Favorite food recipes Archives • Page 24 of 25 • The Traveling Epicurean

Stuffed Roulades of Chicken

January 6, 2017February 26, 2014 by Michel

Stuffed Roulades of Chicken

I serve these stuffed roulades of chicken sliced up on top of a roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée…the flavors are amazing together! Stuffing meats with vegetables and herbs makes a great presentation and people will think you worked a lot harder than you did. The stuffing in these chicken roulades is especially wonderful because the ingredients are all raw there isn’t any sautéing, . If you don’t like one of the ingredients in the stuffing you can easily substitute for something you do like. For instance, cilantro instead of basil, or diced artichoke hearts instead of olives or maybe swiss cheese instead of feta.

Ingredients:

2 large boneless chicken breasts (butterflied)
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup diced kalamata olives
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 garlic clove thru garlic press
1 Tbsp olive oil (for stuffing)
1 Tsp rice wine vinegar-“Seasoned” (comes “original” or “seasoned”-I always get the seasoned cause I like the flavor… it has a hint of sweet)
fresh spinach leaves (flat leaf is easier to use in stuffing then curly)
2 Tbsp olive oil for sautéing roulades
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc … your favorite white drinking wine)
salt and pepper
4 pieces of 20-24″ cotton string

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
In a small bowl mix together diced tomaotes, olives, feta, basil and garlic with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tsp rice wine vinegar and set aside (this is the stuffing).
Butterfly chicken breasts slicing them open like a book keeping them in 1 piece.
Place the breasts in a large Ziplock Baggie and pound them out to 1/4″ (if they rip no worries because the spinach leaves will cover that and then you’ll be tying them with string).
Put the breasts on a work surface smooth breast side down so the length is going vertically.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put down a layer of spinach leaves on top of the breasts.
Divide the stuffing into 2 and place each 1/2 onto the center of the breasts (right on top of the spinach leaves).
Roll up the breasts tucking in sides as best as possible. Slide two pieces of string under the breast rolls crisscross like in the photo.
Begin to tie off from each end knotting the first wrap so it doesn’t move then keep wrapping around the chicken without tying til you get to the other end. You can slide string under the other rows as you go.
When you get to the other end you should end with a knot.
Don’t need to get fancy or crazy about this …. it’s only to help hold in place until you can get the roulades in a hot pan to sauté where everything will firm up and stay together.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a medium sauce pan on medium/high heat.
When the pan is hot add the tied up roulades and sauté for 2 minutes on each side total of 8 minutes.
Add the wine, and then the broth to the chicken (be careful of the steam when add the liquids) and place into the oven for 15 minutes.
Take the chicken out of the oven and cover it with foil.
Let it sit for 5 minutes and then simply cut the string with a clean pair of scissors (or kitchen scissors).
Slice up the roulades and serve on top of roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée.
The great thing about this dish is you can make the roasted garlic and bean purée the day before!

TIP: I like to buy a giant roll of cotton string from the hardware store and keep it in a Ziplock Baggie on the spice shelf so no one can get to it and dirty it up.

TIP: It’s a good idea to soak the cotton string in water for 10 minutes before you use it otherwise it will dry out in the oven and become brittle.

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

April 27, 2014February 25, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

This roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée has a luscious creamy texture and makes a great side dish or even a dip served with some pita’s chips on the side not to mention the nutritional value. The garlic turning soft and creamy becomes sweet when roasted. It makes a great presentation as a base layer on a plate when topping with sliced chicken, pork beef, fish or vegetables. I really like drizzling truffle oil on and around it bringing out the smokey flavors if serving with a rack of lamb or a beef tenderloin. Try the stuffed roulades of chicken, or sautéed chicken breasts recipes to go with this delicious purée. For such complex flavors it’s amazing how easy it is to make. I came up with this recipe because I like sauces and I wanted something with that creamy texture feel yet healthy for you and here it is.

Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans (butter beans are great too)
4 lg roasted garlic cloves
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc …what ever you favorite wine is just not a sweet one)
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of Tabasco for a kick

Directions:

Rinse cannellini beans and place in a medium sauce pan with 4 roasted garlic cloves, broth and wine on medium/high heat.
Bring to a simmer and turn heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes more.
Add the beans to a blender and purée.
You may need to stop and stir and purée again because it is a thick mixture in a blender, and if you really need to loosen it up add 1-2 Tbsp of water or milk.
It’s as simple as that.

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Roasted Garlic

March 5, 2014February 24, 2014 by Michel

Roasted Garlic

Roasting garlic couldn’t get any easier and what a soft, creamy and sweet texture you get from roasting…really takes the garlic to another level. I make garlic bread with the roasted garlic cloves and my kids eat it up! The roasted garlic cloves really bring out the sweet flavor in my roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée, and that purée makes a great addition to the stuffed roulades of chicken.

