Cooking
For
College
The Collected Recipes for the Class of 2014
To:
Toby
Baylea
Ronise
Kaelin
Alexander
Bernard
and
Zach
May your kitchens be filled with laughter, love, and fresh herbs.
Ms. Seifert
Homemade Tortilla Chips
Preheat oven to 400
Stale tortillas, corn or flour
Olive oil (or nonstick cooking spray)
Kosher salt
Optional: seasoning blends, like chili powder or cumin
Stack tortillas and cut in half, then each half in thirds, yielding 6 triangles per tortilla. Brush a cookie sheet lightly with olive oil, and spread the triangles evenly. Brush each tortilla very lightly with olive oil (a pastry brush is good for this), then sprinkle with salt, about a teaspoon for a trayful. Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, watching carefully for the edges to brown; remove from oven, turn over chips, and return to the oven until they are the desired browned color, about another 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and dust with additional seasonings while still warm, if you like.
Tortilla Chicken Soup
4 - 6 servings.
(My alterations to a recipe from Texas on a Plate)
6 white corn tortillas, plus two more
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, or regular, diced tomatoes
6 tomatillos, papery shells removed
1 serrano pepper
1 fresh pasillapepper (or three dried ones, to add later) or poblano
vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish.
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup corn kernels
shredded cooked meat of one half of a roast chicken, skin removed
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado, diced
limes to garnish
Cut 6 tortillas into thin strips, then fry briefly in hot oil until golden. Drain and set aside. Reserve two tortillas without frying them.
Heat oven to 400. Roast tomatillos, peppers, and diced tomatoes (if not fire roasted type), drizzled lightly with oil, until beginning to blister, about 20 minutes.
While roasting veggies, saute onion in a soup pot until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic, cumin, and chile powder. Stir in the roasted veggies, breaking them up with a spoon. Add the broth and cilantro. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the onion is merged into the broth, about 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender or food processor to process the soup with 2 plain, unfriedcorn tortillas. Return to pot, bring back to a simmer, and add the corn and cooked chicken until warmed through. Taste for needed salt and pepper. Serve the chicken soup over a handful of crisp tortilla strips, sprinkle with cheese, and garnish with chunks of avocado, cilantro, and a wedge of lime. Good with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, too.
(If you use dried pasillos instead of a roasted fresh one, remove seeds, slice very thinly, saute lightly, and add to the broth with the shredded chicken. They are mild and add a sweetness to the dish.)
Made this Nov. 1, 2013 with cooking class and came home and redid it my way, as shown above. Tomatillos and ground corn tortilla made a big difference to the heft and balance of the soup.
Chicken and Dumplings
(Ms. Seifert’s Personal Recipe)
4-6 servings
olive oil
1 1/2 lb. skinned chicken pieces, mix of white and dark meat (can leave on bone or use boneless thighs/breasts, but increase total amount to 2 lbs if start with bone-in pieces)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces, about 2 inches long
1 very large onion, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 large stalks of celery, cut into large pieces, about 2 inches.
1 can cream of celery or cream of chicken soup, reduced sodium and fat
1 bay leaf
2 quarts low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoonfresh thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
parsley stalk
freshly ground black pepper
* * *
For dumplings:
2 cups Bisquick
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or celery leaves or mix of fresh minced herbs like dill, etc
2/3 cup evaporated skim milk (or regular milk)
paprika
In large stew pot, brown chicken in about 1 T olive oil; remove and set aside. Saute the onion in the pot until deeply golden. Add carrots, celery, garlic and let them begin to brown. Return chicken and accumulated juices to the pot; add remaining ingredients through pepper, cover, bring to a boil and then reduce heat; let simmer, covered, over low heat until chicken is very tender, about 45 min. to an hour.
Remove chicken from pot and debone if necessary. Remove limp parsley stalk. Cut or shred chicken into large chunks, return to pot, put on low heat. Mix Bisquick with parsley (or celery leaves and other fresh herbs) and milk; drop dough onto chicken by large rounded tablespoons, covering the stock mixture. Let dumplings cook, uncovered over low heat, for ten minutes. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and cover pot and let cook another ten minutes; do not lift the lid during the second 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Freezes well, although dumplings will break up a bit. The key to deep flavor is letting each stage begin to caramelize, and deglazing the pan with the chicken browning bits.
