Pennys Kitchen and Porch
Peaches and Cream Strata
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This recipe is fast, cheap and easy. Every time I make it someone asks for the recipe. Well, everybody, here it is for all to see. They ate it up so fast I almost didn’t get a picture.
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups of stale bread, approximately
6-8 fresh peaches or 1 large can of peaches in syrup
8 ounces of cream cheese, cut into small cubes
6 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
bits and pieces of stale bread
add cream cheese to bread cubes
Add the peaches
sprinkle chopped walnuts
Pour cream mixture
Ready to store or bake
Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce
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This is simply the easiest, most delicious sauce for your homemade pizza. I have spent whole afternoons simmering tomato sauces but this recipe beats them all in taste and convenience. It can be made in the same time span as making fresh pizza dough. It can be made from fresh or canned tomatoes with little difference in the final product.
INGREDIENTS
8 to 10 medium sized ripe tomatoes or two cans diced tomatoes
8 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
DIRECTIONS
Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes or drain the juice from canned tomatoes
Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and toss until the tomatoes are completely covered with oil and spices
Scrape tomato mixture onto baking sheet and spread into a single thin layer.
Bake in low oven, approximately 275 until just before the tomatoes start to turn color
You don’t want them to get too brown, just a little at the edge. It may take an hour and a half. That’s it. You’re done.
While you are roasting the tomato sauce, you can make your dough and let it sit on the warm oven to rise.
If you are making a deep dish pizza in a pan, first cover the crust with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Then you can just spoon this thick, chunky sauce directly onto the cheese covered crust, add your ingredients, spices, more cheese and bake. If you are making a thin, crispy pizza you may want to throw the tomato sauce into a blender and give it a whirl so you can spread it evenly. In either case, it is simply the best pizza sauce.
Homemade chicken soup
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Almost every culture has their own version of chicken soup, and it is universally revered for its ability to make things better. It is said to cure a cold and make a house a home. This American version has nourished my family through sickness and health, good times and bad. If you are going to spend two days making soup stock then you might as well make enough for your friends, family and to stock up the freezer.
3 whole chickens, throw them in a large pot whole or cut up. If you can get whole chickens with feet that would make an even tastier stock.
Trim the tops and bottoms of 3 stalks of celery Add these to the stock pot and keep the nice middle pieces for the final soup, and some for snacking.
3 large yellow onions
Put the ends, skins and ugly pieces in the stock. If you want your soup to be light in color, do not use the skins of the onions. The skins will turn the stock dark and brownish. Reserve some of the nice middle pieces for the final soup.
Add the carrot tops and peels from two bags of carrots (about 2 pounds)
and a handful of parsley and a couple bay leaves. Put all this in a large pot and cover with water. Let it simmer as low as possible on the stove for at least two hours.
Strain the stock through a colander. Strain it again through cheesecloth into a clean container and refrigerate. When the stock cools off, skim the fat off the top. At this time, you can freeze some or all of the stock.
Pull all the chicken meat from the bones, dice meat and refrigerate. Discard the bones and vegetables peels. We will add the chicken back just before serving so it doesn’t get stringy and fall apart.
When you are ready for soup, return the pot of the clean stock to the fire and add nicely chopped carrots, celery and onions. Add two or three chopped tomatoes or a small can of diced tomatoes with the juice. Simmer until vegetables are tender. A few minutes before serving, add the diced chicken. Add salt to taste. Simmer very gently until chicken is hot and serve with a little grated Parmesan cheese on the side. This is a big pot of soup, so next time you reheat a bowl of the soup add a little cooked rice and a squeeze of lime, or some left over cooked noodles or pasta.
Pineapple Upside Down Skillet Cake
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8 teaspoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can pineapple rings
2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
2/3 cup water or milk
Maraschino cherries for garnish
Heat oven to 400.
Heat butter in an 8″ iron skillet until melted.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Arrange pineapple rings on sugar-butter mixture in pan.
Mix dry ingredients together in a big mixing bowl.
Mix water and egg and then add to dry ingredients
Beat vigorously for about 20 seconds
Spoon batter over pineapple rings evenly.
