Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
One of my favorite things to make with leftover cooked poultry is Pot Pie, be it Chicken or Turkey. You cannot beat a delicious Pot Pie.
When I was growing up my mother always made pot pies with her leftover roasted meats, no matter the roast. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey . . . we could always count on her making us at least two pot pies from the leftovers. One to eat now and one to pop into the freezer for a later date!
Filled with lots of gravy and vegetables, they were a great way for her to stretch a little bit of meat to go a long way and nobody was complaining that they were eating leftovers.
Our family loved pies in any way shape or form. You could have put almost anything between two crusts and we would have all been salivating!
I spied this recipe on Modern Farmhouse Eats for a pot pie the other day of a different kind. This pie had the tasty chicken, vegetable and gravy filling, but instead of a crust, it boasted a crispy Tater Tot topping!
I was in! About the only way you could make a pot pie even more delicious would be to top the filling with crispy tater tots!
Not having to roll out a crust also added to the pleasure. No faffing about with flour or lard, or rolling pins. Just make the filling, pop it into a dish, cover it with cheese and tater tots. Yummity yum yum YUM!
Tater Tots are like tiny hashbrown cylinders. Made with potato and onion. They come in the frozen potato section of the grocery store. They bake up crisp and golden brown and are a real family favorite.
One thing though, the original recipe made 8 delicious servings. I downsized it to make only 2 delicious servings.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TATER TOT CHICKEN POT PIE
Very simple wholesome ingredients. No cans of soup or unusual ingredients required. You make a delicious creamy sauce/gravy from scratch.
For the base:
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
- 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- pinch ground nutmeg
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (35g) frozen peas
- 1/4 cup (35g) frozen corn
You will also need:
- 1 1/2 cup (210g) diced cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- 20 (approximately) frozen tater tots
You could use leftover cooked chicken from a roast chicken, or a rotisserie chicken that you picked up from the store. You could poach some chicken special to use in this dish. I often poach chicken breasts to use in casseroles. I did a whole post on that here.
It always comes in handy, especially in the summer time when you are wanting cooked chicken to use in salads and casseroles. It also makes great sandwiches.
There is no need to thaw the frozen vegetables as they will cook in the casserole dish while it is in the oven. Adding them frozen makes sure they are not overcooked. I hate really overcooked peas.
If you really wanted to speed things up, you could use a couple of mugs of frozen mixed vegetables. The kind with peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, etc. I always used to use those in my pot pies.
HOW TO MAKE TATER TOT CHICKEN POT PIE
This is really a simple make. If you can make a cream sauce, you can make this!
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 6 by 8 inch deep casserole dish, or the equivalent in size.
Melt the butter for the filling in a skillet. Add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until tender (7 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer.
Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine. Cook for a minute and then slowly stir in the milk and the chicken stock. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens to a gravy consistency.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg.
Stir in the frozen vegetables and the chicken, combining everything thoroughly together. Pour into the prepared baking dish and level off.
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top and then lay the tater tots over the cheese in an attractive manner.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.
I recommend popping it onto a baking sheet that you have lined with foil or parchment paper to bake. It will bubble up and maybe spill over depending on how deep your dish is. My dish could have been a bit deeper and I was really happy I had chosen to pop it onto a baking sheet first.
You can make this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator before baking. Just do everything up to the point where you add the tater tots. Cover and chill. When you are ready to bake take it out a good half hour prior to baking. Top with the tater tots as per the recipe and bake. It may take a bit longer to bake due to the temperature of the filling.
You can also freeze this casserole. Prepare this casserole completely as directed up to the point of cooking, including adding the tater tots. Wrap tightly, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook, just pop the frozen casserole (no need to thaw) into the preheated oven (400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6) and bake for about an hour and ten minutes , until the edges are bubbling and the tater tots are crisp and golden brown.
If I was planning on freezing the casserole, I would break it down into two single servings and freeze in aluminum foil containers.
This was really delicious and made for a fabulous weeknight dinner. The sauce was rich and creamy and those tater tots got nice and golden brown. There was just the right amount of ratio of sauce to vegetables and meat.
A nice tossed salad goes very well on the side. Or coleslaw. What a wonderful meal! I do so love a good casserole!
GARLIC CHEDDAR CHICKEN AND RICE- This is very close to being an oven baked rice pilaf, and is very simple to make. Just mix the chicken, rice, some chicken stock, grated cheddar and your seasonings together in a casserole dish, cover and bake. Just the right amount of garlic and tasty cheddar, this is both simple to make and incredibly delicious. All you need to add is a cooked vegetable on the side.
