Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Italian Sausages with Broccoli Rabe

If you can't find the preseasoned polenta just add some minced basil and garlic (about 2 tsps each) to the polenta roll as you mash it.

 

Posted via web from Dr. Mom's Posterous

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Beef Gulasch

This takes several hours to cook but only about 30 minutes of real prep work. A great recipe for a cold night
Beef Gulash

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Veal Piccata with Capers and Pine Nuts

I know it says veal but the recipe works great with chicken scallops (thin breast slices also)

Veal Piccata with Capers and Pine Nuts | Key Ingredient

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Shellfish Paella Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1.5 pound clams
  
• 4 8-ounce bottles clam juice
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped

Preparation:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add sausage meat. Cook until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with fork, about 5 minutes. Add clams and mussels. Increase heat to medium-high, cover and cook until shells open, about 5 minutes. Transfer clams and mussels to medium bowl, discarding any that do not open. Cover shellfish and keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine clam juice and saffron threads in small saucepan; bring mixture to simmer. Reduce heat to low; keep warm.

Add rice to same saucepan that clams and mussels were cooked in and stir 2 minutes over medium heat. Add dry white wine and cook until wine is evaporated, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add warm clam juice mixture and simmer until rice is just tender and liquid is creamy, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

Mix shrimp, peas and chopped tomatoes into risotto and cook until shrimp are just cooked through, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Top risotto with clams and mussels and serve immediately.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Chicken Parmesan Heros

For best results start these early in the day so that the crust has time to set up properly before cooking. Also if you're in a rush later on just use a good quality jarred marinara sauce instead of making your own.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in purée, puréed in a blender until smooth
• 2 teaspoons <
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
• 6 skinless boneless, skinless chicken thighs(2 lb total)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 ½s (from firm white sandwich bread), lightly toasted
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 ounces)
• 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 (12-inch-long) loaves halved lengthwise I use Panera's rolls
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced, this is much easier to do if you freeze the cheese first

Preparation:

Make tomato sauce:
Heat olive oil in a 4— to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato purée, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

Prepare chicken:
Gently pound chicken to ⅓-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using a flat meat pounder or a rolling pin. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir together flour, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl, then stir together bread crumbs and Parmigiano-Reggiano in another shallow bowl.

Dredge chicken slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off, and dredge in bread crumbs until evenly coated. Transfer chicken to sheets of wax paper, arranging slices in 1 layer.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then Fry chicken 3 pieces at a time, turning over once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain.

Arrange bottom halves of bread loaves on a large baking sheet and tops on another large baking sheet, all with cut sides up. Spread ¼ cup tomato sauce on each top and bottom. Divide chicken between bottom halves. Top each (open-faced) sandwich with ¼ cup tomato sauce and one fourth of mozzarella.

Bake open-faced sandwiches in lower third of oven until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. When cheese begins to melt, put tops of loaves in upper third of oven and bake until edges are golden, 3 to 4 minutes (watch tops closely; they burn easily). Put tops on bottoms to make sandwiches, then slice into serving pieces.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Clams and Chorizo with Tomato and Garlic

This one expands well to serve more people. Just be sure to have lots of crusty bread to soak up the juices

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb sweet or hot Spanish chorizo (spicy cured pork sausage), cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (14-oz) cans stewed tomatoes
4 lb littleneck clams (2 inches in diameter), scrubbed
1 lb E-Z Peel shrimp with the shells still on - optional

Preparation:

Cook garlic and chorizo in oil in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up any large pieces. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.
Stir in clams and cook, covered, over moderately high heat, stirring once, until clams open, 9 to 12 minutes. (Discard any that have not opened after 12 minutes.) If you're using the shrimp add when there's about 5 minutes to go. Serve immediately.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Frogmore Stew

Frogmore stew is a popular dish in the south that is very casual and often served poured out onto newspapers so that everyone can sit around the table and help themselves. If you have a large enough pot the recipe is expandable indefinitely so what I've listed below is the proportions for one person. Just expand as necessary.
N.B. Classic Frogmore Stew contains new potatoes so I've put that into the recipe but I don't like boiled potatoes so I normally leave them out.

