered for a couple minutes. If you'd like, sprinkle with coarse sea salt to finish. Flavors meld well, and none of them are overpowering to the rest. A good dense cake that is not too sweet either. The liquid around the base of the second picture is the glaze.

Finally, I made 2 different types of dinner rolls to have on hand in the freezer so I could have fresh rolls in short order.

First, sweet dinner rolls (the ones of the left). To make the dough, combine 1/2C warm water, 1/2C warm milk, 1 egg, 1/3C softened butter, 1/3C sugar, 1t salt, 3.75C flour and 1.5t activated yeast and knead until kneaded. Then, divide dough in half and press each into a ~12 inch circle. Then, cut each into 8 wedges and roll up from large end to small end. I rolled a small pat of butter inside to make them extra-tasty. Then, let rise for an hour and either bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or freeze for later baking. When freezing rolls, place them on a pan or place and freeze individually, then place together into a bag once frozen for storage. These come out of the oven (after being frozen) soft and buttery, and are very tasty.

Next, the honey wheat sandwich rolls. To make, combine 1.25C warm milk, 1 egg, 2T softened butter, 1/4C honey, 2/4t salt, 2.75C bread flour, 1C whole wheat flour and 1.25t activated yeast and knead until kneaded. Form into rolls sized appropriately for what you want to do with them (sandwiches, dinner rolls, etc), let rise for an hour and either bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or freeze as described above. These come out of the oven (after being frozen) tasting like your standard fresh homemade whole-wheat bread. Certainly more healthy than the previous recipe, and I think would be awesome for a cold-cut sandwich.