Hungarian Roasted Chicken

This chicken was very moist, and the left overs were perfect for sandwiches.


There is no real recipe, but the chicken was rubbed with a spice (a Hungarian spice packet) and injected with the same spice mixture and chicken broth. Chicken broth and a few carrots were placed in the outer well, and chicken broth in the inner well (where the chicken is placed on top of). Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking, and make sure the meat thermometer is at 165 degrees F.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Beautiful presentation :-) And the soup was very good as well!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers

1 yellow bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbs all-purpose flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

diced red and yellow bell peppers, to garnish (or as we used here, you can garnish with a swirl of plain yogurt)

Directions:

- Heat the broiler. Cut the peppers in half. Remove the stems, cores, and all the white pith, and scrape out the seeds. Line a broiler pan with foil and arrange the halved peppers, skin side up, in a single layer on the foil. Broil until the skins are black and blistered.

- Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag and leave until cool. Peel off the skins and discard. Roughly chop the pepper flesh.

- Put the onion, garlic clove, and 2/3 cup of the stock in a large saucepan. Boil for about 5 minutes until the stock reduces in volume. Lower the heat and stir until the onion and garlic are soft and just beginning to color.

- Sprinkle the flour over the onion. Gradually stir in the remaining stock.

- Add the chopped, roasted peppers. Bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

- Leave the soup to cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Return to the sauce pan and reheat until piping hot.

- Ladle into 4 (or 2 in our case) soup bowls and garnish each with a sprinkling of diced peppers (or as we have done, with a swirl of plain yogurt).

Moroccan Vegetable Soup

As you can see, we made this soup in the fall around Halloween. From what we remember, it was delicious!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive or sunflower oil

1 tbs butter

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips

8 oz pumpkin

about 3 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

lemon juice, to taste

 

For the garnish:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 garlic clove, minced

3 tbs chopped fresh parsley and cilantro, mixed

a good pinch of paprika

Directions:

- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion and fry for about 3 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and parsnips and stir well. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes longer.

- Cut the pumpkin into chunks, discarding the skin and pith. Stir into the pan, cover, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the stock and seasoning and slowly bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

- Leave the soup to cool slightly. Pour into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding a little extra water if the soup seems too thick. Pour back into the rinsed pan and reheat slowly.

- To make the garnish, heat the oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and herbs and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the paprika and stir well.

- Adjust the seasoning of the soup and stir in lemon juice to taste. Pour into bowls and spoon a little of the prepared garnish on top, which should then be lightly swirled into the soup.

Banana Oat Muffins

Super easy muffin recipe. I usually only heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and bake them for about 18 minutes. For me, this recipe makes about 18 muffins, and I fill the muffin cups about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I do not use paper bake cups, I just spray the muffin pan with cooking oil and they come out just fine. They are best the second, third, etc. day as they moisten up after a day sitting out.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

Directions:
- Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
- Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

Belgian-Style Waffles

These waffles are perfectly light and fluffy! We usually eat ours with light syrup, sunny-side up eggs, and sometimes sausage links or patties, or bacon. We also cut the recipe in half, so we have two 4 inch waffles each.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

Serves: 8 to 10 (4-inch) waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a second bowl, use a whisk to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar has dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg-milk mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not overmix.

In a third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Don't overmix! Coat the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, if required, and pour enough batter in the iron to just cover waffle grid.

Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. In checking for doneness, open the waffle iron carefully and watch out for steam. Do not open the waffle iron, though, for at least 1 minute. Repeat cooking with remaining batter. When each waffle is done, remove using either tongs or a fork.