AMISH CHICKEN AND STUFFING CASSEROLE - This is one of my favorite chicken casseroles. Its a fabulous way to use up stale bread, as well as leftover cooked chicken. Mix these with a bit of butter softened celery and onion, a variety of herbs, some seasoning and tiny bit of stock. This easy combination makes for one very delicious and simple entrée. Its fabulous with a bit of gravy spooned over top and some tasty cooked vegetables on the side.
Yield: 2
Tater Tot Chicken Pot Pie
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
With its rich creamy gravy, chicken and vegetable loaded base, and crispy potato tater tot topping, this is a real taste pleaser! Deliciously sized for two people.
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into coins
- 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- pinch ground nutmeg
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (35g) frozen peas
- 1/4 cup (35g) frozen corn
You will also need:
- 1 1/2 cup (210g) diced cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- 20 (approximately) frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a 6 by 8 inch deep casserole dish, or the equivalent in size.
- Melt the butter for the filling in a skillet. Add the onions, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until tender (7 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer.
- Sprinkle the flour over top and stir to combine. Cook for a minute and then slowly stir in the milk and the chicken stock. Stir and cook over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens to a gravy consistency.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg.
- Stir in the frozen vegetables and the chicken, combining everything thoroughly together. Pour into the prepared baking dish and level off.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top and then lay the tater tots over the cheese in an attractive manner.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is bubbling and the tater tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.
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A bit of a gloomy day here today, but still warm and humid. Somehow its not so bad when the sun is shining, but when its dull and blah, its just blah.
In hot and humid weather nobody feels like really cooking. I don't anyways, and I know I am not alone in that. I still want to eat something nutritious and tasty however and so I try to prepare things that are designed to use the least amount of heat as possible and to get me in and out of the kitchen quickly!
These Tuna Melt Sliders do all that and more! Quick and easy to make. Cheesy and rich, and designed to get you in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.
Yes, they do require having the oven on, but I dare say you could also make them in the air fryer, or even on the outdoor grill over low heat with the lid down. You can correct me if I am wrong!
I have always loved tuna melts and I have always enjoyed sliders. It made common sense to me to put the both together into one delicious tuna melt slider sandwich!
I did a search online to see if anyone else had done the same and to see how it had worked for them. I found two recipes. One here, and one here. Both served as inspiration for my own version sandwich.
The original recipes both made twelve servings. Far too much for me to justify cooking for myself, living all on my own, and I am not expecting any company, not today at any rate.
I decided to cut the recipes in half, but that was still a bit much. Six sliders. Nope. I then decided to use only four slider buns, with 1/2 of the filling and create a sandwich that was generously filled and more like a meal rather than a snack.
I am of an age now where I just can't eat things like that for snacks. I can remember when I was younger my ex husband and I would order a pizza and eat it in the evening before we went to bed, or cook a whole box of macaroni and cheese and eat that. I just do not have that kind of appetite anymore.
I eat my breakfast, and then one meal a day. I do nibble on other bits the rest of the day. I might have some toast or a salad, but nothing substantial and I certainly could not eat a hot filled sandwich as a snack! (This is not meant as a criticism of those who can!)
Some pretty simple ingredients. You know me. I am not a faffy kind of a person. Simple works best for me, and in this economy, who can afford extravagant! These are a great store cupboard option.
- 1 tin (6 ounces/170g) tin of solid albacore tuna, drained very well
- 1 TBS minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then drained very well
- 1 tsp minced flat leaf parsley,, or 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 2 TBS good quality full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
you will also need:
- 4 slider style rolls
- additional mayonnaise to spread
- 1/2 cup (115g) grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar)
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- parsley flakes
I just happened to have some parsley in the fridge which needed using up. By all means use dried parsley flakes if that is all you have. You will need roughly half the amount if using dried.
I like to use albacore tuna. It is the best, responsibly fished and just tastes better than any other kind. I buy the solid, but if you can't afford that, then just use the kind of tuna fish that you can afford!
If you don't have red onion, you can use white or even green. The idea is to have a sharp flavor to contrast with all of the other ingredients. Onion is the best thing for that. It doesn't really matter what color you choose to use.
Use the best mayonnaise that you can afford or that you enjoy. I like Hellman's. I don't recommend Miracle Whip. I also used Maille Dijon mustard because that is what I have in my fridge.
In the UK, I used to used the Heinz dill relish. It is not quite a sweet as North American pickle relish, but it will work very well.
HOW TO MAKE TUNA MELT SLIDERS (SMALL BATCH)
These are very easy to make and cook very quickly. Perfect for a midweek supper.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small baking dish, large enough to hold the buns in one layer.
