I love Sweet and Sour Chicken. OK, I like sweet and sour anything. Freaks me out a little to get it from a restaurant with a sauce that glows in the dark. I much prefer my own sweet and sour sauce. Once made it will keep for weeks and can be used whenever you get a taste for sweet and sour something. My version is pan fried, not deep fried and the chicken is rolled in cornstarch not coated in a thick batter. Play with the veggies you add to it. I added broccoli to the most recent batch I made.

 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

 

1/2 c. vinegar, I like cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

3 T. catsup

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. sherry

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. minced garlic

1-t. fresh grated ginger

Hot pepper flakes to taste

In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

   Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

 

1-2 lbs. boneless pork or chicken

1 egg

1 t. cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

1 t. soy sauce

Additional cornstarch for dredging

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1 sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice for sauce

1 recipe sweet and sour sauce (see note)

 

Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch, salt and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge.

When ready to cook, heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté onions on high until tender. Add carrots and stir fry 3 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove to bowl and stir in pineapple. Dredge the meat in additional cornstarch and sauté in remaining oil until browned and when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Return vegetables to pan with meat and pour over sauce to desired amount.  Serve over rice or pasta. Makes 4-6 servings.

Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel) or make sauce just before using. You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.

 

 

 

For an Asian- inspired dinner I made this side dish that was pretty easy and tasty. It could also be a vegetarian main dish with the addition of nuts or tofu for protein. I cooked the pasta ahead of time so I just had to reheat it and toss it in once the veggies were ready. Made it easier with company over. The veggies I used were partially chosen because I had them on hand. Feel free to add or subtract other veggies based on what you have and what you like.

 

Asian Veggies with Pasta

8-12 oz. angel hair pasta- I used whole wheat

oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, trimmed, sliced and washed well

2 carrots, peeled and cut into “sticks”

2 c. chopped cabbage

1 c. sliced celery

1-2 c. chopped sweet peppers- I had mini sweet peppers and sliced them into rings

2 c. kale, washed, blanched and chopped

1 can straw mushrooms, drained

1/4 c. vegetarian oyster sauce*

1/4 c. sweet and sour sauce

soy sauce to taste

a handful of cashews, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside. It’s personal preference but I broke the angel hair pasta in half  to make it easier to eat. Heat oil in wok and stir-fry onions and leeks until wilted. Add carrots and cabbage and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Add celery and cook another 2-3 minutes then add the peppers, mushrooms and kale and stir-fry until veggies are heated through.  Add hot pasta and sauces and heat through adjusting seasonings to your own taste.  Sprinkle with cashews, if using. Serves 4-6.

* Vegetarian Oyster Flavored Sauce is available at Asian markets and some grocery stores. If you can’t find it you can use hoisen sauce instead.

 

I will be teaching a class on Cooking with Herbs on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Kathleen Varga’s shop in Wadsworth. Here is what Kathleen wrote about it.  There will be plenty to sample and I will also be happy to answer your herb cooking and gardening questions. If you haven’t been to Kathleen’s shop yet this is a great chance to see all the amazing products she carries. Hope to see you there.

Saturday, March 9, 2013, 9:00 – 10:30
COOKING WITH HERBS.  $15.00
Judi Strauss, herb, gardening and cooking expert and
author will show us how to enhance the simplest of
foods using herbs and spices, and reduce salt usage
at the same time. Learn to cook with fresh and dried
herbs, and how to blend flavors.  Buying, drying,
storing and growing herbs will be covered. Judi’s
enchanting cookbook, The Charmed Kitchen, will be
available, as well as, her many other gardening and
cookbooks. Come hungry.  Judi will be preparing
some of her easy and tasty recipes. $15.00 fee is
payable to Judi Strauss.  Please call to secure your
place.  You won’t want to miss this! 330-604-0932
Crooked River Herb Farm
1719 Reimer Rd., Wadsworth, OH 44281

Phone: 330-604-0932

MAP TO SHOP:
http://www.crookedriverherbfarm.net/contact-us.html

This is a very tasty and easy spread to make for a party. With the addition of carrots you’ll be getting some extra crunch, flavor and sweetness and eating more veggies, too. Serve with crackers or crunchy bread.

Carrot Spread

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
3 med. size carrots, grated
3 Green onions, sliced
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, optional
1/4 c. mayonnaise
Coarse black pepper & salt to taste

Soften cream cheese. Add to carrots, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt and mayonnaise. Chill until ready to serve.

I had a great time on Sunday teaching a class on cooking with root vegetables. Thanks to Bonnie Twaddle and the staff and volunteers at the Nature Center at the University of Mount Union. We had a sold out crowd and it was, as always, a pleasure to be there. One of the dishes I made was a beet dish created by my dear friend, Martha Shaw. Its an earthy blend of just a few simple ingredients but it taste really amazing. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. The potatoes absorb color from the beets making this a visually stunning dish.

Martha’s Beets

This is a recipe that my friend Martha made for us one chilly autumn afternoon. The amounts are random for a reason. Just use what you have- more or less and let the flavors blend together gently.