Bake until knife tests clean 25-30 min.
Turn pan upside down on plate and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove pan and garnish each ring with a cherry. 6-8 servings.
Tags: cake recipe, iron skillet, pineapple upside down cake, skillet cake, skillet cooking
Crab and Corn Chowder
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2 white, russet potatoes, cooked and cubed
10 slices bacon
1 yellow onion, chopped
12 ounces crab meat, diced
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoons peanut oil
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cup fish or chicken stock
3 cups heavy cream
1 quart (32 oz )corn kernels
Cook bacon and onions together in pan until onions
soften. Then add parsley and crab chunks. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make roux by stirring butter and flour in sauté pan over low flame. When roux starts to color, whisk in
stock. Add potatoes and stir. Add bacon, onions, crab
and corn and continue to stir. Lower heat, add cream.
Simmer for 10 minutes until all flavors meld together.
and then serve in warmed bowls with corn bread.
Which cornbread? Well, that’s a whole ‘nuther story.
Chicago Pizza
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Actually, I am the last person who should write about pizza. It’s not that I don’t have specialized knowledge, passion or experience. I have made pizza, thin and thick, by hand and by machine. I have taught pizza making classes. I’ve owned and operated a pizza delivery business. The reason that I shouldn’t write about pizza is because I’ve never found a pizza that I didn’t love. My life is a pizza version of “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with.”
I love the thin pizza of Vito and Nick’s. I love the thick pizza at UNO and DUE. I love Lou Malnati’s, Marie’s, Lucky Vito’s, and Giordano’s. I love the greasy Connie’s pizza. I love Home Run Inn, Jack’s pizza and Tombstone pizza (all frozen). I love the slices at Costco just as much as the slices at Bacci or Damenzo are on Taylor Street. I love pizza bagels, pizza on pita, pizza on tortillas, French bread pizza, tomato bread, and focaccia. I love all combinations of tomatoes, oil and cheese. I love bruschetta. I love pizza puffs.
You see, I’m hopeless. I can’t really pick a favorite kind; I’m getting slap happy thinking about all the pizza I have enjoyed. The best pizza is the one that I have in front of me. A big part of the problem is that I live in Chicago. We Chicagoans are blessed to the point of confusion. Every neighborhood has a gem of a place and they are all a little different and they are all really good.
This is the recipe that I use at home when I am not eating frozen pizza, or delivery pizza.
It makes one thin crispy pizza the size of a cookie sheet or a flat baking pan. It can also make a thick pizza in a round cake pan. And, of course, they are equally good, fresh from the oven.
Basic Pizza Dough
1 packet dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
2 ½ cups flour
Directions
Pre heat your oven to 450 degrees. Oil your pan or baking sheet.
You must understand yeast to make any kind of dough. Treat your yeast as if you were making a bottle for a baby. Warm and sweet is good for a baby. If the water is too hot, the yeast will die. Too much salt will retard the growth of the yeast. Dissolve the yeast packet in the warm water and sugar. Let the mixture sit in the warm bowl for a few minutes until it starts to bubble and grow. Then add in the oil and salt. Stir until mixed and then add in flour. Knead flour until it is a smooth ball. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place away from any breeze. You’ve got to keep the baby warm. If it cools off it won’t rise.
When the dough doubles in size, punch it down, knead it a little and roll it out on a floured board until it is the thickness and shape that you desire. You can’t over handle yeast dough. If it doesn’t turn out right the first time, let it rise again (in a warm place) and start over. Just like the baby it loves attention.
I could write on and on for the rest of my life about the kinds of sauce and toppings that you might put on your pizza. However, I will trust your judgment and creativity. The only words of caution that I have are “Not too much sauce on a thin pizza. If you love lots of sauce, make a thick crust pizza.
I can’t tell you exactly how long to cook your pizza because I don’t know if it’s thin or thick, or what toppings you put on it. I would put the pizza on the lowest shelf so that the crust gets to cook before the cheese gets too brown. Generally, a thin, lightly sauced pizza will take 12-15 minutes in a 450 degree oven. If you are making a thick pizza, turn the oven down to 375 and let it cook about 25 minutes.
