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Posts Tagged ‘dinner’

Pastrami Stuffed Shells with Honey Mustard Onion Sauce

Posted in Appetizers, Holiday, Meat, Sides, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2013 | 15 Comments »

pastrami shells 1

I feel like this dish should have been created ages before it was. Stuffed shells are a total staple of my cooking repertoire. I’ve done dairy stuffed shells, made with a cheesy filling. I’ve done meat stuffed shells with a ground meat filling. I’ve added vegetables to give it a healthy twist, and played around with spices.

And suddenly when my sister and I were planning our recent holiday meals, another type of stuffed shells hit me. Why not stuff the shells with a delicious pastrami filling? And instead of the classic tomato sauce to bake it in, I knew I’d pare this with pastrami’s friend honey mustard.

And it worked so well! Not only did it serve up beautifully, but everyone licked their plates clean. So whether you’re serving this as an appetizer or a side dish, this fun and innovative take will be sure to please!

pastrami shells 2

Pastrami Stuffed Shells with Honey Mustard Onion Sauce

by Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.com

Note: there are duplicates of the ingredients below, but they are for separate parts of the dish, so follow the directions carefully.

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo shells pasta

2 Tablespoons canola oil

3 large onions

1 Tablespoon canola oil

6 ounces sliced pastrami, diced

1/2 Tablespoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 Tablespoons white wine

Instructions:

Boil pasta according to package directions and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium pot, sautee the onions in oil over a medium-low flame until translucent.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. Add the pastrami and stir occasionally, for about 5-8 minutes, until the pastrami is cooked through but not crispy yet.

Add the mustard, garlic powder and 1/3 of the sauteed onions. Sautee for an additional 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

In the pot with 2/3 of the sauteed onions, add the mustard, honey, salt, pepper and white wine. Heat until simmering and cook for a couple of minutes. Set sauce aside to cool.

Stuff the pastrami mixture inside the cooked shell pasta and place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour the sauce over the shells.

Cover the pan tightly and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

(This dish freezes nicely, but may need additional onion sauce for reheating.)

Enjoy!

pastrami shells 3

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Come back soon for more delicious treats! -Miriam PS: do you follow me on Instagram yet? Because if not, you totally should. Unless you don’t like to see pictures of yummy food. Then don’t follow me at all!

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Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Posted in Chicken, Healthy, Holiday, Main Courses, Passover, Sides, Super-Easy, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2013 | 14 Comments »

chicken with mushroom sauce 3

I’ve been saving this recipe for ages. Why, you ask? Well, I don’t really know. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make, it’s totally versatile, it’s a meal in a pot, it’s gluten free and healthy…do I need to go on? I was going to post this forever-ago, then I got side tracked with stuff like purim and I kinda forgot about this recipe. Then I cooked it for supper tonight (it’s simmering on my stove right now and it smells amazing and I was all oh. I never posted this recipe. And then I realized how passover friendly this recipe is, and I knew it was going to have to get featured.

Regarding passover (who gets all stressed out when I start discussing Passover? Just me?), this recipe’s versatility comes into play if you need to make this conform with your customs. For example, my family doesn’t eat mushrooms on passover. Tough, but that’s what I have to deal with. Oh, and we don’t eat garlic either. Good news. Skip the garlic. Replace the mushrooms with some zucchini. Throw in a handful of tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you’re so inclined. Don’t use red wine vinegar? Well I am sure you use wine, right? You’ll love this recipe no matter how you change it!

chicken with mushroom sauce 2

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (use whatever size you have, but alter cooking time accordingly)

oil, for browning

salt, for browning

pepper, for browning

for sauce:

3 large onions, diced

3 boxes (about 2-2 1/2 lb) mushrooms (use white, cremini or any combination of the two), diced

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Heat oil a large pot over a medium flame. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with salt and  black pepper, and place in pot. Brown it on all sides, turning every few minutes to brown it all evenly. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.

