Jerk Chicken Pot Pie with Herbed, Cheesy Biscuits

Chicken Pot Pie is the ultimate use of leftovers from a chicken dinner -- just stick your leftover roasted vegetables and chicken in a white sauce, throw a crust on it, and voila!  But let's face it, it's BO-ring. 

That all ended for me this week, when I had two leftover breasts from this jerk chicken recipe.  Wow!  A little heat, a ton of those aromatic, tangy jerk flavors.    We'll never go back. 


Ingredients

For the filling:
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 cups cooked vegetables -- I usually use a mixture of potatoes, carrots, corn, and green peas
1 cup sliced mushrooms (you can also use dried mushrooms, which are nice because they soak up some of the liquid)
1 tablespoon jerk seasoning, or to taste (see note, below)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste


For the biscuit:

I prefer a biscuit dough to a pastry crust on my pot pies, but you can easily substitute your favorite pate brisee or puff pastry if you prefer. 

2 c flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp sage, 1 tsp chopped chives, 1 tsp chopped parsley (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk or 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup yogurt


Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, and saute the onions gently for a couple of minutes on medium heat, until they get a little transparent.  Add the flour and whisk to make a roux -- just until it's begun to brown a bit.  Add the garlic, and then whisk in the broth, a little at a time, to avoid lumps.  Add the milk the same way.  Continue to stir over medium heat until the sauce has thickened.  Add the chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, and seasonings to taste.  All jerk seasonings are different, so make sure you adjust the amount to a level that you like.

If you want to, you can at this point transfer the filling to a buttered baking dish (about 9x9), or if you aren't serving the whole thing at the table you can just leave it in the dutch oven and put the biscuits on top and put it in the oven.   If you use a baking dish, you want the filling to be about 1 1/2-2 inches thick, and have at least 1-2 inches to spare at the top, so the filling doesn't spill over.

To make the biscuits, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, and salt in a bowl.  Stir in the shredded cheese and whatever herbs you're using.  Add the melted butter and buttermilk and mix until it pulls together.  I usually give it a knead or two in the bowl, but don't overmix it.  Pat it out onto a floured board and cut out enough rounds to cover the filling in your baking dish.  Or you can just roll it out to fit the whole dish, if you prefer that look.  Just make sure you leave some holes for the filling to bubble up when the biscuits rise.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are browned. 

You can also freeze the whole pot pie, unbaked.  When you take it out, put it in a cold oven (so the dish doesn't crack).  Set the oven on 375 and cover the pie with aluminum foil for 30 minutes.  Then remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits look done.  Time will depend on the size of the pie.

Note:  There are different ways of introducing the jerk spice into this dish.  In order of preference:  you can just chop up leftover jerk chicken, as I did, or you can make a jerk marinade and marinate chicken and grill or saute it, or you can simply mix 1 tablespoon of a prepared jerk seasoning into the white sauce. 

Feng Li Su - Taiwanese Pineapple Pastries

Filling:
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1/4 c of water

Simmer pineapple and water slowly until the liquid is gone - it will take several hours. Cool and refrigerate until use.  Makes about a cup -- you will use all of it for the pastry recipe below.


Crust:  
1 c butter
1/4 c confectioner's sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c cake flour
1/4 corn starch
1/4 t salt

Pre heat oven to 325.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix remaining ingredients together and add to butter mixture.  Chill the dough a 1/2 hour.  Pinch off 1" balls, roll each out and put a little spoonful of filling in each, pinch together to close the dough around the filling.  The traditional shape is a square.  Bake on parchment for 20-25 minutes, until the bottoms brown. 

Fried chicken two different ways

For 1 chicken.

Michelle Bernstein's marinade:  

3 cups of butter milk or 2 cups of milk +1 cup of yogurt
2 tablespoons thyme

1 tablespoon tarragon 

6 cloves of garlic 

2 shallots 

1 Tablespoon fennel seed

1 Tablespoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Add all ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth.

Lefty's cajun marinade:  

3 cups of buttermilk or 2 cups of milk +1 cup of yogurt

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons thyme

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne

Mix together 

Directions:

•  Place chicken in a Ziplock bag with marinade and
  refrigerate overnight.  1 tablespoon of kosher salt mixed with 3/4 cup of flour for dredging
• Heat oil to 350, dredge in flour, and fry until done. 

Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce

• 
  

This is a nice weeknight dinner dish because you can marinate the chicken in the morning and stick the bird in the fridge, or you can cook it the night before and then either warm it up in the oven or give it a little finish on the grill just before you serve it.  

For the chicken:  

1 chicken

3 garlic cloves, chopped (I put mine through a garlic press)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

1/4 cup olive oil

Set oven at 400 degrees F and spatchcock the chicken, laying it on a broiler pan or roasting pan.  (I usually put some whole garlic cloves or small halves of potatoes under the chicken to roast with it)  Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and then rub it on the chicken, including under the skin.  Roast until done, 165 degrees.  

• The sauce:  
• 2-3 fresh jalapeños, stem removed and quartered -- remove the seeds as well if you don't like it too hot
• 1 tablespoon aji Amarillo paste
• 1 cup cilantro
• 2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 sour cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine except mayonnaise and sour cream in a blender and blend until smooth.  put it into a  small bowl and stir in the mayonnaise.  (Tip:  This makes a couple of cups of sauce -- if you won't need to use all of it, you can stop here and freeze some of it, and when you need it next thaw it  and then add the mayonnaise and sour cream .)  

I usually serve the sauce in the bowl or a little pitcher on the table and let people spoon what they want to over the chicken.    You can make the sauce a day or two ahead of time -- it will thicken up a little in the fridge.

Zhug

This is a Yemeni condiment that is delicious with many things -- I like to add a spoonful to falafel or to beans or salad or soup to pep things up a bit.  It's kind of a spicy version of pesto.  It would probably be great on steak or lamb chops, like chimichurri -- you could add a little lemon juice for some acid.

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 green cardamom pods, small internal seeds only
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 fresh Thai chilies, roughly chopped; or 4 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 2 ounces fresh parsley and cilantro leaves and fine stems (about 2 loosely packed cups of mixed herbs), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Combine coriander seed, cumin, black pepper, and cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle and grind into a powder using a firm, circular motion. Add spices and rest of ingredients to blender and blend until everything is incorporated. Season to taste with more salt. Zhug can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.  I also have frozen it, as you might do with pesto, in an ice cube tray.  

White bean salad

This is good either warm or cold, great as a side dish for grilled meat.  White beans taste MUCH better if you cook them from dried beans, rather than using canned – I usually cook a whole pound and freeze whatever I don’t use immediately.   And save the broth from cooking them!  It’s delicious.

Ingredients

·        ½ lb small dry white beans, soaked and then cooked until tender with about a ½ tsp of salt (makes about 3-4 cups, when cooked)

·        5 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

·        ½ tsp salt

·        1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·        1 large handful water cress or arugula

·        2 tablespoons grated parmesan

·        Additional salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a saute pan, slowly warm the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for a couple of  minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. It should be very fragrant and just beginning to soften.

Immediately add the beans and fold in very gently. Heat the beans through, about 3 minutes, occasionally turning the beans gently as they heat through.  Add the greens and gently move them around in the pan until they are slightly wilted (30 to 60 seconds). Turn into a serving bowl and top with the parmesan and salt and pepper  to taste.

Options: You can add a little chopped rosemary if you like, or a gremolata, or some toasted panko, or small cubes of toasted bread.   If you have any leftovers, throw them in the blender with some lemon juice and some more olive oil and voila!  White bean dip!

Chewy dinner rolls

I wanted a dinner roll that was chewy and moist and had a little bit of flavor to it.  These turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd better write it down before I forgot what I did. I think next time I would add a little more parmesan.

1/2 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup scalded heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, melted, more for brushing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
bread flour

Let milk cool a little Combine milk, cream, butter, oil, eggs, and sugar.  Add the other ingredients, adding enough bread flour for a non-sticky dough.  Knead for a few minutes, until smooth.  Put it in an oiled bowl and cover, let rise until doubled.  Divide into 16 rolls.  I put them in a 9-inch oiled springform pan.  Cover and let rise again, about 1/2 hour.  Bake in a 350 oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Brush with more melted butter if desired. 

Pecan bars

These little butter bombs are adapted from the Just a Taste blog, they are less messy than the usual pecan bar and have a very nice caramel flavor. Very fast to make, and good for parties because they make a lot of cookies.  I have made both the crust and filling a little  butterier and thinner, to make it more of a shortbread cookie and less like a bar. I usually cut these into small squares, maybe 1-1 1/2 inches.  They keep quite well in a cookie tin.  