Oil

2 Onions, chopped

Potatoes, cut in big chunks, peeled, if desired

1 bunch beets, with greens*

Chicken or vegetable  stock

Parsley

Salt and pepper

Cook beets in boiling water for 20 minutes. Cool and slip off skins. Cut up larger beets, if desired. In large pot cook onions in oil until tender. Add potatoes and prepared beets with just enough stock to keep them from sticking. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile chop up the beet greens. Add them to the pot and stir in. Cover and continue cooking until greens are tender. Toss in fresh parsley and cook 5 minutes longer.

* If you can’t find beets with greens, or if you like more greens, you can also add red Swiss chard in place of the beet greens.

For Doughnut Daze this year I wanted to make a new doughnut. Having made a lot of chocolate beet cakes this summer I was inspired to incorporate beets into the recipe. The original red velvet cake was colored with beets, not red food coloring. This is what I came up with. A rich, sweet chocolate and beet doughnut that was a big hit. I hope you will think the same thing when you make them.

Red Velvet Doughnuts

3 3/4  c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

2t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 c. cooked, shredded beets

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla. Beat in milk and butter. Stir in dry ingredients and beets. Cover dough and chill 2 hours or longer. Roll chilled dough out and cut with a doughnut cutter. Heat oil in deep pan to 375-degrees. Fry doughnuts and holes for about a minute a side, or until golden brown. Turn to cook evenly  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar or glaze, if desired.

Cinnamon Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. cinamon

water

Combine sugar and cinnamon and add enough water to make a glaze for dipping the doughnuts.

 

 

Did a class last night in Mentor on Cooking with Herbs. In spite of the snow a number of people made it. We had several  tasty herb-laden dishes and finished off the evening with Lavender Shortbread. Its a favorite of mine and was a big hit in class, too. Simple to make – it is the basic shortbread recipe with added lavender blossoms. Such a small change and such a wonderful flavor. I grow my own lavender but if you don’t and are going to buy them- be sure to purchase blossoms that are safe for cooking. Some are sold for crafting purposes.

 

Lavender Shortbread

 1 c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 c. butter or margarine

4 c. flour

2-3 T. lavender blossoms

 

Cream together the one-cup of sugar and butter. Stir in the flour and lavender blossoms. Press mixture in to a greased 9×13 inch-baking dish. Cut or score into small squares, or on the diagonal for diamond shapes. Sprinkle with extra sugar and bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Re-cut the squares as soon as you remove the shortbread from the oven. Cool before removing from pan. Make about 100 small squares.

 

 

As promised I will post all the recipes from Doughnut Daze. New this year was a bacon doughnut I made for  my friend, Kim. I used a cake doughnut recipe and added cooked bacon to the dough. I also used a maple glaze to top them and then added candied bacon on top. Decadent, yes, but so good.

Bacon Doughnuts

3 1/4 c. flour

2t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 lb. bacon cooked, drained well and crumbled

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla. Beat in milk and butter. Stir in dry ingredients and bacon. Cover dough and chill 2 hours or longer. Roll chilled dough out and cut with a doughnut cutter. Heat oil in deep pan to 375-degrees. Fry doughnuts and holes for about a minute a side, or until golden brown. Turn to cook evenly  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar or glaze, if desired

Maple Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

maple syrup

Combine enough maple syrup with powdered sugar to make a medium thick glaze. Dip doughnuts in the glaze- place on rack to set up.

Candied Bacon

1/2- 1 lb. Thick- sliced bacon- chopped

1/2 c. brown sugar

Cook bacon in skillet until brown. Drain and return to skillet with the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and browns a little. Remove bacon to dish to cool. Sprinkle on freshly glazed doughnuts.

If you love caramel or Dulche le Leche you might like this super easy way to make it at home. All you need is a can or two of sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk), a big kettle with a wire rack that fits in it, water, a lid, a stove and some patience. I like to make a couple at a time. Once cooled they can go back to the cupboard until you are ready to open and use them.

 Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam)

This is the easiest way to make Dulce de Leche…the taste is pretty authentic and the work is almost completely eliminated!

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Place the can inside the pot on top of a wire rack. Add water to completely cover can, plus 1-2 more inches. Simmer, covered, for 4 hours, making sure the can is always completely covered with water…if not…there is an explosion! ! Leave the can to cool several hours and only then open it and serve. You will find the sweetened condensed milk is now a rich golden color and  has a rich, creamy texture.  Serve the golden-brown confection over flan, as a filling for crepes, cakes or just plain. For breakfast you can spread it on croissants, rolls or toast.

Note: The round wire racks used to cool cakes are a great fit for your kettle. If you don’t have one you can set the cans on a towel placed in the bottom of the pot. Just be VERY careful that the cans are not resting directly on the bottom of the kettle.

 

For my annual Doughnut Daze party I made a number of doughnuts. I will be posting the recipes as promised. The first one I want to share with you is a really simple one called Ricotta Fritters.The dough is simple to make, fries up quickly and after a dusting of powdered sugar they are ready to serve. Delicate and not too sweet they are a dessert you can have ready in no time.

Ricotta Fritters

4-6 c. oil for frying

3/4 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1-2 t. grated lemon peel

1 c. ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

3 T. sugar

2 t. vanilla

Powdered sugar for dusting

Heat oil to 370 degrees in heavy saucepan. While oil is heating combine dry ingredients with lemon peel  and set aside. Beat together cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in dry ingredients. Working in batches spoon batter by level tablespoonfuls into hot oil, turning occasionally until golden brown, about 3 minutes in all. transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Makes about 3 dozen.