Without washing the pot (you want the drippings from the chicken to add flavor to the sauce) add the diced onions and sautee for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sautee for an additional 15 minutes.

Add the chicken back into the pot, burying it under the vegetables. Add the broth, parsley, salt, garlic and vinegar. Cover and let simmer on a medium-low flame for about an hour and a half, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir the sauce occasionally to make sure the liquid doesn’t all evaporate.

Note that cooking time once the chicken has been returned to the pot will vary depending on the size of the chicken. Adjust accordingly.

Serve hot, over rice – or mashed potatoes for passover.

Enjoy!

chicken with mushroom sauce 1

Thanks folks for stopping by! If you are looking for even more Passover recipes, don’t forget to enter my giveaway for the amazing new Passover Made Easy! And of course, stop by again soon, I have lots of great new passover recipes coming your way! -Miriam

 

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Pretzel Crusted Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Posted in Appetizers, Chicken, Condiments/Sauces/Dips, Main Courses, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 18, 2013 | 19 Comments »

pretzel crusted chicken fingers on overtime cook

Today’s post is going to be short, but I won’t apologize. Mostly because I feel like I’ve been doing that far too often lately. I’m busy. You all know that. And I think many of you are very busy this week, with Purim coming and whatnot.

So the good news is that I have a great dish to share today. These chicken fingers are super fun, they’re easy to make, and they are a nice change for anyone looking to switch things up a bit. Oh, and did I mention how these are baked, which makes them healthier?

So whether you are cooking for your Purim party (seudah), looking for a fun appetizer idea, or even an exciting weeknight dinner idea, make these. You will love them!

pretzel crusted chicken fingers 3

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups coarse pretzel crumbs*

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (crushed slightly between your fingers)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a cookie sheet well with oil and set aside. (Don’t skimp on the oil, you will still save calories over frying.)

Cut the chicken breast into finger shapes and toss with the flour. Place in a small bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, honey, mustard, salt and thyme. Set aside.

Place the pretzel crumbs in a third bowl. Set up a breading station by lining the bowls up in order.

Bread the chicken by placing the flour covered piece of chicken in the egg mixture, then in the pretzel crumbs. Press the pretzel into the chicken to make sure it gets properly coated. Set on the prepared tray and repeat with the remaining chicken. Spray more oil over the top of the chicken, and place in the oven.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes, then turn the fingers and bake an additional 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

*When processing the pretzel to make crumbs, don’t process until they have formed fine crumbs. Rather, leave some texture.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup mayonaise

2 Tablespoons mustard

2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with chicken fingers.

Enjoy!

pretzel crusted chicken fingers 1

Thanks all for stopping by! Come back soon for some more exciting purim treats, and make sure to enter my cookbook giveaway! -Miriam

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Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette

Posted in Appetizers, Chicken, Condiments/Sauces/Dips, Healthy, Salads, Sides, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 3, 2013 | 9 Comments »


Asian Peanut Chicken Salad on OvertimeCook

So who’s planning to start the year with some healthy eating?

You too? Well I guess we’re all in the same boat here. Good news, I’ve got the most delicious salad I’ve ever made to share with you today.

Y’know how some people say that diet food doesn’t taste good? Well. That isn’t true. And I’m going to prove it to you as soon as you taste this salad.

Let’s first step back so I can tell you what it’s like to live in my head. It was about 2 in the morning and I was finally drifting off to sleep. Sadly for me, this is the time of day when I often have my best ideas. (Does this happen to anyone else?!) So there I am in bed, and I have this super cool idea. What would happen, I wonder, if I make a vinaigrette with actual peanuts in it?

I loved the idea, but I had a dilemma. If I rolled over and went to sleep, I might never remember this amazing idea again. But if I wake myself up enough to turn my phone on and write a note, it will be forever before I get to sleep again.

Eventually, good food won over sleep. (Are you starting to see a pattern emerge here? No? Good.) I wrote the idea down, then finally got to sleep. I may have been extra tired the next day, or maybe I was just dreaming about the fabulous salad I was planning to make.