Flake the drained tuna into a bowl. Add the drained onion, the pickle relish, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley flakes and salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.
Cut the rolls in half horizontally through the middle. I like to keep it as one sheet of four buns, still attached together.
Place the bottom into the baking dish, cut side up, and spread with some mayonnaise. Pile the tuna filling on top, spreading it out to cover the bun halves completely. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over top. Spread the cut side of the tops of the rolls with some mayonnaise and place, cut side down, on top of the cheese, pressing down lightly.
Whisk the melted butter, onion powder, and Dijon mustard together. Brush over top of the buns and sprinkle with a few parsley flakes.
Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes and then serve, cut into single buns, with some potato chips on the side if desired.
These were really delicious. The buns stayed nice and soft and the melted butter topping added a really nice and flavorful touch. I thought the filling was beautifully ample. I hate a sandwich with a stingy filling.
A bit messy to eat, but the bits that fell out were really scrummy scooped up with a potato chip! (Don't judge, lol.) All in all this made for a really tasty weeknight supper!
HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON & CARAMELIZED ONIONS - I know that sounds like a real mouthful, but it is a really tasty mouthful! These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich! Sized for one, but easily amped up to feed more.
RUSTIC ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICH - Thin bread focaccia buns stuffed with deli ham and salami, cheese, hot peppers and olives. Baked until the flavors are beautifully melded together. This is quite simply one of my favorite hot sandwiches to make and to eat. If you can't get the thin breads, you can use regular, but the carb count will be double. Still delicious however!
Yield: 2
Tuna Melt Sliders
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Quick, easy to make, cheesy and delicious! These make a great midweek supper with some potato chips on the side. Generously filled they feed two people quite sufficiently and make a perfect main dish.
Ingredients
- 1 tin (6 ounces/170g) tin of solid albacore tuna, drained very well
- 1 TBS minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then drained very well
- 1 tsp minced flat leaf parsley,, or 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 2 TBS good quality full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
you will also need:
- 4 slider style rolls
- additional mayonnaise to spread
- 1/2 cup (115g) grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar)
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small baking dish, large enough to hold the buns in one layer.
- Flake the drained tuna into a bowl. Add the drained onion, the pickle relish, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley flakes and salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.
- Cut the rolls in half horizontally through the middle. I like to keep it as one sheet of four buns, still attached together.
- Place the bottom into the baking dish, cut side up, and spread with some mayonnaise. Pile the tuna filling on top, spreading it out to cover the bun halves completely. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over top. Spread the cut side of the tops of the rolls with some mayonnaise and place, cut side down, on top of the cheese, pressing down lightly.
- Whisk the melted butter, onion powder, and Dijon mustard together. Brush over top of the buns and sprinkle with a few parsley flakes.
- Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes and then serve, cut into single buns, with some potato chips on the side if desired.
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I don't know if it is really common elsewhere in the world, but I know here in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, a very popular meal in the summer time will the what is known as the "Cold Plate."
These are very popular options at some restaurants in the summer months, a real favorite of family get togethers and a wildly successful option for community fund raisers and the like!
Cold plates are also a delicious option after a big holiday meal. A delicious opportunity to enjoy some of the meats that were previously served cooked along with a few special and tasty additions.
Usually a supper option Cold Plates are hearty, uncomplicated, rustic, not fancy in the least and quite a delicious meal. One of our local restaurants always offers a turkey dinner on the menu, 365 days of the year and in the warmer months a delicious cold plate will be on the special's menu, offering a nice cold plate of sliced turkey and a variety of salads on the side, with a dinner roll as well.
That is at the very heart of the cold plate. Some kind of protein, cold meats and cheeses, and an assortment of delicious salads to go along with them and for the really hearty eater a dinner roll or baking powder biscuit on the side.
On Prince Edward Island, a Cold Plate is an essential part of the local Lobster Dinner's they serve. People will be treated by a beautifully cooked lobster and then a cold plate of salads. I can tell you ain't nobody complaining.
The British Equivalent of a Cold Plate would be a Traditional Ploughman's Lunch.
Today, in honor of the stinking hot weather we have been having I wanted to share with you how to put together a delicious Cold Plate supper that will have everybody licking their lips and coming back for seconds.
It can be completely vegetarian, or a carnivore's delight. It can be as complicated (as in homemade salads) or as simple (as in store purchased salads) as you like, but it will always be delicious.
At the heart of every cold plate should be some type of protein. If you are a vegetarian this could be some kind of cheese, or even fish, if you are pescatarian. Mom often served cold plates in the summer months with tinned salmon.