Ingredients:

2 large heads of garlic
2 Tsp olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º.
Cut the tops off of the garlic bulbs, about 1/2″ off and drizzle 1 tsp. of olive oil on each of the cut off tops.
Cover with foil for the first 20 minutes and then remove the foil for the next 20 minutes.
Bake for a total of 40 minutes or until golden on top…not too dark because it gets bitter.
Cover the garlic back up with foil when you take them out of the oven to cool a little before handling the hot cloves and this keeps them nice and moist.

Mouth-Watering Prime Rib Sandwich at Walt’s

March 5, 2014February 21, 2014 by Michel

Mouth-Watering Prime Rib Sandwich at Walt’s

Restaurants aren’t the only place to go to get a gourmet sandwich for lunch. I frequent a great food market right here on the Connecticut shoreline in Old Saybrook called Walt’s Food Market (right on the main road in town). There’s nothing like having that old school butcher shop feel when buy your meats and receive caring customer service from a team of very friendly employees, a lost art form nowadays. Walts has specialty items like their own in house kielbasa which also comes in hot dog size…yum, and you can find smoked fish that’s moist and bursting with flavor yet not overly smoked…it’s amazing! I picked up some smoked wild salmon over the holidays and served it as an appetizer on top of crostinis smeared with a cream cheese, caper, and red onion spread on Christmas for my family. My favorite “sandwich special” at Walt’s is their mouth-watering prime rib sandwich, tender prime rib slices, horseradish sauce, piled high with crisp lettuce and tomato on a fresh baked hard roll and of course served with a snappy pickle! Prepared meals, homemade pies and soups, my kids favorite chicken cutlets and the goody list there goes on not to mention their own baked dog bones which our King Charles loves. And they just celebrated their 50th anniversary so get yourself over there and see for yourself …..an old school butcher shop with great customer service and gourmet food. They can be reached at Waltsfoodmarket.com. And don’t forget to try my crostinis, smoked salmon & cream cheese-caper spread recipe from The Traveling Epicurean’s recipe index.

Crostinis, Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese-Caper Spread

February 21, 2016February 20, 2014 by Michel

Crostinis, Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese-Caper Spread

This appetizer is tastes fresh, smokey, moist, and creamy with a hint of tart from the capers that compliments the fish. It’s not just for holidays but really for any time and it’s such an easy thing to make. Smoking salmon definitely involves time and work so leave it up to the professionals this round and buy it at your favorite small town market or a fish store where they make it in house! All you have to do is make the crostinis, and the spread consisting of cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat if you prefer) chopped capers and red onions. Smoked Salmon is a hardy fish with intense flavor and a filling appetizer while at the same time making for a lovely presentation. You can mix it up with other hor d’ oeuvres like Mediterranean Layered Dip, baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, zucchini torta or fresh mozzarella, pesto and roasted tomatoes on crostinis and don’t forget a little spicy crunch with some roasted chick peas.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Smoked salmon
4 oz. cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese (has 1/3 less fat) -(end results taste the same)-Philadelphia brand
3 Tbsp coarsely chopped capers if large, if very small no need to chop
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 bunch chopped chives for garnish
Crostinis recipe

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese, capers, red onion and lemon juice just lightly.
You don’t want to completely mash the spread…you want to see the capers and onions.
Spread 1 Tbsp of this mixture onto each crostini.
Gently break apart smoked salmon layers with your hands in decent size chunks.
Top each crostini with a piece of smoked salmon, plate and sprinkle with chopped chives….yum!

Chocolate-Avocado Mousse Recipe

May 5, 2016February 19, 2014 by Michel

Chocolate-Avocado Mousse

You will be amazed how this fruit can be transformed into a creamy, chocolatey mousse! Yes, an avocado is actually a fruit from an avocado tree. I read through so many recipes that it took a bit to figure out which chef inspired me here but I finally got it done. Some recipes have you grinding chia seeds to thicken the mousse but the avocado is already thick and creamy so I find that step unnecessary. Others have honey or a man-made “all natural” sweetener added in but I think the agave nectar is the best option.

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentis’ team except I change it up by adding a little more chocolate and by using Perugina “milk“ chocolate bars (Italian) or Ghirdelli milk chocolate chips instead of the Ghiradelli semi sweet chips. This mousse is pretty rich so using the creamy milk chocolate bars lightens it up a bit and another reason being I wanted to get my two children to eat the mousse …they love the milk chocolate. Yes, that would be the kids who don’t eat anything green. I told you I would get them to eat something green sooner or later. I just left out the part that one of their favorite desserts, chocolate mousse, was made with avocado’s when serving it up to them…needless to say they LOVED it! They will thank me some day.

Make sure to watch my YouTube cooking show that goes with this recipe and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE on my YouTube channel so that you can receive my latest cooking show releases!

