Pork Or Chicken Rolls With Fontina And Asparagus Food

FONTINA ROLLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a bowl, mix the first six ingredients; stir in 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and the remaining salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, toss bread crumbs with paprika., Carefully pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread cheese mixture over chicken. Roll up chicken from a short side; secure with toothpicks., Dip chicken in egg, then coat with crumbs. Place in a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan, seam side down. Drizzle tops with oil., Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink. Let stand 5 minutes; discard toothpicks before serving.

FRITTATA WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATO, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the tomato and a pinch of salt and saute 2 minutes longer. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate.

ASPARAGUS-STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the seasonings; set aside. Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of pork tenderloin to within 1/2 in. of bottom. Open so meat lies flat; cover with plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/4-in. thickness. Remove plastic; sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon seasoning mix over meat. , In a large skillet, bring water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain asparagus and immediately place in ice water; drain and pat dry. Place asparagus lengthwise over tenderloin. , Fold meat over asparagus, starting with a long side, and secure with kitchen string. Sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°, turning occasionally. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

ASPARAGUS AND CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus; cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Drain and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking; drain and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Roll out the puff pastry into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, mix the fontina, comte, shallot, egg yolks, milk, nutmeg and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange the asparagus on the tart and bake until the cheese mixture is slightly puffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C.
• Lay out the sheets of puff pastry. They will defrost while you prepare the chicken.
• Cut the chicken breast into long strips. You will need half a large chicken breast or half a medium chicken breast plus the tenderloin from the other half.
• Sprinkle the stock powder over the chicken. I use an organic vegetable stock but use whatever you have. I have tried soy sauce but it makes the chicken too wet. Dry ingredients are better and light flavours don't overpower the asparagus. Add a grind or two of black pepper and a good pinch of salt. Make sure all the chicken is coated with some seasoning.
• Drain the asparagus well. Tinned/canned asparagus works really well in this recipe.
• The pastry should be defrosted enough to be able to cut the sheets in half. Cut each sheet in half to give you 10 strips.
• Put asparagus spears down the middle of each strip. Then lay a strip of chicken beside the asparagus.
• Beat an egg lightly and then brush some eggwash along the cut in the middle of the sheet of pastry.
• With a sheet in front of you with the cut going left to right (not up and down), take the edge near you and fold it over the chicken and asparagus. Use the folded edge to shove the filling nearer to you until it is tucked around the filling quite tightly.
• Now roll up the pastry to the eggwash and make sure the cut edge stays on the bottom of the roll.
• Brush the top with egg and sprinkle plenty of sesame seeds on top.
• Cut into 6 pieces.
• Repeat for the other 9 strips to give you 60 little bites.
• Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the pastry is cooked through. The chicken will cook in this time and will still be moist and tasty.
• Take the rolls off the baking tray and cool slightly on a wire rack. Then serve warm or leave on the rack and serve cold. They are equally good warm or cold. They can be reheated but, like all pastry dishes, are better freshly baked.
• The rolls in the photograph I have posted were made with a low-fat puff pastry. As expected, they haven't puffed up as much as usual pastry but still tasted good. Let's face it, pastry is never going to be a low-fat food so you may as well enjoy it but just not eat it all the time. I'll be going back to the usual next time. 14/12/07 - Edited to add an updated photo of rolls made with regular puff pastry. Also, I increased the amount of chicken.
• Note: put the sesame seeds in a dish and discard any that you don't use. They could be contaminated by the chicken so you don't want to put them back in the bag.

CHICKEN AND PORK EGG ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large nonstick wok, stir-fry the cabbage, celery, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and onions in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the chicken, pork, broth, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until heated through., Position an egg roll wrapper with one point toward you. Place about 1/4 cup meat mixture in the center. Fold bottom corner over filling; fold sides toward center over filling. Roll toward the remaining point. Moisten top corner with beaten egg; press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling., In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels., In a saucepan, combine the first five sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into boiling mixture. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve warm with egg rolls.

PORK OR CHICKEN ROLLS WITH FONTINA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Slip in the asparagus, and blanch until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Run the asparagus under cold water and pat dry. Bring the chicken stock to simmer in a small pot, then add the dried porcini and remove from heat. Let soak.
• Slice the pork crosswise into twelve slices. Pound the pork slices to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Season the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lay the pork on your work surface, and evenly divide the tomato strips on top, lining them along the longer side of the pork slice. Put an asparagus spear on each slice, and cut to fit on the meat. Divide the fontina evenly among the pork slices, and sprinkle with the parsley. Roll up the pork snugly around the asparagus, tomato, and cheese, tucking the ends in, to enclose the filling. Close each roll with a toothpick or two.
• Drain the porcini from the broth, reserving the soaking liquid, and coarsely chop. Spread the flour on a rimmed plate. Dredge the pork rolls in the flour, tapping off the excess. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the pork rolls and brown on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the browned rolls to a plate.
• Toss the sage leaves into the Dutch oven. When the sage is sizzling, add the sliced fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté until the mushrooms are browned and softened, about 6 minutes. Pour the white wine into the Dutch oven with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil, and let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes; then pour in the porcini soaking liquid. Bake the pork, uncovered, until cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes. If the pork is cooked but the sauce is too thin, remove the pork to a plate and reduce the sauce on the stovetop. Remove toothpicks before serving.