Either way, all of this was worth it, because I’ve got the most amazing salad recipe to share with you folks. I may or may not have made it four times already. But like I said, make this and you’ll understand everything.

Dieting tastes good. I promise.

Asian Peanut Chicken Salad 2

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:
for the peanut vinaigrette:
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Juice of 1 lime or 1 1/2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoons canola oil

for the chicken:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or cut in half along the width)
1/4 cup peanut vinaigrette (above)

for the salad:
Feel free to adjust the veggies according to your liking!
4-5 cups romaine lettuce
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 red pepper, diced small
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Peanuts, for sprinkling

Instructions:
For the vinaigrette:
Blend all ingredients except for the canola oil in a blender until mostly blended. With the blender running, slowly drizzle the canola oil into the mixture until dressing is thick and creamy. (There may be some small peanut pieces remaining, that’s fine.)

For the chicken:
Marinate the chicken in a quarter of a cup of the peanut vinaigrette. (Reserve the rest to use as salad dressing.) Let the chicken marinate for a couple of hours.
Grill or pan fry (spray is enough, no need for additional oil) the chicken on a medium low flame until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
Cut the chicken into cubes. Set aside.

To assemble the salad:
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, vegetables, cubed chicken and remaining dressing. Toss to coat everything with the dressing. Top with peanuts.
Note: for a fancier presentation, slice the chicken and serve on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

Asian Peanut Chicken Salad 3

Hope everyone’s new year is off to a fabulous start! Come back soon, I have lots more deliciousness to share with you! -Miriam

PS: Did you know I am giving away a copy of my favorite source of cookie recipes? Yep! Go enter!

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Chicken, Vegetable and Barley Soup and a review of The Bais Yaakov Cookbook

Posted in Chicken, Healthy, Soups, Super-Easy, Uncategorized, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2012 | 11 Comments »

I’m super excited to be reviewing another cookbook today. I’ve got a bunch of books on my shelf, waiting to be written about, but this one is extra exciting because I heard so much about this book lately! I’m sure that all of my Kosher readers have heard about the Bais Yaakov Cookbook. There’s been a lot of hype in the kosher world about it. I couldn’t help wondering: was that earned? I finally got a chance to find out!

At first glance:

This cookbook looks really impressive. It’s a large, hardcover book with pictures that are breathtakingly beautiful. There’s a wide variety of recipes, all arranged clearly and intuitively.

My first thought as I flipped through this book the first time was “I totally see why its so popular!”

Some Features I Liked:

One of the things that stands out most about this book, as I mentioned, is the beautiful photography. The pictures seriously make you want to dig right in!

Another thing I like is that the cookbook has a good mix of basic, staple type recipes and some new and innovative recipes that make me wonder why I’ve never thought of that.

Another thing I really like about this book is the little helpful tips and tricks that fill some of the empty space on pages. From tips about plating and information about ingredients to descriptions of cooking methods and guides to reheating the recipes, there’s a lot to learn, even for an experienced cook.

Oh, and I love the salad section. I kind of want to make every single recipe in it.

Lastly, I like that this cookbook contains recipes contributed by lots of different people, so they’re tried and true.

Some Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

Pesto Chicken Salad- I love chicken salads, and I think it’s been firmly established how much I love all things basil…can’t wait to try it!

Grilled Beef Rolls with scallion dipping sauce: this is a gorgeous and delicious looking appetizer. Definitely happening the next time I make a party!

Beer Battered Chicken Fingers: I dunno what to say about this other than…YUM. I love beer battered anything.

Crispy Potato Roast: I love how this is a potato side dish, yet totally unlike any potato dish I’ve ever made!

Who This Cookbook is For:

This is a phenomenal cookbook for any kosher cook who want excellent recipes that are accompanied by mouthwatering pictures. It also contains information about kosher dietary laws and Jewish education, so it’s a great purchase for anyone who wants to learn more about that.

Also, all proceeds from this book go to charity, so that’s always a great reason to purchase it!