Ingredients:

4 VERY RIPE-California avocado’s (SOFT not TOO MUSHY because they get brown inside)
7 oz. Perugina milk chocolate bars chopped up ( 2- 3.5 oz bars)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 Tsp fine salt
fresh raspberries and whipped cream for garnish-optional
Fresh mint

Directions:

Chop up all the avocado’s and put them into the food processor.
In a small bowl melt the chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar in the microwave for 30 seconds x3 stirring at each interval…..WATCH so as not to BURN the chocolate (everyone’s microwave is a little different).
Add the melted chocolate, and the next 5 ingredients to the food processor and purée for 30 seconds, stop to scrape the sides, then purée for 1-2 minutes, stop to scrape the sides and purée for 10-20 seconds more.
Scoop out the avocado mousse into your favorite glasses or bowls.
The mousse will be slightly warm from the food processor so put the glasses or bowls into the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill before serving.
Garnish with whipped cream and raspberries…Yum!

TIP: There is an easy way to get the pit out of a avocado which I have displayed in the pictures above. After running the knife around the flesh of the avocado against the edges of the inside pit… put the knife down and twist the avocado halves and pull apart. Then stick the knife into the pit and do the same thing holding on to the knife with one hand and carefully twist the avocado pit and it will pop right out. Then knock the pit off onto the board away from your hands. This can be a little tricky the first time so I would advise that this would be for an adult to try. Finally, Insert a large spoon and scoop the avocado along the edge of the avocado skin to remove avocado flesh.

TIP: VERY IMPORTANT….it is wise to remove this end stem off the avocado because it would taste extremely bitter if it were to accidentally get into the mousse.

Baked Asparagus wrapped in Proscuitto

October 25, 2020February 18, 2014 by Michel

Baked Asparagus wrapped in Proscuitto

I first had these delicious little bundles at my sister-in-law Anita’s seventeen years ago. She is an amazing chef is always cooking up a storm. These Proscuitto wrapped Asparagus are one of my favorite appetizers and can be a topping to a salad or a pretty side vegetable to lunch or dinner. What’s great about this appetizer is it can totally be made ahead of time (the day before preferably) placed on a cookie tray and into the frig until you need to put them in the oven. The asparagus is blanched before they are wrapped with Proscuitto and shocked into an ice bath to stop the cooking and to keep that vibrant green color. When buying the prosciutto you want to make sure it’s Proscuitto di Parma because it’s the best and has the most delicate flavor. There are other tasty Proscuitto’s but they are not as tender as the Parma and may get too salty or waxy after baking. The slices of the Proscuitto will vary in size and usually large enough where you can cut a piece right down the middle vertically and get 2 out if it . You can add in other hors d’ oeurves if you are having a party like baked coconut shrimp, zucchini torta, roasted chick peas, or smoked salmon on crostinis with cream cheese-caper spread.

Ingredients:

20 large asparagus (the bigger the better)
1/4 lb Proscuitto di Parma sliced thinly
4 oz cream cheese room temp (Philadelphia)
1 Tbsp grated vidalia onion (yellow or white is fine too)
1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400º.
Hold the asparagus with your fingers in the middle and on the end and bend.
The asparagus will break where it’s supposed to.
Line them up and cut evenly across the bottom so they are all at a consistent length.
Put them into a pan of water with 1 Tsp salt and bring to a simmer approx 5 min only (DO NOT OVER COOK). Drain and put into a ice bath.
Dry the asparagus with paper towels.
At this point you can pop them into a zip lock and into the frig until you are ready for them.
Mix together in a small bowl the room temperature cream cheese, grated onion, Parmesan and lemon juice just til combined
Take a piece of Prosciutto and smear 1 Tbsp of the cream cheese mixture down the length of it.
Place the asparagus on a bit of a diagonal (see photo) and roll up.
Place onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes.
Use a spatula to remove from pan and be sure to flip them over when you plate them to see the lovely caramelization on the under side.
Drizzle a little olive oil, a fresh squeeze of lemon and some shaves of Parmesan on top for a little extra!

TIPS: Using a micoplane grater or rasp to grate the onion is a wonderful culinary tool which actually started out back in the day as a wood planer for woodworkers!

Tips: Shocking the asparagus or any vegetable for the matter into a ice bath will stop the cooking and keep the vibrant green color.

Clam Puffs

March 23, 2014February 17, 2014 by Michel

Clam Puffs

These Clam Puffs are a take on a Traders Vic’s recipe yet different. I remember having these at my mother-in-law Louise’s many years ago and thinking how elegant they looked ……and scrumptious they were (and still are). What an uncomplicated appetizer to make. You can whip up the mixture in a matter of minutes and cut out little bread rounds a day or two before keeping them in a Ziploc baggie. Then when you are ready butter the bottoms and place on a cookie tray and top the rounds right before baking with the clam mixture, which only takes 5 minutes. You can use cookie cut outs for making the bread rounds or as I have shown you here it’s really easy to use a glass if you prefer a certain size.

