Broccoli And Tortellini Salad

6 slices of bacon
20 oz. package of fresh cheese filled tortellini (buy in deli)
1 1/2 cups mayonainse
6 T. White sugar
1 T. cider vinegar ( I added more to thin down)
3 bunches fresh broccoli cut up
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 red onion chopped up ( use less if you prefer)

Cook bacon, drain, and crumble
Cook tortelline according to directions, drain, and rinse with cold water
Cook broccoli for 3 min. or 5 in a vegt. steamer

Dressing
Mix together mayo, sugar, and vinegar

Mix up the following
In large bowl, combine broccoli, tortellini, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds, and onion.
Pour on half of the dressing and refrigerate over night. Add more dressing when serving.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

• Chicken Bits:
• 2 pounds skinned, de-boned chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• A little fresh ground black pepper, ground ginger and garlic powder to season flour (not a lot)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil
• Vegetables:
• 1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch square bits
• 1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch square bits
• 1 large yellow onion, skinned, root end removed, cut into 1/2-inch bits
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and trimed, slice thinly on the diagonal
• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice (no added sweeteners)
• Sweet and Sour Sauce:
• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 - 6 drops red food coloring
• 2 rounded tablespoons corn starch mixed in enough cold water to make a slurry

Preparation:

Directions for Making Chicken Bits
When cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces, remove any fat, gristle or connective tissue. If the chicken is soft-frozen or almost thawed it is easier to cut.
In small frying pan, add 1/2-inch vegetable oil. Heat to deep-frying temperature.
In a bowl mix eggs and milk. Beat until well combined.
Place flour and seasonings in a shallow bowl and mix.
Dunk pieces of chicken in the egg and milk mixture. Allow excess to drain.
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour coating thoroughly. Here is your chance to practice with your chop sticks and keep the flour off from your fingers.
Drop pieces into the hot oil and fry until deep golden brown. Turn as necessary to cook evenly on all sides. When golden brown, remove to paper towel covered plate to drain.
Repeat until all chicken pieces are cooked. Set aside until assembly.

Directions for Making Sweet and Sour Sauce
Place pineapple and water in sauce pan. Heat over low flame. Slowly add sugar while stirring.
When sugar has dissolved, slowly add the vinegar and the lemon juice while stirring.
Add corn starch slurry and stir while heating. Bring to a boil.
Stir constantly until thickened. Add food coloring (a couple drops at first and then adjust until you have the red color you like) and stir well to mix. Continue to heat and stir until almost a syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
Note: You will be judging the thickness of the sauce while it is hot. It will thicken considerably when it is set aside and cools. Later, when added to the vegetables, the moisture from the vegetables will thin the sauce quite a bit.

Directions for Assembling Completed Dish
Add a little vegetable oil to a large frying pan or wok. Bring to frying temperature over medium heat. Add vegetables (but not the pineapple) and cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize.
Add sweet and sour sauce and continue cooking and stirring until vegetable are bite tender and sauce has re-thickened and clings to the vegetables.
Add pineapple and chicken bits and fold into the vegetables and sauce. Simmer until heated through. Serve.
Most home-made sweet and sour sauces are made with brown sugar and the sauce has the distinctive coffee color of the molasses in the brown sugar. This recipe produces a red sweet and sour sauce that looks just like the Chinese restaurant take-out food but we think that it tastes a lot better. Try it and see how easy it is to make tasty oriental-style food at home.

Individual Beef Wellingtons

Here’s a show-off entrée for a very special occasion (or a very special someone). The recipe has the great advantage of requiring preparation entirely in advance, except for the final (mistake-proof) baking – so you can’t get in an uproar of last-minute panic, even if you want to! It’s beautiful, elegant and delicious – what more could one ask?

4 SERVINGS

4 slices, (each 1 1/2 inches thick) of filet mignon (tenderloin of beef)
about 1 pound, puff pastry
(available frozen – thaw in refrigerator and/or 20-30 minutes at room temperature before using)
2 to 3 tablespoons, butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons Cognac (optional)
egg wash (2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water)

Duxelles (see **recipe below)
About 10 ounces, soft pate, such as pate de foie gras
(available canned, or prepared fresh)

Pat the filets dry with paper towels. Saute one side of each filet in melted butter very quickly over very high heat, just until browned. Turn filets and salt and pepper the browned side. If desired, warm 2 to 3 tablespoons of Cognac and flame the browned filets [see * Cook’s Note: Flaming, below, for technique]. Chill the filets in the refrigerator.