For crust:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping:

• 1.5 stick (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 10 oz. (about 2 cups) chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 9x13-inch pans with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
2. First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.
3. Divide the crust in halves and press into the foil-lined pans and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
4. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, sugars, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the chopped pecans.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour half of the pecan filling over each of the hot crusts, spreading it to cover the entire surface.
6. Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.
7. Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.
8. Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.

Key lime cheesecake bars

This is a good recipe for parties -- you can make it a day or two ahead and just stash it in the fridge.  You can decorate the bars with flaked toasted coconut or lime zest or little thin slices of lime, or chopped macadamia nuts or sliced almonds.  To make it more festive, you could also add food coloring to the cream cheese filling, or pipe whipped cream instead of sour cream.  You can also halve the recipe for a family-sized dessert. 

For the crust:

2/3 pound (2 packages out of the box) graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter
1/4 cup sugar


For the filling:

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup key lime juice
zest of one lime
2 tablespoons flour

For the topping:

1 cup sour cream
more lime zest, or toasted coconut flakes (optional)


Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 8 x 11 baking pans with parchment.  In a bowl, mix crust ingredients and press half into each baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  While the crust is baking, mix cream cheese sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add remaining filling ingredients, stir to combine well, and spoon half over each crust.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown and the mixture is set.  Cool for an hour and then refrigerate, covered, until just before you are ready to serve.  Spread the sour cream over the top and decorate as you like.  Cut into squares and serve. 

Bright summer slaw with pineapple vinegar dressing

This is a fresh, colorful, and tasty vinegar-dressed slaw that's great for parties, because is quick to make, makes a lot, and keeps very well.  Pineapple vinegar can be bought at many Asian food stores.  I have heard of people making their own, with cider vinegar, but I haven't tried it.  If you can't find pineapple vinegar, you can substitute cider vinegar, but you might want to adjust the sugar, because pineapple vinegar tends to be sweeter.  This recipe is GREAT with ribs or on fried chicken sandwiches or fish tacos. 

For the dressing: 
1/2 cup neutral oil, like canola or peanut
3/4 cup pineapple vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp szechuan red chili oil, more to taste (I love this oil from Blank Slate Kitchen!)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground black pepper


For the slaw:
about 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (half of a medium head)
about 4 cups finely shredded red cabbage (a whole small head)
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (about half a small pineapple)
3 medium carrots, grated
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
(I have also added chopped star fruit to this if you have it, or halved seedless grapes, or flaked unsweetened coconut)


Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to dissolve the sugar.  Refrigerate until just before you serve the slaw.  Put all the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and toss.  Just before you serve it, pour the dressing over the slaw and toss again. 

Cold noodles with fresh vegetables and sichuan dressing

This is a nice fresh cold pasta salad, with lots of flavor.  It can be a main dish in summer, especially if you are cooking for vegan friends.  Fast to make, and easy to take to parties -- I usually bring the pasta, vegetables, sauce, and garnishes in separate containers and assemble just before serving.  The sauce is spicy when you make it, but not as spicy once it's on the noodles.   Black vinegar, an aged rice vinegar, has a wonderful sort of funky smoky taste, if you can find it. #vegan

The salad:
1/2 lb dry spaghetti or whatever pasta you want to use
salt for pasta water
1 tsp vegetable oil, for tossing with noodles
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
2 cups of finely shredded napa
2 cups of mung bean sprouts
about 1 cup of steamed, shelled edamame (optional)

The sauce: 
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp sichuan red chili oil (I LOVE this oil from www.blankslatekitchen.com), or 1 tbsp regular red chili oil and 1/2 tsp toasted ground sichuan peppercorns.  I usually start with just 1 tbsp and then add a little more after the salad is assembled, depending on how spicy you want it. 
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp zhenjiang (chinkiang) black vinegar, or Shaoxing wine, or rice vinegar (black vinegar is my favorite, but it can be hard to find)

Garnish:
2 tbsp toasted hulled sesame seeds
3 scallions, chopped or julienned
more sesame oil, to taste
1/2 tsp ground sichuan peppercorns (optional)


Instructions:

The whole recipe can be made while the pasta water is heating.  Cook the pasta  in salted water to taste, drain, toss with vegetable oil, and refrigerate.  Prepare the vegetables and set aside.  Mix all the sauce ingredients and refrigerate.  Just before you serve it, toss the pasta with the vegetables, pour the sauce over it and toss to coat, scatter garnishes on top.