Ingredients:

Crab boil (I use Zatarains) enough to season enough water to cover everything you'll throw into the pot
Corn on the cob - 1.5 ears, broken into pieces
Potatoes - 2 new, cut into quarters
Clams - 4 littleneck or other steamer sized clam
Shrimp - 4 to 5 medium sized, Easy clean but leave the shells on
Sausage - Spicy precooked cut into 2 inch pieces (I use andouille but you can use any hot sausage you'd like, it just need to be precooked)
Crab claws - 2 in the shell, if you like crab and want to add them, just don't use lump crab meat or surimi (faux crabmeat)

Preparation:

Bring seasoned water to a rolling boil, add the potatoes & corn & boil until potatoes are tender & corn is almost done. Add sausage and clams and continue boiling until the clams open, discard any that don't open after 10 minutes. Add the rest of the seafood and boil just until the shrimp and, crab (if using) are done. Drain the stew, the broth really isn't edible. Pour the drained food out onto the table in front of everyone and enjoy.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Sauteed Polenta with Sweet Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:
For 1 recipe basic polenta, kept warm or cheat & use precooked polenta in a roll

• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cornmeal or instant polenta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional if necessary
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound), chopped coarse and tough stems discarded
• 1 garlic clove, chopped and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chicken broth
• a 28- to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Accompaniment: freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation

On a lightly oiled baking sheet spread warm polenta about 3/4 thick and cool to room temperature. Polenta may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown sausage. Add water and cook sausage, covered, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook mixture until any remaining water is evaporated. Transfer sausage with tongs to a bowl and reserve fat remaining in skillet. Cool sausage slightly and slice diagonally.

Cut polenta into 1 1/2-inch diamond shapes or squares. In skillet sauté polenta in 2 batches in reserved fat over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, adding additional oil to skillet if necessary, until golden on both sides. Transfer polenta as cooked with a slotted spoon to bowl with sausage and cover.

In skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté broccoli rabe with salt to taste, stirring, until just wilted. Add garlic paste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring, until tomato paste is incorporated and sauce is slightly thickened. Add sausage and polenta and cook until heated through.

Serve polenta sprinkled with Parmesan.

To make basic polenta:
In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.

Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Thai Chicken and Shrimp Noodle Salad

This is a great cold salad for warm summer evenings and can be made ahead and just assembled at the last minute

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce* (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 2 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce*
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 9 ounces (250 grams) bean thread noodles**
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 12 cooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (about 3 1/2 ounces), rinsed
• 1/2 English hothouse cucumber, very thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 red jalapeño chile with seeds, sliced into thin rings
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted peanuts
• 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

*Available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets and at Asian markets.
**Clear dried noodles (also known as cellophane or transparent noodles); available in the Asian foods section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets.

Preparation:

Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend. DO AHEAD Dressing can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Place noodles in another large bowl. Cover with boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool; drain well. Insert scissors into noodles; cut several times. Transfer to bowl with dressing.

Add tomatoes and all remaining ingredients, except peanuts and lime wedges, to noodles; toss to coat.

Divide among 6 plates. Sprinkle with peanuts; garnish with lime wedges.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemons

Ingredients:

• 2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons if you can't find the Meyers
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 4 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed or 4 pounds of bone-in skin off chicken pieces such as breasts and thighs
  
• 1/2 cup green olives

Preparation:

Cut 1 lemon into 8 wedges. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon to measure 2 tablespoons; set wedges and juice aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Add lemon wedges. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Add olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to skillet. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Classic Chicken Soup

Here's another recipe from my Passover Dinner (Seder) coming up next Thursday night.

Ingredients:

• 5 - 6 lbs of bone-in, skin-on meaty chicken parts such as thighs
  
• 4 qts of cold water, the quality matters here, bottled may be better than fresh if your water is very hard
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 large onions, one peeled and quartered, one trimmed and quartered but left unpeeled (the peel is part of what colors the soup golden)
• ½ lb parsnips, skinned and cut into chunks
• Celery root about the size of a lemon cut into chunks, if you can't find celery root use 3 stalks of celery
• 1 lb carrots, skinned and cut into chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 sprigs of fresh parsley
• 1 parsley root, scraped and cut into chunks
• 1 parsnip root scraped and cut into chunks
• 2 large leeks, washed well and white parts cut into pieces, save the green leaves for later
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Day 1:
Roast the chicken parts in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, save all the pan juices. Put the chicken, pan juices and water into a large kettle along with ½ tbl. of salt. Bring heat to medium and start simmering the soup. Here's where the work starts. You really need to spend a lot of time now skimming the soup until the broth is complete clear (Important, DO NOT LET THE SOUP BOIL or it will be cloudy forever). Add all the rest of the ingredients except for the leek leaves and continue to skim until there is absolutely no more scum. Now cover with the leek leaves (if you don't have enough use some romaine leaves also). Cover with the pot and let simmer for at least 6 hours but overnight is better. Use a crock pot at this point if you're not comfortable leaving an open flame all night.

