Easy Savory Chicken

Have you ever had an easy, quick and tasty recipe you keep coming back to?  I do. It's a mushroom cream sauce made with Joe and Son's Mushroom/Sage Olive Oil*. I've used it before in a spinach roll and with shrimp over pasta.

Well, last night was one of those nights where I was pressed for time and wanted something quick and easy to serve.  I happened to have some leftover rotisserie chicken and thought it would go well with my favorite mushroom sauce.

I made the sauce, added it to the shredded chicken...I served it with sliced polenta and steamed asparagus.  And voila!  We had a meal!!!

 

 Savory Chicken with Mushroom Sage Sauce

 

Chicken:

 

1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed and shredded

 

2 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Mushroom Sage Olive Oil*

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound fresh, sliced  mushrooms, rinsed and dried

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

2/3 cup half and half

Salt and Pepper

Heat the Mushroom Sage Olive Oil in a saute pan, add the onions and garlic  and cook over medium heat until they are soft….about 2 -3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, then gradually add the half and half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens.

 

Combine the chicken with the sauce and serve warm.

 

Polenta:

 

Slice the polenta roll into 1" thick slices.  Lightly brown one side in 1 tablespoon Joe and Son's Mushroom/Sage Olive Oil. Flip the slices and brown the other side.  Remove from pan and add salt, pepper, garlic powder and grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve warm.

 

* Mushroom/Sage Olive Oil....wonderful drizzled over cauliflower; in mashed potatoes instead of butter.....and for basting your Thanksgiving turkey to give it an extra layer of delicious flavor.  And don't forget you can add it to your French onion soup recipe.

Gluten Free German Chocolate Pie Bars

Normally, a pie is made with a pastry crust and is baked in a pie plate.  This  recipe calls for a crustless version baked in a 9 x 13 pan with 2" high sides.
Rather than a pastry crust, I've substituted a pecan crust which cuts out carbs and gluten.

Baking the "pie" in a pan allows you to cut the servings into about  2 dozen 2" pieces . It's perfect for entertaining a large crowd.

This is not a new recipe; it's a variation of the old, original Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Pie recipe, but I've added a few touches of my own. 

Be aware that this is a rich and sweet dessert... I don't even want to know the calories in a serving.  But, trust me, it really is worth the splurge.

 

German Chocolate Squares

 

Crust:

 

2 cups minced pecans, or more if you'd like a thicker crust

1/4 cup Joe and Son's Butter infused Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar

 

Combine the 3 ingredients in a medium sized bowl; mix well and press into a 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

 

Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees.



 

 

Filling:

 



3 packages of Baker's sweet German Chocolate (4 oz.  each)

1/2 cup Joe and Son's Butter infused Olive Oil

1/4 cup Joe and Son's Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar

2 cans evaporated milk (14 1/2 oz. each) + 3 oz. more of evaporated milk

2 1/2 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Topping:

 

2 cups sweet flaked coconut

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

To prepare the filling, melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup Butter infused Olive Oil. Slowly add the Dark Chocolate Balsamic vinegar while stirring. .  Remove from heat.

Gradually blend in the milk.

 

In a large bowl, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt; beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, stirring while you pour.  Pour slowly or the hot chocolate could cook the egg mixture.  Pour the chocolate mixture into the baking pan, taking care not to disturb the pecan crust.

 

Combine the coconut and the remaining pecans and sprinkle them over the filling.

 

Bake at 375 degrees for about 50 - 60 minutes*  until a knife inserted into the center of the "pie" shows the center no longer runny.  The filling will be soft but will set while cooling.

 

* If the topping appears to be browning too much, cover the pan with aluminum foil.

 

Cool for at least 4 hours before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Boliche (Eye of Round Roast)

There are some of you reading this that will need an explanation of what "Boliche" is.  Others already know.  Let me explain that Boliche is a Latin beef dish made from an Eye of Round Roast. 

Traditionally, you would have a butcher hollow out the roast and fill it with a stuffing that consists of bell peppers, onions, garlic, diced ham pieces and thin slices of chorizo (Spanish Sausage).

Well, nowadays, it's hard to find a meat market that does this and the truth is that there isn't that much of the delicious stuffing anyway if the roast is prepared this way.
So......I've started cooking it a different way that I think gives better results.  At least my family thinks so because preparing the dish my way gives you lots of a delicious topping for a side dish of rice.



 

Boliche

 



Eye of Round Roast about 2 1/2 pounds

 

salt and pepper

 

3 tablespoons of Joe and Son's Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

1 large bell pepper, diced

 

3 medium onions, diced

 

4 cloves garlic, diced

 

ham slice, about 1/2 pound, diced

 

4 chorizo sausages, sliced thin

 

1 cup canned mushrooms, drained....optional

 

3 medium potatoes, diced...

 

1/2 cup of Joe and Son's Traditional OR Espresso Balsamic Vinegar

 

1 cup beef broth

 

1/2 cup water

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

Salt and pepper the roast.  Heat the EVOO in a large sauté pan to a medium heat and brown the roast on all sides.  Remove from the pan  and set aside.  When it has cooled, slice the roast into 1/2" thick slices.  A 2 1/2 pound roast should give you about 14 slices.

 

In the same pan, add the next 7 ingredients.  Saute over medium heat until the veggies are soft.  Add the Balsamic Vinegar, broth and water and stir.

 

 

Place the slices of meat in a roasting pan.  Cover the meat with  the vegetable mixture.  Cover the pan and roast at 350 degrees for about an hour or a little less, until the meat is cooked.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

 

 

Serve with a side dish of rice and fried platanos.  A slice of avocado wouldn't be a bad addition to the meal, either.





Thumbprint "Butter" Cookies ...... also can become Other Cookies*

Okay, folks, this is a cookie recipe I'm tempted to keep a secret because it is so absolutely good that I'd like people to think I'm a wondrous baker when I serve them to family and friends.

But, I'm going to share the recipe with you and after you make these you can bask in the compliments you'll get from your friends.  If you're feeling generous, then pass the recipe on to others.

You'll notice that I'm calling these "Butter" cookies...but there is no butter in the cookies.  Instead, I've used Joe and Son's Butter Infused Olive Oil.  It's healthier than butter and I like the texture and flavor it gives the cookies.

 



Thumbprint “Butter” Cookies

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup Joe and Son’s Butter Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Strawberry Fig Jam*

Lemon Curd*

* Both can be purchased at Joe and Sons Olive Oils

　

In a large mixing bowl, combine the Butter Infused Olive Oil and sugar; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the vanilla and egg yolk and continue beating. . Add the flour and salt and beat until well combined

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough into 1” balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 1 ½ inches apart.

Make a small, shallow indentation in the center of each cookie and fill with a small amount of jam or curd.

Chill the cookie balls on the baking sheet for about 10-15 minutes before placing in the pre-heated oven.

Bake for 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies and the recipe may be doubled.
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* Here's a way to convert this recipe to a different cookie.



Substitute Almond extract for the Vanilla extract.
Eliminate the lemon curd and strawberry jam.
Roll the raw cookie ball in granulated sugar before baking.
Top each cookie with pieces of chopped almonds before baking, if desired.
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Also, substituting 1/2 of the Butter Oil with Joe and Son's Rosemary Oil will give you a sweet, savory cookie. I filled the thumb print with a pepper jelly and it was really good.