Spread the top of each chilled filet with duxelles, then top each with a slice of pate. Unfold the puff pastry (if purchased boxed) and roll out gently on a lightly floured work surface. Cut the pastry into four rectangles, one rectangular piece to wrap each filet, cut large enough to enclose the top and sides, with enough extra pastry to also tuck well underneath the meat without stretching or pulling the pastry (excess can be trimmed when tucking, if necessary).

Wrap each filet with its toppings in a rectangle of rolled-out puff pastry. Be sure the filet and toppings are chilled before wrapping: wrapping over warm food will make the pastry sticky and soggy. [Cook’s Note: It is not necessary to completely wrap the bottom of the filets, because the bottom pastry will not cook properly. Just tuck the pastry carefully under the meat around the edges. Do not stretch the pastry, to avoid it’s pulling back during baking.]

Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a two or three small slits in the top of each pastry package to allow steam to escape. Use pastry scraps to make decorations, if desired. Apply decorations to pastry packages (egg wash is a good “glue” if needed). Brush pastry, including decorations, with egg wash. Chill again, reserving any leftover egg wash. [Cook’s Note: Egg wash produces a beautiful golden coloring on the pastry; it also helps to keep the pastry from drying out as it stands in the refrigerator.]

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush pastry packages again with egg wash. Bake until golden (about 20 minutes). (Cutting the meat thick and keeping it chilled before baking helps to avoid overcooking.)

Serve with a very fine brown sauce, such as Basic Brown Sauce [found in Recipe Archives, menu at left on website pages].

*Cook’s Note: Flaming
There is a simple trick to flaming a food with alcohol (to flambé) and that is to warm the alcohol first. One method is to use a long-handled small pot (I’ve been know to use a Turkish coffee pot, but there are pots made expressly for this purpose and any well-made small saucepan can be serviceable). Heat the pot until the liquor in it is hot, but not boiling; then hold a lighted match over the pot, and the flame will be drawn down to ignite the alcohol. Pour the flaming spirits over the food.

Alternatively (if, for example, you prefer to avoid pouring flaming spirits) you may warm the alcohol, pour it over the food, and THEN ignite it – which works fine, as long as the liquor is not diluted by the liquids in the food pan, and as long as the food to be flamed is hot.

**DUXELLES

1/2 pound, mushrooms – finely minced
3 tablespoons, butter
2 tablespoons, shallots – minced
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon, dried tarragon
2 tablespoons, flour
1/4 cup, Port wine
2-4 tablespoons, heavy cream

Using a towel, squeeze the liquid out of the minced mushrooms. Heat the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and sauté briefly. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to separate. Add salt, pepper and tarragon. Blend in flour. Stir for 2 minutes. Blend in wine, then cream. Simmer to reduce cream and thicken to a thick, paste-like consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Flavor will be intense!

Sweet and Savory Meatloaf

Only a fan of meatloaf if it's amazing. Let's try this one.

Here’s a meatloaf recipe that provides the solution for anyone who claims not to like meatloaf: it make converts of all – and it’s great cold on sandwiches, too!

SERVES 4-6

for the topping:
1 cup, catsup
1/2 cup, light brown sugar (packed measure)
1 teaspoon, dry mustard

for the meatloaf:
1 pound, ground beef
1/2 pound, ground pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup, finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons, light brown sugar (packed measure)
1/4 teaspoon, black pepper
1/4 teaspoon, dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon, dried sage
1/4 teaspoon, garlic salt
1/2 cup, catsup
3 slices, bread – torn into pieces and soaked in:
1 cup, milk (plus more soaked bread pieces, if needed for texture)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 X 5 X 3-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together all the meatloaf ingredients, adding the soaked bread last. [COOK’S NOTE: more milk-soaked pieces of bread may be added, a tablespoon at a time, if desired to make a firmer loaf.]

Place the meatloaf mixture in the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove loaf from the oven, drain off excess fat, and spread the topping over the top of the loaf. Return the meatloaf to the oven for an additional 45 minutes or until it has reached desired doneness. Allow the meatloaf to stand for at least 10 minutes after removing from oven before slicing.