Mediterranean Stuffed Potato Dumplings With Mushroom Cream Sauce Food

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED POTATO DUMPLINGS WITH MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and basil in a bowl, set aside.
• Place potatoes in a large covered microwave safe bowl. Microwave for six minutes or until potatoes are very soft, cool to room temperature. Add eggs to bowl, beat mixture until potatoes and eggs are well combined. Add salt, pepper and spinach, continue beating. Slow down mixer, or stir in flour and parmesan cheese to create stiff dough.
• Divide dough into 10 balls; flatten into ¼ "thick circles. Place cheese filling in the middle of each circle. Pinch edges up around filling to create a ball, roll in palms to smooth.
• Fill a large pot half way with water, bring to a gentle boil. Add dumplings, cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove each dumpling from water with a slotted spoon.
• Using medium high heat in a heavy skillet, add diced bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon, and all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings from pan. Add onion to skillet, cook until onion is softened. Add mushrooms to pan and continue to cook for additional four minutes or until mushrooms are browned around edges and cooked through. Add cream to pan. Cook until cream is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Salt to taste.
• To assemble place dumpling on plate, cover with sauce. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and diced chives. Great served as a side dish, or even as a main course!

CHICKEN WITH MOREL CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse dry morels & place in small bowl.
• Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over top& soak for 1/2 hour.
• Cut the chicken into 8 pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 half brests); reserve wings & backs for making stock or soup.
• Melt butter in heavy frying pan over medium heat.
• Add chicken pieces & cook until golden on each side (about 5- 8 minutes).
• Remove to plate, season to taste & keep warm.
• Discard fat in pan, then add sherry & scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• Boil until the sherry is reduced by half.
• Drain the liquid from the soaking mushrooms through a fine sieve (to remove any grit) into the frying pan.
• Add the cream & bring to a boil; simmer for 3 minutes.
• Cut the soaked morels into halves or quarters (depending on their size) and add to pan.
• Return chicken to pan & cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered.
• Clean the fresh mushrooms, add to the pan, cover & cook for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
• Garnish with parsley.

PASTA WITH MUSHROOM-THYME CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• **Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms while the mushrooms brown.
• Bring large pot of water to boil (4 quarts water).
• Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over med-high heat; add in white mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
• While mushrooms cook, pureed rehydrateed porcini mushrooms, 1 cup reserved porcini liquid, half-and-half, soy sauce, thyme, and cornstarch in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Stir shallot into saucepan with mushrooms; cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in sherry and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.
• Briefly re-blend porcini mixture to dissolve cornstarch; then stir into saucepan and simmer until thickened, about 2 mintues.
• Remove sauce from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; cook, stirring often, until al dente.
• Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta and return to pot.
• Stir sauce into pasta and add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen sauce; serve immediately.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS, WITH POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except the celery, cream and dumplings into a large pot, bring to just a boil and reduce heat to a very slow simmer. A bigger chicken will require a little more water.
• Cover and simmer very slow for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until chicken is falling apart and a rich broth is produced.
• Carefully remove chicken to a platter and allow to cool enough to separate the meat from the bone, cartilage and skin. Be sure to remove all chicken parts from the broth.
• Optional-I like to place the bones back into the broth and simmer slowly, covered for another hour then remove or strain broth through a colander, this is optional but will richen the broth.
• After making sure all bones and chicken parts are removed from pot, tear chicken meat into course pieces and place back into pot.
• Add celery and simmer until the celery is almost done, about 15 or 20 minutes. Add cream and stir.
• Make the dumplings, mix dry ingredients, shred potato to 3/4 cup softly packed, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, add to dry ingredients and mix well with a fork. (I like fairly dense dumplings, for fluffier dumplings add 1 teaspoon more baking powder.).
• Add the milk and butter, mix until just blended, sometimes because of the potato I have to add a tablespoon or so of more flour, you want biscuit dough consistency.
• Drop by spoonful into the soup, remember they will swell a bit, about double.
• Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, check the dumplings, you may need additional time for the potato to cook (just 4 or 5 minutes), taste a dumpling, there should be no crunchy raw potato.
• If the pot becomes overcrowded with dumplings, stop and place dough covered in the refrigerator, after serving you can replenish the soup with dumplings for seconds or leftovers.
• Add ins - 1 cup of diced carrots may be added in right before the celery if wished. 1/2 cup of sweet peas may also be added right before the dumplings, then you have Deluxe Chicken and Dumplings.

POTATO DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Boil potatoes and put through ricer.
• Let cool.
• Add eggs, spices and salt, beat well.
• Roll into balls the size of golf balls.
• Drop in boiling salted water to cover.
• Simmer 20 minutes.
• Lift out.
• Brown onion and bread crumbs in butter.
• Sprinkle crumb mixture over dumplings.