Alright, I am determined to show my mistakes as well as my successes. In my last post I mentioned a chicken dinner that went awry. I'm not sure whether my mothers oven was at all to blame, but after following the recipe for Chicken Ballotine precisely, the bird turned out to be a mess.
Well... maybe 'precisely' is not the proper term. As I have noted already in this blog, I ALWAYS have to change something. In fact, sometimes I change a lot; maybe even too much. The ballotine recipe called for the chicken to be served cold. That did not sound very appetizing to me. Along with that, I did not have time to refrigerate it a day, and I wanted to cook it that night.
So I did some research and found that Chicken Ballotine can be served hot. Not in this particular recipe... but all I had to do was change the stuffing a bit so that it could be sliced hot and still stay together right?
Wrong. After painstakingly taking the time and effort to carefully bone the chicken without piercing the skin, it was all for not. The spinach, goat cheese, and breadcrumb stuffing, in the end, was delicious, but I overstuffed the bird, and as it cooked, the bird seemed to crap out the green substance. And perhaps I did not put enough breadcrumbs in the mix, because when the bird was sliced, the stuffing that was still inside went everywhere. That's not so terrible. But then, on top of everything, parts of the bird were undercooked. Each slice had to be nuked in the microwave before eating because it was impossible to stick the thing back in the oven. This gave the meat a rubbery texture. At least I can blame that part on my mom's oven, because I followed the cooking instructions in the recipe to the letter.
The only thing that came out well was the sauce I made to go on top of everything. It is a clone of Carrabba's "Chicken Bryan" sauce that I found on Robbie's Recipes. This site is excellent for finding recipes of this nature. I have used it many times in the past.
So that was my latest misadventure in cooking. Since I have spent most of my time in the past week packing and moving, I did not have any economic or job searching experiences worth sharing. So I thought I'd give a little insight into my cooking knowledge: I'm still learning. But I learn by taking risks and experimenting. Its fun.
Now for my latest recipe that was not a complete disaster. On the contrary, it was given a 9.5 out of 10 by my beautiful wife, Lexie, as opposed to 1 out of 10 for the "Chicken Bryan Ballotine." You win some. You lose some.
Potato Pancakes with Steak, Eggs and Gravy
This is very helpful for the use of leftovers for the common roast beef dinner, including mashed potatoes and gravy. Like most traditional American breakfasts, it is not the most healthy, but it is delicious. I made it at my mothers house again (as all my dishes are packed away).
Ingredients:
Potato Pancakes
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1 - 2 cups plain flour
1 - 2 cups milk
1 - 2 cups milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
Mushroom and Steak Gravy
1 cup leftover beef gravy
12 oz leftover roast beef (or steak), chopped
1 cup leftover beef gravy
12 oz leftover roast beef (or steak), chopped
4 tablespoons butter
6 oz fresh field mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons A1 steak sauce
1 cup milk
Eggs
3 tablespoons A1 steak sauce
1 cup milk
Eggs
10 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
parmesan cheese, shredded
Preparation Instructions:
1. Make the pancake batter by whipping all ingredients together in a large bowl. For thicker pancakes, use less milk or more flour. For thinner pancakes use more milk or less flour. After batter is free of large clumps, set aside.
2. On medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Add meat and stir-fry until browned. Next add onions and cook until softened. Now add mushrooms and basil and stir-fry until starting to soften and brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add red wine vinegar and allow to cook for 3 more minutes, continually stirring. Next add steak sauce and cook for 2 minutes more as you stir. Finally add the gravy and milk. Mix well, cover, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the meal is completed.
4. Beat the eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Melt some butter in a large frying pan and scramble the eggs in batches. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parmesan cheese.
5. On medium heat, cook pancakes, one batch at a time in a slightly oiled frying pan. When finished, remove gravy from heat.
6. Serve with eggs and gravy over the potato pancakes. Serves 4-6.
Preparation Instructions:
1. Make the pancake batter by whipping all ingredients together in a large bowl. For thicker pancakes, use less milk or more flour. For thinner pancakes use more milk or less flour. After batter is free of large clumps, set aside.
2. On medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Add meat and stir-fry until browned. Next add onions and cook until softened. Now add mushrooms and basil and stir-fry until starting to soften and brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add red wine vinegar and allow to cook for 3 more minutes, continually stirring. Next add steak sauce and cook for 2 minutes more as you stir. Finally add the gravy and milk. Mix well, cover, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally until the meal is completed.
4. Beat the eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Melt some butter in a large frying pan and scramble the eggs in batches. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with parmesan cheese.
5. On medium heat, cook pancakes, one batch at a time in a slightly oiled frying pan. When finished, remove gravy from heat.
6. Serve with eggs and gravy over the potato pancakes. Serves 4-6.
I also cooked ham slices to serve on the side. Each slice was rubbed with a pinch of ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. Lexie gives the ham an 8.5.
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