Ingredients:

1 can minced clams-DRAINED
24 bread rounds from a loaf of Wonder bread-8 pieces of white bread
4 oz. cream cheese room temp. (either reg. or 1/3 less fat – Philadephia)
1/4 cup mayo (Hellman’s)
3 Tbsp grated Parmesean cheese
1 Tbsp grated vidalia onion with microplaner (yellow or white is good too)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 stick melted butter
fresh chives finely chopped

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375º.
Cut out 1 3/4″ bread rounds.
You should get 3 per slice.
Add the remaining ingredients in the list to a small bowl and mix together.
Melt the butter for the bottoms of the bread rounds and begin to dunk the bottoms in only…this helps to get a delicate and tasty crust on the bottom of the rounds once you bake them.
Place all the buttered rounds onto the cookie tray and begin to top with 1 Tbsp of mixture per round.
Put into the oven for approx. 12 min.
LIGHTLY GOLDEN ONLY keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
Plate and top with chopped chives.

Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto, and Roasted Tomato on Crostinis

September 29, 2016February 14, 2014 by Michel

Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto, and Roasted Tomato on Crostinis

This crostini with fresh mozzarella, pesto and roasted tomato appetizer is absolutely delicious and is totally a make ahead dish! The Crostinis you can make a week before, they’ll taste no different if you made them that day and the pesto you can make a day or two before. As for the fresh mozzarella you can either buy the fresh balls if you have a nice cheese shop near by or you can even get the mozzarella logs that are packaged in water to keep fresh and soft and are even pre-sliced! I like to buy my roasted tomato’s from Foxglove & Madison Cheese Shop. It’s not difficult to roast your own tomatoes but it is time consuming and the roasted tomato’s available at the cheese shop are packed with intense flavor, a gorgeous deep red color and all the work is done for you. They also have fresh and creamy mozzarella balls there as well. If it’s not possible to find or roast your own tomatoes improvise and put a 1/8″ slice of a sweet cherry or grape tomato on top of the pesto. The pesto has so much flavor the freshness of the sliced cherry or grape tomato will balance out nicely with it. It’s all good ….just enjoy!

Ingredients:

20 crostinis (see Crostini recipe)
1 pesto recipe (see Pesto recipe)
2 logs of mozzarella sliced 1/4″ sliced
1 container roasted tomatoes (can use a 1/8″ slice of a fresh cherry or grape tomato to improvise if with out the roasted)

Directions:

Cut the roasted tomato pieces in half.
It’s packed with a lot of rich flavor and 1/2 of a piece is perfect on top of the pesto.
Place a slice of mozzarella onto the crostini then add a dallop of fresh pesto on top of that and place a piece of the roasted tomato on the pesto, plate and serve……Mangia!

TIP: You can make the pesto texture thicker so it stands up nice and plump on the crositni by adding a little more parmesean

Pesto

November 11, 2022February 13, 2014 by Michel

Pesto

Now there’s making pesto by means of mortar and pestle…..I admit I have spent many a day making it this way, but there’s another way which I will show you here that saves you time and energy which we all seem to run low on by the end of the day. If it’s the weekend and you have some time on your hands then be my guest and knock yourself out with the mortar and pestle. It is truly is a lovely way to make this paste, and useful in so many other ways like grinding spices for instance not to mention being therapeutic. Back to reality, being able to use my food processor to make pesto really is a wonderful thing! The pesto tastes the same and you still put all the love into it using good ingredients. You can play with this recipe also when it comes to amounts like adding a little more Parmesan if it’s too thin or drizzling in a tad more olive oil if it’s too thick. Making pesto is a very forgiving process…. just trust yourself and be sure to taste as you go along to see if you need to add a sprinkle more of salt and or pepper.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 3.0-3.5 ounces of fresh basil leaves
1/2-3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1 lg. garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
dash of Tabasco

Directions:

Remove basil leaves from stems and place them into the food processor with the grated garlic, s & p
Begin to pulse while drizzling in all of the olive oil thru the top opening of the food processor
Once you finish adding the oil you may need to stop and scrape the sides with a spatula
Add in the parmesan and pulse once more (this is where you can add a little siracha)
The pesto is ready to use
If you want to save the pesto put it into a plastic container, drizzle about 1 tbsp. of olive oil right on top. Then lay a piece of Saran wrap right on top of the new layer of olive oil so there isn’t any air touching (This will keep the basil from oxidizing and turning brown)
At this point you can either keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or put it into the freezer
When you are ready to use the frozen pesto take it out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator
Now that you have this delicous pesto you can easily make the Crostinis with Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Roasted Tomato appetizer.

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