The Art of Cooking in New Brighton

Ah, news of me and my amateur palate is spreading. When finding out about this blog, a colleague of mine gave me a cook book that the lovely ladies from the church of his home town in New Brighton, PA created. It features fun recipes from Eastern Europe, and his Croatian grandmother contributed a few.

I received permission to share one recipe on An Amateur's Palate, courtesy of my colleague's grandmother.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Sour Cream
2 1/2 or 3 lb. whole spring chicken, cut or already cut selected choice pieces.
1 c. of diced onions
1/2 c. shortening (or butter)
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black or white pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper-optional
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 tsp. marjoram

Saute onions in shortening. Add cut chicken, salt and pepper. Fry slowly covered for about 1/2 hour. Add diced green pepper and saute all for 10 minutes. Add paprika, cayenne pepper, marjoram and sour cream. Keep uncovered and fry 10 more minutes. If you desire you may add about a 1/2 c. more or less of boiling water for gravy.

Give it a try, and let me know how it turns out.

This blog write-up is dedicated to Daryl G. Grecich (1966-2011).

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Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is one of the most popular dishes in Filipino cuisine. The recipe to make it is also one of the most versatile, which the New York Times so eloquently reported earlier this month.

So, I thought I’d share my version of the dish, which I learned from my mother. It’s salty, sweet and sour—encompassing all the typical flavors of Filipino food. Here it is:

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 of a yellow onion

1 cup of water

3/4 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of white vinegar

2 bay leaves

4-5 large chicken breasts

1 tsp. of sugar

Sauté the onion and garlic until they sweat. Then, in high heat, put in the water, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves and sugar. Gently place the chicken breasts in the pan. When the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for 45 minutes. Do not stir or mix the liquid while it’s cooking.

You’ll know the dish is finished when the liquid turns cloudy and the chicken is cooked. It’s best when it’s served the next day with white rice.

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Recipes to Make Brussels Sprouts Palatable

Brussels sprouts are probably the most disliked vegetable around. And I don’t blame anyone for thinking this. How can one possibly salivate over something that exhibits such a strong, bitter, cabbage-like taste?

Yet it’s hard to ignore how good this vegetable is for the body. It’s rich in fiber, folic acid and vitamins A and C. It also contains a lot of sinigrin, which is believed to protect the body against colon cancer.

So, to ensure that you don’t miss the great nutrients brussels sprouts have to offer, I’ve included three recipes for you to try. Hopefully this will help make your sprout consumption more enjoyable.

Choux de Bruxelles Sautes

Since it was the French who first brought brussels sprouts to America (settlers planted them in Louisiana), let’s start with a simple recipe I learned from the country’s guide I Know How To Cook.

First, remove any wilted leaves and cut off the hard-to-chew ends. Boil them in salted water for about five minutes. In a separate pan, turn the burner on high heat and melt the butter. Throw the cooked sprouts in the pan and cook until it is browned. Afterwards, season the sprouts with salt and pepper and add more butter to top it off.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Do you remember the MTV VJ Karen Duffy? I recently bought her cookbook for $1 from the Strand Bookstore. She offers easy-to-make dishes for beginners and has a great recipe for brussels sprouts. The recipe also includes bacon, garlic and olive oil.

Cook the bacon until it is crisp and set it to the side. Steam the sprouts for about seven minutes. Once they’re done, cut them into smaller pieces. Afterwards, put the sprouts, bacon and garlic cloves into a baking dish. Pour a bit of olive oil over them and toss the ingredients to make sure everything is coated evenly. Afterwards, roast them in the oven for about half an hour.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

My friend Shaina Kohanzadeh is a health nut and always finds ways to ensure that her meals are packed with nutrients. In fact, she created a salad for lunch that uses brussels sprouts instead of lettuce.

Boil the sprouts until they are cooked, and cool them afterwards. Once they are cooled, chop them up into small pieces. Add canned tuna, tomatoes and avocado to the mix. Dress the salad with either Dijon mustard or balsamic vinaigrette; both work well for this dish.

Let me know how these work out for you. And if you have any recipes of your own, please feel free to share!

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