Hot Egg Pockets
Per serving:
Cooking spray
One egg
¼ teaspoon butter
salt
1 flour tortilla
about ½ oz. of cheese, such as shredded cheddar
salsa, if you like.
Coat a small skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium (not high) for about a minute, then add the bit of butter. When it foams, break an egg gently into the center of the pan. Sprinkle with a few grains of salt. Let the egg cook over medium heat until the white is set and the top begins to go white. You can add a teaspoon of water and cover immediately to set the egg faster. When the egg has gone white over the top, gently nudge to the side and lay the tortilla in the pan and put the egg onto one side of the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and gently fold the tortilla over the egg, into a half moon shape. Coat the top of the tortilla lightly with cooking spray. You can rest your spatula on it to hold the tortilla in place. When the bottom has crisped, gently flip it over to crisp the other side, for about 30 seconds- 1 minute. Resist the urge to turn up the heat! Serve with your favorite salsa.
The Freshest Tomato Basil Soup Evuhhhhh
2 28-oz. [the big guys] cans diced or whole tomatoes, seeded
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium sweet onion, like Vidalia or Texas Sweets, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (like pizza garnishing peppers)
1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup cream or half and half
fresh basil leaves to taste (3-5 leaves to start)
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Drain the tomatoes but save the liquid.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to turn golden, about 5-7 minutes. Add the drained tomatoes, brown sugar, and tomato paste, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Don’t rush this stage.
Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly stir in the tomato liquid and the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add basil leaves and cream, and puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender in batches (be careful because the steam can cause the lid to blow as it is turned on – only fill ½ full at a time, and cover with a towel and hold in place). Taste and add salt, pepper and cayenne, no more than ¼ tsp at a time, to taste.
This freezes well. To make a heartier meal, brown a chicken sausage, dice it up, and toss on top.
Homemade Pizza Crust
for 3 12-inch thin crust pizzas
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the counter (you can use bread flour too, which is preferred in this recipe, but I never buy it)
1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) instant, rapid-rise yeast [check the date on it]
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¾ cups warm like a nice bath (not hot) water; hot water will kill the yeast
If you have a food processor, pulse 4 cups of the flour with the yeast and salt and then, with blade running, pour in the oil and enough water through the feed tube until a rough ball forms, about 30-40 seconds. Let the dough rest 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 5 minutes, adding the remaining ¼ cup as needed to keep it from sticking. Put the ball in a bowl oiled lightly with olive oil and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. (Or put in the fridge covered in plastic wrap and forget about it until the next day. It’ll be fine. 2 days, even better.)
[If you don’t have a food processor, mix 4 c. flour, salt, yeast in a large bowl. Add the oil and water and use a large spatula to stir until it comes together and looks shaggy. Turn it out onto a floured counter and knead 5-10 minutes by hand, adding a bit more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Here’s a video that shows you the kneading technique.
Shape into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap to rise in a warm place.]
When you are ready to make a pizza, let the dough come to room temp if it’s been in the fridge, and shape into thin crusts using a rolling pin on parchment paper. You can make them personal size, as thick or thin as you like. My experience is that this dough works best with a crust that’s about ¼ inch thick when newly rolled.
Super Fast and Easy Pizza Sauce
This is so much better than anything in a jar:
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Optional: ¼ teaspoon fennel seed or red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
Heat oil in a small pot. Add garlic and let cook about 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. [NEVER USE BURNED GARLIC. It’s super bitter. Start over.] Add tomatoes, fennel or red pepper. Cook about 15 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
When ready to assemble, spread thinly on raw pizza crust, then add toppings. Don’t overdo or the crust will get soggy.
Makuh Me A ThinnahPizza
Oven: AS HOT AS YOU CAN GET IT. Max it out on the bake setting, but do not put the setting on broil. If you can go 550, do so. If you have a pizza stone, put it on the center rack and let it get hot for at least 25 minutes.
Roll out pizza dough on a sheet of parchment paper [don’t forget:this is NOT wax paper] to about ¼ inch thick. It will be springy and difficult the more you work it. It willrelaaaaaaaaax when you stop working it and let it sit. It will also continue to rise.
Spread a thin layer of sauce, using the back of a spoon to smooth it out, leaving the 1/3 inch edge at the circumference unsauced. Then add your favorite blend of cheeses like shredded mozzarella and shaved parmesan. Don’t go too thick on this crust. That’s another pizza, another day, a different cooking class, a different city – specifically, Chicago. Above the cheese goes any layer of meat, then very thinly sliced veggies. Again, here’s the order:
- Crust
- Sauce
- Cheese
- Meat (best to use precooked)
- Veggies like very thinly sliced fresh peppers, onions, mushrooms
- Olives
- Extra herbs
- Sprinkles of olive oil
- Dash of dried herbs, like oregano or Italian seasong(use sparingly – a little goes a long way)
Once assembled, use a flat cookie sheet as your slide to move your parchment from the counter to the pizza stone. You can also bake the parchment on the cookie sheet.
Watch it carefully. Depending on how much you have loaded on it, it can take 5-15 minutes.
Creamy Potato and Sweet Onion Soup
Ms. Seifert’s Original
Makes about 10 dinner size bowls; easy to half it
3 lbs. potatoes, preferably Yukon Golds and/or medium sized reds, approx. equal weights each, peeled
3 lbs. sweet onions, such as Mayans, Vidalia or Texas 1016s, peeled
4 carrots, peeled but left whole
1 large stalk celery, cut into 4 big chunks
1 large sprig fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried
large sprig parsley
1 large clove garlic, mashed but intact as one piece
3 juniper berries (optional, but really good)
fresh black pepper
salt
White sauce base for soup:
3 cups lowfat milk (canned skim condensed may be used in part for added richness)
3 T flour
3 T butter
2-4 cups potato water reserved from cooking (see below)
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Optional: 6 oz. lean ham, medium dice, browned in a bit of olive oil, as garnish
Roughly cut potatoes and onions into large chunks equal to about ½ of a red potato in size. Place all veggies, thyme, parsley, garlic, juniper in a large pot, just cover with cold water. Grate about 2 teaspoons pepper into pot, add about 1 T salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 25 minutes. Carefully drain cooked vegetables so that the cooking liquid (the potato water) is reserved. Remove herb sprigs, garlic, juniper berries, and celery and discard. Carefully remove cooked whole carrots and dice, set aside. Mash the remaining potato and onion mixture well with a hand masher so that no large onion pieces remain. It is not necessary to make it extremely smooth. Set aside while making white sauce.
White sauce: scald the milk (in microwave works fine, or on stove top) just until skim begins to appear on surface. Melt the butter in a large pot, and when it bubbles, whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat to create a roux, until the mixture begins to brown. Whisk in the hot milk in stages, stirring well. Allow to thicken over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. This will take 5 to 8 minutes or so. Reduce heat to very low, and the white sauce to the potato and onions. Then whisk in as much of the reserved potato water to reach the desired consistency. If you accidentally add too much, let it simmer until reduced, on low heat, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn the soup, as the bottom will scorch easily. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. To finish, stir in diced cooked carrots and parsley, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Soup may be made ahead and kept warm in the oven on low heat.
Serve with diced sautéed ham as a garnish, grated cheese, croutons or crustini (good with butter, garlic and mixed herbs).
Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 6 to 8
1 / packagerefrigerator biscuits OR PREPARE YOUR OWN PIE CRUST or USED A FROZEN PREPARED CRUSTTable salt
4 / tablespoonsunsalted butter
1 / medium onion, minced
1 / ribcelery, chopped fine
1/4 / cupall-purpose flour
1/8 / teaspooncayenne pepper
2 3/4 / cupslow-sodium chicken broth
1/2 / cuphalf-and-half or cream
2 / teaspoonschopped fresh thyme leaves
1 / (10-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
1 / rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into large bite-sized pieces (4 cups)
4 / teaspoonslemon juice
Ground black pepper
1. Remove biscuits from package, place on baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt. Bake according to package instructions. OR prepare a pie crust, roll out on parchment, and set aside while you prepare the filling.
2. FILLING: Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is light brown, about 6 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth, cream, and thyme and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetables, chicken, and lemon juice and simmer until vegetables and chicken are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Top with biscuits and serve. OR top with unbaked pie crust, poke with holes for steam, and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until crust is nicely browned.
Guacamole
(Ms. Seifert’s Recipe)
2 cloves of garlic
A fresh lime or two
3 ripe avocados; the best are the California or Mexican ones with the dark, bumpy skin
About 1/8 of a sweet onion, like a Vidalia, Texas Sweet, or even a red onion
One ripe tomato, or two smaller, ripe plum tomatoes
One small fresh jalapeno or if you like a lot of heat, Serrano, seeded and finely chopped