It's Wednesday. So What's Cooking?

Mock Chicken Legs and all the Fixings

Today we have an elegant dinner with marvelous flavors that’s easy to prepare. On a tight schedule? Most of this meal can be assembled in advanced. Look for the ** in the instructions to see the stopping point, then continue cooking on the day you serve it.

Mock Chicken Legs
Twice Baked Potatoes
Blanched Fresh Green Beans
Sautéed Mushrooms
Crescent Rolls – Pillsbury tend to be the flakiest
Dry White Wine – Chardonnay or Riesling

Mock Chicken Legs
Use equal amounts of the three meats. If you are anti-veal, the beef and pork alone are still great.
1 lb. veal shoulder cut into 2” cubes
1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into 2” cubes
1 lb. beef Eye of Round, or other high quality roast, cut into 2” cubes
3 eggs
1 ½ cups seasoned bread crumbs
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Olive oil
Skewers about 6” – 7” in length

Alternate the meat cubes as you skewer them. Set aside on waxed paper. I suggest you make extras and freeze them for future use.

** Stop here. Lay the skewers on a cookie sheet. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate.

On the day of serving, combine eggs and pepper in a flat bowl. Dip the skewers, one at a time, into the mixture. Roll in the bread crumbs then set them back onto the waxed paper.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat ½” olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil shimmers, carefully put in a few of the skewers and brown well on all sides. As they are cooked set them into a baking dish, stacking the skewers is fine.
Cover the dish and bake for 1-1 ½ hours or until fork tender.

Do NOT add any liquid to the meat. It will produce its own fantastic sauce.

Twice Baked Potatoes
Baking potatoes 1 per person
Cheddar cheese grated – I prefer Sargento’s Extra Sharp Cheddar
Olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Sour cream
Paprika

The amounts of the ingredients are left up to your taste, but don’t be sparing if you want great flavor.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Wash potatoes under cool water. Rub the skins with a little olive oil, then make a small slit across their tops. Lay on a cookie sheet. Bake about an hour or until a toothpick can be easily inserted.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the butter, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

When potatoes are tender, slice them in half, then scoop out the pulp onto the above mixture. Be careful not to rip the skins. Whip the mixture well.

Refill the shells and set them back on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color.

**Stop here. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for the next day. Remove from the refrigerator at least one hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 325°. Discard cling wrap and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

Blanched Fresh Green Beans
3 lbs. green string beans, trimmed
6 quarts water
3 tbsp. butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring the water to a full boil in a large pot. Drop the beans in by the handful. Return water to a boil, reduce the heat to moderate and boil the beans uncovered for 8 to 12 minutes or until they are just tender. Drain in a colander.

If the beans are to be served immediately, melt the butter in the cooking pot and toss the beans for a minute or two. Season with pepper, then transfer the beans to a heated dish and serve.

**If serving the beans later, refresh them after draining by plunging the colander into a large pot of cold water for a minute or two. Drain thoroughly, cover and set aside. Refrigerate if they are to be used the next day. When ready to serve, melt the butter, toss beans, and warm them over moderate heat.

Sautéed Mushrooms
1 lb. Baby Portobello mushrooms
Olive oil
Small onion sliced thin
2 tbs. Butter
Dry vermouth or white wine
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Slice in half if medium, cut into thirds if large.

Over medium heat dribble a small amount of olive oil into a medium sized frying pan and add the butter. Toss in the sliced onions and mushrooms. Sauté until almost tender.

Pour a small amount of vermouth or white wine over the mushrooms and continue to heat.

To serve, grind pepper across the top and spoon into a warm serving dish.

This dish is best cooked and served on the same day.

I'll be back Friday with more writing tips. Until then...

Bon Appetite!

Sloane Taylor
www.sloanetaylor.com