Who This Cookbook Isn’t For:

This book has a lot of information about kosher cooking, Jewish education and things like that, so a non kosher/Jewish reader might not find it as useful.

What I Didn’t Like About This Cookbook:

While I loved the pictures in this book, there were a bunch of recipes that had no pictures, though that’s me being spoiled.

As I mentioned before, there are recipes contributed by lots of people, which has a nice plus side to it, but it does mean that some of the recipes are pretty basic, or recipes I have seen similar versions of in other books.

Conclusion:

Overall, I loved this cookbook. It’s bright, beautiful, fresh and quite creative. I really do recommend it for anyone who keeps a kosher kitchen!

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this cookbook for review by Feldheim Publishers. Opinions are all my own. There are affiliate links within this post, which means I benefit if you click on them to purchase the book.

Here’s a sample recipe from the book. It’s delicious, easy and filling. Seriously- it’s comfort food done right!

Chicken Vegetable and Barley Soup:

Adapted from The Bais Yaakov Cookbook

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

6 stalks of celery

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed

3/4 cup barley

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

10-12 cups water, enough to cover

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté for five minutes, until translucent.

Add the diced carrot and celery. Sauté for an additional five minutes.

Add the cubed chicken, barley, salt pepper and water.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and leave to simmer for 3-4 hours. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

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Pastrami Stuffed Chicken (Capons)

Posted in Chicken, Holiday, Main Courses, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2012 | 18 Comments »

Every now and then, one of my recipes puts me in a weird position. A while ago, I made a delicious meat dish. I carefully measured the ingredients so I could post it here, and then, before I posted it, I thought of googling the cut of meat I was using. The cut was, as called in kosher butcher shops, minute steak. Kosher cooks will be very familiar with this type of steak. However, according to google (and I assume most of my non-kosher readers), minute steak is a thin cut of steak that can be grilled in a minute or less. It’s a logical term, I must admit, but the minute steak I know usually involves about 200 minutes of cooking at a low temperature. Needless to say, I didn’t post the recipe. Alls well that ends well though, because the pictures came out terribly.

So as a blog that has (I convince myself) both kosher and non-kosher readers, I try to cater to both. Usually, it’s easy. (A dessert is a dessert, right?) But sometimes it isn’t. Like this recipe. This cut of chicken is always called Capons in Kosher stores, but when I googled it, turns out capon is a totally different bird, not a part of the chicken. Lucky for all of you, this cut of chicken is super simple to explain. So whether you call these chicken Capons, or boneless chicken thighs, this is an absolutely delicious and crowd pleasing recipe.

I made this recipe for my sister’s Sheva Brachos Party a while back, and it got rave reviews. I also made it loads of times before, and yet this is the first time I forced myself to measure everything and share it here. Convinced yet? This chicken is not only delicious, but it freezes wonderfully, which makes this a perfect do-ahead holiday meal!

Note: not all butchers stock boneless thighs, AKA Capons, but try asking, many will make them special for you. If you can’t get them, you can use this as a stuffing in any chicken recipe. Watch the cooking time though, as other cuts and bones will vary the cooking times.

Pastrami Stuffed Chicken (Capons)

Ingredients:

5 boneless chicken thighs, skin on

for the filling:

Oil, for frying
2-3 onions, finely diced
6 ounces pastrami, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 egg
Salt, pepper and paprika, to taste.

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the diced onions and sauté for about half an hour. Add the pastrami and continue to sauté over a low flame for at least a half hour, preferably longer. (You can leave this on the flame while you do other things. The longer it cooks the more flavor it will have, and it’s pretty low maintenance.)
Once the onions are golden brown and the pastrami has shrunk, remove the mixture from heat. Add the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir to combine. Add the egg and mix until the mixture forms a slightly sticky and cohesive mixture.
Preheat oven to 350.
Stuff some of the mixture into the center of the chicken thigh, and roll the chicken around it to form a roll. If desired, place some of the stuffing between the skin and the meat.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika (to taste) over the chicken. Cover the pan tightly and bake at 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Uncover the chicken and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve hot. Slice for the pretty stuffing factor, or serve whole for a surprise!