Now you can taste the soup and add salt as needed. Remove the chicken and save the meat for other uses such as chicken salad. Remove as much of the vegetables as possible and then strain the soup through cheesecloth. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get as much of the soup out as possible.
Refrigerate the soup overnight and then skim any congealed fat.

Reheat the soup before serving.

N.B. You can make this up to 3 to 4 days before using, just keep it refrigerated until ready to heat and eat

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust

Here's another recipe which can be used for a Passover Seder besides being good you can do most of the prep early in the morning and then just do the final baking at the last minute.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cauliflower florets (from 2 medium heads of cauliflower)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cups coarsely chopped leeks (white and pale green parts; from 3 large)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted matzo meal
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup almonds, toasted, chopped

Preparation:

Cook cauliflower in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl and mash coarsely with potato masher.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender and just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add leek mixture to cauliflower. Mix in matzo meal. Beat eggs, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 tablespoon dill, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend; stir into cauliflower mixture.

Brush 11x7-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Spread cauliflower mixture evenly in prepared dish. Mix almonds, remaining 7 tablespoons parsley, 7 tablespoons dill, and 2 tablespoons oil in medium bowl to blend. Sprinkle evenly over kugel. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake kugel uncovered until set in center and beginning to brown on top, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Mustard Seeds

Here's a good Brussels Sprout dish to take advantage of this early season vegi. The parboiling before sauteing help to remove the 'boiled cabbage' taste these can sometimes have. You can also do most of the prep the day before and the final cooking only takes about 20 minutes which makes this a good dish for Easter or Passover meals (N.B. in some Passover traditions, mustard is not allowed so check before you bring this as a dish to a Seder)

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons mustard seeds either light or dark, your choice
  
• 2 1/2 pounds small Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, use olive oil if you're bringing this to a Seder where meat will be served. That will make the dish Parve (neither Meat nor Dairy)
  
• 6 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Preparation:

Stir mustard seeds in small dry skillet over medium-low heat until seeds are lightly toasted and begin to pop, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool.

Cook Brussels sprouts in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Place in bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and cut in half. (Mustard seeds and Brussels sprouts can be made 1 day ahead. Store mustard seeds at room temperature. Wrap Brussels sprouts in paper towels; cover and chill.)

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender and golden, about 4 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and sauté until just tender and heated through, about 8 minutes. Add lemon juice, mustard, and mustard seeds; toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - How to make fluffy matzo balls

Matzo balls are considered by many to be an integral part of the passover holiday. Depending on your preferences and family history (how your mother & grandmother made their matzo balls) you may like 'floaters' (light fluffy balls) or 'sinkers' (dense, heavy balls).
My preference has always been floaters & over the years I've tried many, many methods to produce them. Some of the techniques have included adding club soda to the dough or, the most sure fire, using shallow soup plates.

All of the techniques seem to rely on one common ingredient, make sure that there is air incorporated into the matzo ball dough. This makes sense and explains how the club soda works. Personally, I think that club soda or seltzer adds too much salt to the dough so I don't use that. That said here's how I make my 'floaters'.

I just use a standard Passover style matzo ball mix (regular matzo ball mix may have leaven in it so you can't use it for Passover). I prepare the mix according to package directions but there here's where I vary.

1) I ALWAYS make the dough the day before & let it rest in the refrigerator overnight, this allows for the maximum hydration of the matzo meal & make the dough very cold which is important for the next step

2) I use a cookie scoop, medium size to scoop out dough balls & once scooped handle them the minimum amount possible. This keeps the dough cold & prevents squeezing out any air bubbles present in the dough. Don't make the balls any bigger than a small walnut, if they are much bigger the outer part of the dumpling with get soggy before the inner part is completely cooked.

3) Cook the matzo balls in boiling hot soup or extra broth. Keep the soup boiling & don't add so many dough balls that it will cool off. This, IMHO is the most important step, the high heat of the soup serves to heat the air bubbles trapped in the dough expand and makes the matzo balls fluffy.

4) Get the dumplings out of the soup when cooked and put aside in a covered bowl until ready to reheat for dinner. If you leave them soaking in the soup, like a sponge they will get sodden with soup an sink.

Enjoy

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Sauted Scallops with Cherry Tomatoes, Green Onions, and Parsley

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, side muscles removed, I use frozen but be sure that they are completely thawed
  
• Fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt, not regular table salt you need the large grains for this dish to work
  
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 1 12-ounce container cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon mild Spanish paprika (pimentn dulce)* or Hungarian sweet paprika

Preparation

Rinse and drain scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops; sauté until browned outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to plate; cover. Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; add white parts of green onions and sauté until almost tender, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and green parts of onions and sauté until tomatoes begin to burst and release juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, and paprika. Return scallops and any accumulated juices to skillet and stir just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer scallop mixture to platter. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.