Perhaps you are on your way home from work and you are feeling just too tired to put together anything complicated. A rotisserie chicken is perfect for this!
I have enjoyed cold plates in which an assortment of deli meats were at the center of the feast. Cold sliced ham, turkey or beef all go very well with a cold plate. In fact I cannot think of a deli or luncheon meat that wouldn't.
Canned corned beef, or spam are also tasty options.
I like for my proteins to be cold when I am doing a cold plate. That is where deli meats or leftover cooked meats are perfect to serve. Whatever you choose to serve, some kind of condiment or pickle to go along with them is also always welcome, be it mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, piccalilli or whatever. A bit of sauce always goes down nice.
I always like to include fresh vegetables of some sort on my cold plates. On this particular day I chose to serve some fresh lettuce and sliced ripe tomato. I also included baby cucumber spears.
Fresh and crisp, juicy ripe. You could even add some grapes if that is your thing. I have enjoyed cold plates that had nothing but grapes and cheese along side of the salads and they were delicious!
Some other options might be sliced ripe avocado, celery sticks, sliced sweet apples, melon. There really is no wrong answer to this option. Just so long as it is cold and crisp and delicious with flavors that go along with everything else on the plate!
These things add color, texture and interest.
Some kind of pasta salad always goes well on a cold plate. Perhaps from a tub you picked up at the store the same time you picked up your chicken or deli meats. There are some very delicious options available today.
Homemade Creamy Macaroni Salad is a good choice. You can make it up ahead of time and have it chilling in the refrigerator. Aside from going well on a cold plate it is also a delicious portable lunch option any time of the year.
Another favorite of mine is Cheese, Peas and Bowties Salad. Quick and easy to make it makes good use of store cupboard ingredients and things we, most of us, will have in our homes at all times. Frozen peas, pasta, cheese and a creamy dressing. This is a visual feast as well as being delicious. We do eat with our eyes first!
I always like to include potato salad of some sort in my cold plate feast. In Newfoundland, Pickled Beet Potato Salad is very popular. This is a brilliant deep pink in color and is delicious. If you like beetroot, then you will love this.
I always favor my Mom's Potato Salad. With a rich and creamy dressing, cubed potatoes and eggs, crispy vegetables, it is always something we all love to eat. It is a very basic potato salad, but that is what you want here really, something which is only going to enhance the remaining things on the plate and not take away from them.
Some other potato salad options are Baked Potato Salad and Creamy Dilled Potato Salad.
And of course if you are stopping by the shops to pick up some deli meats and the macaroni salad, its nothing to also pick up a tub of good potato salad. Just make sure it is one you know the whole family will enjoy. Costco makes a really delicious red potato salad!
Another option I like to include is coleslaw. I like a Creamy Coleslaw myself, with plenty of color and crunch.
A coleslaw vinaigrette or Deli Coleslaw is also nice if you think there is enough creaminess on the plate already.
Cheese slaw is really nice. It is tangy and rich with the flavor of grated strong cheddar cheese. Or, you could kill two birds with one stone and serve Macaroni Coleslaw, which is also incredibly delicious! Classic Memphis Coleslaw is also really nice.
Or, once again, you can just pick up a tub of your favorite type of slaw when you are picking up everything else!
Some cold plates will offer more than one kind of potato salad. That is very common in some places. Personally I could not eat more than one kind in one sitting, but I know a few hearty eaters who could!
Deviled Eggs are also very welcome on a Cold Plate.
Some places will also offer jellied salads on the side as an option. Tomato Aspic is nice. Myself, I love LOVE Perfection Salad. This is almost like a combo of coleslaw and jellied salad and most refreshing. Crunchy and delicious.
SOME RULES APPLY
1. Make sure your plates are ice cold. This helps to keep all of your salads really cool. A lovey bonus in hot, hot weather.
2. Make sure your salads and meats are ice cold. This is good food hygiene and healthy. Keeping your food cold makes sure that nobody gets food poisoning from food that has been allowed germs to multiply and take hold at room temperature.
3. Make sure all the flavors, colors and textures work well with each other.
4. Have fun and relax. Good eating doesn't have to be complicated and should be fun!
Anyways, I hope that I have fueled your appetite for this delicious Maritime Summer tradition here today. When you are having a load of company over for supper and the temperatures are rising exponentially, nothing makes for a better feast than this type of meal.
Know that you can keep it as complicated or as simple as you like, and above all remember to enjoy the process. If your family and guests know that you are enjoying it as much as they do, it will only add to their pleasure!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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