Early Peach Chutney

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While I don't do a lot of canning and preserving these days, I haven't quite retired from the game. We are fortunate to have friends who garden and share their fruit and produce with those of us who no longer have orchards or vegetable gardens of our own. I received a veritable wind fall of early peaches and small tomatoes yesterday, so I spent most of my day making chutney. I had hoped to make and freeze peach pies, but these early peaches lack the robust flavor of those that come later in the season, so it behooved me to use them in another way. Chutney seemed the most logical choice. I serve chutney as a meat accompaniment, but also use it as an appetizer spread. As a matter of fact, the Silver Fox is now snacking on lightly toasted English muffins that have been schmeared with cream cheese and topped with my peach chutney. Not half bad! However you chose to use it, I think you'll find this chutney to be a nicely balanced mix of tart and sweet, and it is simple to make. The chutney will keep for a week if covered and refrigerated, but it should be brought to room temperature for serving. Here's the recipe for those of you who are inspired or just have extra peaches that must be used.

Menu for the Week of May 1, 2016

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Menu for the Week of January 3, 2016

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Menu for the Week of July 26, 2015

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Frugal Foodie Friday - Chili-Cheese Sandwich Rolls for a Crowd

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those who work with, or entertain, teens will find this recipe helpful. It makes sandwiches that are different, delicious and easy on the pocketbook. The warm hoagies are easy to prepare but they do require advance planning, as they must be refrigerated for at least two hours before they are baked. The base recipe will make a sandwich with only moderate heat, so if you like your sandwiches spicy, add jalapenos to the filling before the sandwiches are baked. We had these last weekend at a large, multi age barbecue. The sandwiches were meant to be fillers or meal extenders, as our hostess was unsure of the number of people she would be entertaining. As it turned out, she had a crowd and needed them to stretch the chicken and sausage she had on the grill. It was the first time I had this sandwich and I liked it well enough to ask for the recipe. I thought those of you who work with youth groups or regularly have grandchildren at the table might work these sandwiches into your meal plans. Here is how they are made.

Menu for the Week of January 12, 2014

Weekly Menu at One Perfect Bite... 

Gone Fishin' Series - Baked Portobello Parmesan

This recipe has been in 4th place for ages now. It has great appeal for those who have to watch their weight, so I'm glad I can reprise it here. It pares calories while preserving the flavors that we have come to associate with "parm" dihes. If you have not yet tried this it, do give this recipe a try. I think you'll be surprised by how flavorful it is. Here's the recipe for this leftover. Enjoy!

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an old competition recipe. I give it new life each January as part of a regime to mend holiday excesses and restrict fat and caloric intake, at least until we're back in shape. I love the bold flavors of meat or vegetable Parmesan, but the amount of oil used in standard preparations meant we couldn't have it often, if at all. The whole purpose of this recipe was to come up with a variation that would require no frying and, if possible, use no meat or poultry. I had, for several years, grilled portobello mushrooms and was really happy with their meaty taste and texture. I settled on them for my recipe because eggplant simply didn't work when cooked this way. This version is really simple to make and if you are looking for a healthier alternative to standard "parm" recipes you might want to give this a try. You won't be sorry. Smaller families can halve the recipe and still enjoy its wonderful flavor. Here's the recipe.

Baked Portobello Parmesan...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 cup (3-oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, divided use
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
3/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
4 large (5 to 6-inches wide) stemmed portobello mushrooms, brushed clean
1-1/2 cups (6-oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup commercially prepared "light" tomato sauce
Cooking spray
Directions:
1) Position a baking rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 17-1/2 x 11-3/4 baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a 16-1/2 x 11-1/2-inch wire cooling rack inside the baking sheet. Mist rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons parsley, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow pan. Mix well. Set aside.
3) In a separate bowl, combine egg substitute, remaining 1 teaspoon salt. pepper, marjoram, garlic powder and oregano. Mix well.
4) Dip both sides of mushrooms into egg mixture. Dredge in crumb mixture until both sides are completely coated. Transfer, stem side down, to prepared wire rack. Spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Remove pan form oven.
5) Reset oven thermostat to 450 degrees F. Meanwhile, carefully turn mushrooms stem side up. Cover each mushroom with 2 tablespoons of remaining Parmesan cheese, 1/4 of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Spray tops lightly. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and mushrooms are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Use a wide spatula to transfer mushrooms to a serving platter. Sprinkle with reserved 1 tablespoon parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