This is good to serve with rice or a pasta like orzo to soak up the juices.

Serves 4

Recipe from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Baked ziti with three cheeses

This is a variation on lasagna which uses ziti noodles instead.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
  
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
• 12 ounces freshly cooked ziti or other tubular pasta
• Optional - 1 lb of Italian sausage casings removed & crumbled
  

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. If you're using the sausage, add it at this point and cook until done. Add onion, garlic and fennel seeds (omit the fennel if you've added sausage) and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, water, oregano and sage. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup Romano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. In medium bowl combine ricotta cheese and egg. Reserve 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese for topping. Add remaining mozzarella to ricotta cheese mixture and blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread 1/4 of tomato sauce over bottom of prepared dish. Layer 1/3 of pasta over. Drop half of ricotta cheese mixture over by spoonfuls. Spread 1/4 of sauce over. Repeat layering with another 1/3 of pasta, remaining cheese mixture, 1/4 of sauce and remaining pasta. Spread remaining sauce over and sprinkle with reserved mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Cover casserole and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.

Recipes from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Spicy Chicken Paella

Here's a good way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If you don't have enough leftovers you can 'nuke' some dark meat poultry (it has more flavor than white meat) to make up the difference. It's not a 'real' paella in the sense that it's made up in a classic paella pan over an on a stove top but it's still very good

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces spicy smoked sausage (such as linguiça, andouille, or hot links), cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup garlic-flavored olive oil, you can 'fake' this by adding a chopped garlic clove to the pan when you heat the oil (that's what I do sometimes)
  
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 large plum tomatoes, quartered
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups cooked leftover turkey, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup frozen peas

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat olive oil in 6 1/2-quart pot over medium-high heat. This is a big pot and will look to large at the start but you need the space for the rice to expand and to create a 'dutch oven' effect. Add onions and cook until golden, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add bell pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice and saffron, then next 5 ingredients. IMPORTANT, do not stir the dish after this point. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 15 minutes. Add sausage, turkey, and peas to rice mixture. Bake paella 10 minutes and serve.

Recipes from the TWiT Army Mess Hall - Garlicky Black-Pepper Shrimp and Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients
For black-eyed peas:

• 4 bacon slices
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
• 2 (15-ounces) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

For shrimp:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Preparation

Black-eyed peas:
Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate, then tear into small pieces.

Cook scallions, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in fat in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add black-eyed peas and broth and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Make shrimp:
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook shrimp with garlic, stirring occasionally, until just opaque (shrimp will not be fully cooked), about 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil, then briskly simmer 2 minutes. Add bacon and black-eyed-pea mixture and simmer until just heated through (mixture will be juicy). Discard bay leaves.

Recipes from the Twit Army Mess Hall - Fish & Pesto Packets

Here's a simple, low calorie, low carb, low fat meal that tasty & effortless to repair

Ingredients:

• 1 lb firm fish fillets like cod
• 1 green or yellow zucchini sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 c. cherry tomatoes, try not to use the sweet ones
• 8 asparagus spears
• 1/2 c. kalamata olives, pitted & halved
• 4 tbls (about a 1/4 cup). of your favorite pesto, I use a garlic based one

Preparation:

Prepare 4 foil sheets by tearing them into 12" squares. Spray with a non-stick cooking spray & set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut the fish into 4 even pieces & place in the center of the foil squares. Spread the fish with a tbl of the pesto and the evenly distribute the vegetables & olives on top of the 4 fish pieces. Fold the foil packets to cover everything and roll the top tightly to seal. Don't miss this step or the juices will leak out the packs & the fish will dry out.

Bake in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick the fish fillets are.

Place the packs on everyone's plate & let them open them at the table. Just be careful when you open them, there may be a puff of steam when they are opened.

Serves 4

Recipes from the Twit Army Mess Hall - Chicken Kiev

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• 2 cups Japanese bread crumbs (panko), plus 1/4 cup for filling
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Combine butter, parsley, tarragon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, you'll probably need a hand mixer to make sure this is blended well. Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer. Do not skip this step, this butter must be firm or this will never work. N.B. This seasoned butter is also good for steak & if wrapped air tight will keep for several months so it may be worth your while to make a large amount and freeze it for further use.

Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Don't try and skip this step, you need the thin pieces for this to work. Also, don't use the thin chicken scallops which are available they aren't large enough to work. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1/4 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Place egg and water mixture in 1 pie pan and 2 cups of panko on a piece of foil with the edges turned up to form a shallow pan.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F. That's shimmering but not smoking.

Dip each breast in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove to a cooling rack set in sheet pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.