Victuals

Mushrooms

More specifically Shiitake mushrooms were my choice for dinner last week. It all started with the mushrooms that I got with my CSA last week. I went to Crescent Bakery and got a nice multigrain bread. Long story short:

I diced some bacon from the Honor Family Market, real bacon that has been smoked, not doused in liquid smoke! I fried that bacon, added some onion to that and some garlic scapes, then the sliced mushrooms. When the bacon was done and the onions were soft and the mushrooms were still firm, I spread that on 1/2 inch thick slices of lightly toasted bread, sprinkled some kosher salt on it, topped it with shredded Parmesan and put under the broiler for a few minutes.

Serve with a nice fresh, green salad and some cold, sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or a nice cold beer.

Once again I have no pictures to show you, we have already devoured those scrumptious sandwiches

Pioneer Woman’s rolls.
May 5, 2009

I found the recipe on one of my favorite blogs:  “The Pioneer Woman” and this is where you can find the recipe
The ingredients are on this page
Now!  I messed around with things and I do not have measurements.  You’ll know when it’s right.  I used cherry jam, and dried cherries soaked in OJ, and used the best chocolate I could find.  Instead of the icing, which I made and didn’t like, I only used a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  So, so fantastic.  Oh, before baking, I brushed melted butter over the buns 😉

~~~

Sometime in late April

Ok, now I made another faux pas, I didn’t add bay leaves, I added sage. Where the heck did the “bay leaves” comment come from? and I wasn’t even drinking when I wrote that.
So, take the bayleaves out and put in the sage!!!

~ See below ~

In my haste, I just copied and pasted that recipe from the Swan.  I totally forgot to mention that I added my own twist on things (like I always do, I just can’t help myself)
I added a few fresh Bay Leaves, fresh Thyme and a tiny bit of fresh Rosemary to the pot.  It was a very subtle thing but oh sooooooo good.

Now that I put my stamp on this, is it still the Swan’s recipe or mine? 😛

Carolina Poulet Rouge

Ingredients:
1 Whole Poulet Rouge (substitute 3 Lbs. regular chicken)
3 Eggs (beaten)
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Dried Brown Eye Beans (substitute navy or great northern beans)
6 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Bunch Swiss Chard
2 Oz. Smoked Bacon
1 Yellow Onion (small diced)
1 Roma Tomato
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Method of Preparation:
Cover the beans with water by #” and let soak overnight. Render the bacon on low heat for 10 minutes or until it starts to crisp a little and fat starts coming out. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Remove the legs from the chicken and add to the pan. Drain the water off the beans and add to the pan. Cover with the chicken broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Do not add salt, it will prevent the beans from becoming soft. Once the beans are cooked through, you may season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken legs from the pot and discard. Add chopped swiss chard and diced roma tomatoes to the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes, add butter and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice.

Remove the breasts from the chicken, season with salt and pepper and roast at 350°F for 20 minutes. Let them rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 3 pieces.

Cut the thighs into 1″x1″ pieces. Dust the thighs with flour, dip in beaten eggs then in flour again. Fry in 350°F vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove the thighs from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

Presentation:
Place the pieces of chicken breast in a bowl, spoon the bean mixture around chicken with some of the liquid. Place a few pieces of the fried chicken in the bowl. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

**Poulet Rouge is a heritage chicken from Piedmont, North Carolina. The eggs are imported from France and the birds are raised on several small family farms, preventing overcrowding and preserving a true free-range environment. They are hormone/antibiotic free and grain fed with no animal by-products.

Poulet Rouge