Three Cup Chicken

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is but one of many versions of a Taiwanese dish called Three Cup Chicken. It gets its name from the ratio of the three main ingredients used to make it. The chicken is always made with equal portions of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil. I have several recipes for the dish in my files, but I rely on this one because it is so fast and easy to prepare. While it lacks the gorgeous color of the more classic braises, it delivers a wonderfully flavorful and unpretentious meal with a fragrance that draws people to the table. Cooking lore tells us the dish was first cooked for an official before his execution. It was made by a prison warden who had limited resources and he made the sauce for that dish using three wine cups, intended for worship, to measure the ingredients. Today, recipes use various measures of the basic three ingredients, but they must always be equal to each other for the dish to be called three-cup. I relied heavily on this dish when I was working and it would appear on my table once or twice a month. While it is best made with thigh meat, the breast can also be used if you cut back on the cooking time. I always serve this dish with steamed rice and just-wilted spinach. My family enjoys this dish and I think yours will too. Here is how Three Cup Chicken is made.

Three Cup Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Ching-He Huang

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin coins
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup light soy
1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (see Cook's Note)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 small handful Thai basil leaves, or Italian basil, plus extra for garnish

Directions:
1) Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. When it is hot add vegetable oil and cook until oil smokes. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry quickly for a few seconds. Quickly add chicken and let it sit in pan for 30 seconds before stir-frying until it browns, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2) Add soy sauce, rice wine and toasted sesame oil, Reduce heat to medium and cook for 6 minutes. Stir well and add brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is reduced to a thick, sticky consistency and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in basil leaves and allow them to wilt slightly. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 to 4 servings.

Cook's Note: It's important to use toasted sesame oil, which reduces as it cooks, and not pure sesame oil, which will continue to cook and not reduce or thicken. The final dish should be slightly sticky.

One Year Ago Today: Milk Chocolate and Caramel Mousse Pie

Two Years Ago Today: Maine Shrimp Chowder

Three Years Ago Today: Baked Portobello Parmesan - A Dieter's Delight

Marinated Portobello Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Garlic Aioli

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Did you ever wonder if folks who have a meat man or a fish man, also have a muffin man? I've always been slightly uncomfortable when people attach a possessive descriptor to the names of their purveyors. That makes it a bit awkward for me to talk about the person from whom I buy my mushrooms. Saturdays, rain or shine, he sells the treasures he's foraged in the wild or harvested from tunnels that he tends. This past weekend there were morels among the more common mushrooms on his table. Pure gold, and almost as expensive. Now, most mushroom hunters keep what they know to themselves. Not so this man. Save for divulging the actual coordinates of his territory, he will tell you everything he knows about foraging his favorite fungi. That's how I came to know where to look for morels in this area. Strange as it may seem, apple orchards, burned fields and the banks of streams that regularly flood are where you want to be. Using his advice I actually found one. One. Not quite enough to prepare a meal for Meatless Monday, but enough to spark a germ of recollection about a mushroom entree that would be perfect for the day. It's a burger. Strangely enough, the growers I know don't cultivate portobello mushrooms. They think they take up too much space in their limited operations. Getting back to the burgers, you'll find them very easy to make, though there may be some who object to the cost of the balsamic vinegar used to marinate the mushrooms. One thing that I want to point out is the importance of scraping away the gills of the mushrooms. If left in place, they will turn your burgers black and allow them to absorb too much vinegar. It's also important to use good, brioche-type, buns and fully ripe tomatoes. These burgers are particularly wonderful in August when ripened Brandywine tomatoes become available. Here's the recipe for a really great meatless "burger."