Enjoy!

How is everyone’s Sukkot cooking coming along? Mine is in full swing as my freezer fills up. Hope you’ll include this awesome chicken on your menu! Inspire me folks- what are you making? -Miriam

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Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Healthy, Main Courses, Seasonal, Super-Easy, tagged , , , , , , on August 20, 2012 | 12 Comments »

In my head, there’s a whole post written up about how this may not be a very fancy or creative recipe, but I wanted to share it anyway, because this is my absolute favorite, go-to recipe for grilled chicken. But I am still recovering somewhat from this nasty combination of a cold, cough, strep and a sinus infection, so the whole complicated post isn’t going to be written. (You might have also noticed that I didn’t post a Photography Friday post, for similar reasons.) Instead, I am going to say very simply that this recipe is delicious. It’s super easy to make. It’s totally versatile. I cut this chicken up into little cubes and make a salad, or make a sandwich with the chicken and some creamy basil dip and some good bread. You can do it on the barbecue grill, broiler or indoor grill.

Anyway, summer is going, and I wanted to share this delicious chicken with you. Assuming I am up to it, I am going to post some more summer recipes- gotta hang on to summer, right?

Herb Marinated Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

1-2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Instructions:

Place chicken in a small bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and set aside to marinate. The longer you marinate the chicken, the better the flavor will be.

Grill Chicken on a hot grill or broiler until just starting to brown and cooked through. Be careful not to over-cook it, or the chicken will be dry.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned- I have a fabulous cookie recipe coming up! -Miriam

 

Click to see the Kosher Connection Grilling Recipe Linkup

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Grilled Vegetable and Pesto Panini

Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Dairy, Healthy, Main Courses, Seasonal, Super-Easy, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2012 | 7 Comments »

As a food blogger and recipe developer (does saying that make me sound pretentious? Cause I’m totally not pretentious, but I do have a baking column in a magazine and my mother likes to call me a professional food writer and food photographer which may or may not be getting to my head a bit.)

Let’s start over.

As someone who writes recipes, I often wonder what the line is between basic cooking instructions and a recipe. Take last night’s supper for example. I found a nice looking zucchini in my veggie bin, so I sliced it, tossed it with some olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and minced garlic and stuck it on my grill with a chicken breast. Voila- supper. Let’s be honest though- does anyone need a recipe for that? Does anyone actually measure out the salt before tossing it on their zucchini?

So obviously that is super basic, but what about the things that are just a bit more complicated? When does something cross the line over to the “recipe” department and deserve to be written up into its own awesome little post?

I think this sandwich is very borderline. I actually measured it, which was difficult for me, because things like this aren’t usually measured. At least by me. If you need measurements, go ahead. If you’re like me, ignore them and just make something in the general direction of this sandwich. Either way, it’s delicious and you can’t go wrong!

Remember how I posted that delicious basil pesto recipe a couple of weeks ago? Well go make that first, then come back here and make this. Watch out though, you might get obsessed with this like I did.

Grilled Vegetable and Pesto Panini

Ingredients:
1 vegetable such as onion, zucchini or a bunch of mushrooms (or some of each!)
Spray oil
Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices of bread, whole wheat works great
4 Tablespoons basil pesto
1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used good old fashioned mozzarella)

Instructions:
To grill the vegetables: Heat your panini press (or Sandwich maker!) and spray with oil. Slice the vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on your panini machine until the vegetables reach desired done-ness. Remove from machine.

To make Panini: Spread a tablespoon of pesto on each slice of bread. Form sandwiches with half of the grilled vegetables and half of the cheese on each. Grill on medium until lightly browned.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Thank you folks for stopping by! I hope to post the pictures of the big party from last week, so stay tuned. Also, *teaser alert* there is going to be a new series starting on this blog soon, so stay tuned! -Miriam

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