Buon appetito!!
Tags: Chicago pizza, pizza dough, stuffed pizza, thick crusts pizza, thin crust pizza
Pork Chops with Apple Cider Braised Red Cabbage
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I use this recipe as the center piece of my own personal Octoberfest
INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil
4 center-cut, bone-in pork chops
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 head red cabbage, shredded
1 cup apple cider
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, paprika, pepper and salt in a pie plate. Dredge pork chops in mixture, coating both sides.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown chops over high heat, about 3 minutes per side. Remove meat to a platter and cover to keep warm.
Reduce heat and to the same skillet add onions and cook until they start to soften. Add cabbage and apple cider and return pork chops and cover skillet; cook 25-30 minutes over low heat. Cabbage should be soft and chops should be cooked to 160 degrees.
Green Beans
German Style Green Beans with Potatoes
1 pound fresh green beans
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 small new red potatoes, cubed
2 soft, ripe tomato, diced
¼ tsp summer savory
½ pound of bacon
Clean green beans and dice potatoes
Cook bacon in large skillet. Add onions simmer until soft.
Next add in the diced tomato and summer savory, let simmer for a few minutes.
Add green beans and potatoes. Cover and let simmer until potatoes start to soften
Add a splash of red wine vinegar and serve.
White Cake with Lemon Filling
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WHITE CAKE RECIPE
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- Spray two round cake pans with pan release.
- Place the white cake flour, the sugar, the shortening, salt, and 2/3 cup of the milk in a mixing bowl
- Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed.
- Stir in the baking powder.
- Add egg whites, ½ cup milk, the vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes.
- Pour batter into the cake pans.
- Bake in 375 degrees oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool on a wire rack. When they are cool, split layers. (now you have four rounds) Spread the cooled Lemon Filling between the layers and frost with creamy white frosting and decorate with coconut.
LEMON CURD FILLING RECIPE
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest 3 lemons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- In a glass bowl, use a whisk or beater to make the sugar and eggs mixture smooth.
- Whisk in the butter, lemon and zest
- Cook in the microwave for one minute at a time, stir each time until the mixture has thickened.
- Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.
Funky Chicken Sandwich
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This is not a strict recipe. It’s more like friendly advice. I got this advice from Chicago singer/songwriter Pat Smillie.
Mix up some cooked chicken, sliced andouille sausage and BBQ sauce in a bowl and microwave until hot. Put it on a big soft bun with a slice of raw onion and some cole slaw on the side.
As long as we are just mixin’ it up, I don’t see what would be wrong with adding some chopped ham or shrimp either. Just clean out that deli drawer, add BBQ sauce–its all good.
As always, your comments are welcome. Try it out and let me know what happens. What is your favorite BBQ sauce?
Recycle that stale bread
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Don’t throw away that state bread; instead, use it to make croutons, bread crumbs, bread pudding or stuffing.
Not all types of bread are good for all of the recipes. Example- an old apricot Danish won’t make good croutons or bread crumbs but it will make delicious bread pudding or stuffing for a pork roast or a turkey.
Is it Italian bread? Make bread crumbs or bruschetta or crostini.
Is it sliced whole wheat? Make croutons for salad and soup.
Is it rye bread? Make stuffing for pork roast.
Is it egg bread? Make French toast, stuffed French toast, Monte Cristo sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, or pannini.
Is it Danish or croissants? Make bread pudding, French toast casserole or strata, or stuffing for the Thanksgiving turkey or a thick cut pork chop or a chicken breast.
Rye Stuffing for Pork Roast
4 cups dry rye bread, cut into cubes or torn into small bits
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 cup green cabbage finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon savory
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
Melt butter in large frying pan over low heat. Cook vegetables until they soften and then add the bread bits, the stock and the herbs. Remove from heat and stir until bread is moistened. This stuffing is excellent for a pork roast or thick cut chops. Dust the outside of the roast or chops with a mixture of salt, paprika, white pepper and quickly brown outside of meat in a pan over high heat. Transfer meat to baking sheet or pan and cook in 375 degree oven until thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 160 degrees.