Marinated Portobello Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Garlic Aioli ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:
Marinade
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
.
6 portobello mushroom caps
.
Caramelized Onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 cups sliced onion
Aioli
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoon bottled minced roasted garlic
Burgers
Cooking Spray
6 Brioche rolls or quality hamburger buns
6 curly leaf lettuce leaves
6 large (1/3-inch thick) slices tomato

Directions:
1) Combine vinegar, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper and garlic cloves in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add mushrooms. Marinate in refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.
2) Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
3) Combine mayonnaise and roasted garlic in a small bowl.
4) Prepare grill or broiler. Remove mushrooms from bag, discarding marinade. Place mushroom caps on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 5 minutes or until tender.
5) Lightly toast buns. Spread top and bottom of each bun with aioli. Place a lettuce leaf on bottom half of each bun, top with a tomato slice, a mushroom cap, 1 tablespoon caramelized onion and top half of bun. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Baked Portobello Parmesan - One Perfect Bite
Mushroom Lasagna Florentine - One Perfect Bite
Wild Mushroom Ragu - One Perfect Bite

This recipe is being linked to Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory

Eggplant Parmesan - Recipes to Rival

It's hard to believe it's the first of February. January has really flown by, and, as usual, I had to scramble to complete the Recipes to Rival challenge for the month. I was slow to check what our hostess, Tempera, who blogs at High on the Hog, had chosen for us to prepare. As a result, we are having meatless "Parm" twice this month. Last week I made a wonderful Baked Portobello Parmesan that you can read about here. Tempera selected a recipe by Mario Batali and I must say it, too, made a lovely meal. The only change I made was to cut ingredients for the recipe in half. Here is what Tempera had to say about the recipe she selected:

"Somewhere in the world eggplant is in season. I know this because my local supermarket just got in some real beauties. So in celebration here is an Eggplant Parmesan recipe for one of my favorite Italian chefs."

Here is Mario Batali's Recipe.

Basic Tomato Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes
Salt

Directions:
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until carrot is quite soft. Add tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve.

This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Eggplant Parmesan - Parmigiana di Melanzane

Ingredients:
2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant
Salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup pecorino
2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Wash and towel dry eggplant. Slice eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse eggplant and dry on towels.
3) In a sauté pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press drained eggplant pieces into seasoned bread crumb mixture and sauté until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all pieces. On a cookie sheet lay out 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano.
4) Place pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Tips:
Fresh bread crumbs are required for the coating to stick without an egg wash.
The oil must be HOT HOT HOT or the eggplant will not cook fast enough and will be a greasy soggy mess.
The Mozzarella must be very thinly sliced or the eggplant tower will slide (it will still taste great)

Baked Portobello Parmesan - A Dieter's Delight - Foodie Friday

Portobello Parm before and after baking.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an old competition recipe. I give it new life each January as part of a regime to mend holiday excesses and restrict fat and caloric intake, at least until we're back in shape. I love the bold flavors of meat or vegetable Parmesan, but the amount of oil used in standard preparations meant we couldn't have it often, if at all. The whole purpose of this recipe was to come up with a variation that would require no frying and, if possible, use no meat or poultry. I had, for several years, grilled portobello mushrooms and was really happy with their meaty taste and texture. I settled on them for my recipe because eggplant simply didn't work when cooked this way. This version is really simple to make and if you are looking for a healthier alternative to standard "parm" recipes you might want to give this a try. You won't be sorry. Smaller families can halve the recipe and still enjoy its wonderful flavor. Here's the recipe.

Baked Portobello Parmesan...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 cup (3-oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, divided use
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
3/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
4 large (5 to 6-inches wide) stemmed potobello mushrooms, brushed clean
1-1/2 cups (6-oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup commercially prepared "light" tomato sauce
Cooking spray
Directions:
1) Position a baking rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 17-1/2 x 11-3/4 baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a 16-1/2 x 11-1/2-inch wire cooling rack inside the baking sheet. Mist rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons parsley, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow pan. Mix well. Set aside.
3) In a separate bowl, combine egg substitute, remaining 1 teaspoon salt. pepper, marjoram, garlic powder and oregano. Mix well.
4) Dip both sides of mushrooms into egg mixture. Dredge in crumb mixture until both sides are completely coated. Transfer, stem side down, to prepared wire rack. Spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Remove pan form oven.
5) Reset oven thermostat to 450 degrees F. Meanwhile, carefully turn mushrooms stem side up. Cover each mushroom with 2 tablespoons of remaining Parmesan cheese, 1/4 of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Spray tops lightly. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and mushrooms are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Use a wide spatula to transfer mushrooms to a serving platter. Sprinkle with reserved 1 tablespoon parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday