Recipes by their Ingredients

thyme

  • Alligator Eggs

    Alligator Eggs
    Alligator Eggs
    (Serves 10-12)


    14 manicotti shells for stuffing

    3 links smoked alligator sausage (Andouille sausage if wanted)
    1 link Andouille sausage
    1 lb goat cheese
    1 lb Louisiana crawfish
    2 tbsp thyme
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp pepper
    1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Spice

    1 tsp garlic (or more if you like)

    1 cup bread plain crumbs
    2 eggs

    1 cup heavy cream
    1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Spice
    1 tsp Better than Bouillon lobster stock


    NOTES:
     

    Cook Pasta in salted, boiling water for 7 minutes and then drain the 14 manicotti shells. Set the drained Manicotti on cookie sheet to dry. Cook the Alligator sausage and let cool. If you want, you can make a slit length-wise into the sausage and peel off the casing and discard. This is harder to do with sausages that are pre-cooked or smoked. (Or if you use refrigerated sausage chopped in food processor). Two extra sausage link need to be cut and diced and set aside (do not stuff) along with half (8oz) of the crawfish for the cream sauce. Once the pasta has cooled down, cut each noodle in half to leave two smaller stuffable manicotti.

    Stuffing Mix
    In a food processor add the chopped Alligator Sausages (2 links), add half (8oz) crawfish, one pound Goat Cheese, two tablespoons dried thyme, salt and pepper, and Cajun spices to taste. Add all the remaining ingredients to processor. Remove to a bowl and add the two eggs and one cup bread crumbs. Take this mixture and fry or bake for 30 minutes - your choice. What I did was fry it in small batches in an 8" frying pan over medium heat, I never tried to scrape the bottom, just let it develope a crust as you change batches and flip the mixture. Let this mixture cool before stuffing the pasta.

    Add in separate sauce pan add a tsp butter, a tsp crushed garlic, let saute for 1 minute then add the diced sausage and the other half of crawfish (8oz) with one and a half cups of heavy cream along with the cajun spice paprika and lobster stock. Let reduce by 1/3 the volume over medium/low heat.

    Stuff the pasta shells with the stuffing mixture that has cooled down enough to handle.

    Fry for two minutes or bake for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Plate and top with Alligator sausage cream sauce.

  • Chicken Legs, Roasted

    Chicken Legs, Roasted
    Chicken Legs, Roasted
    (Serves 2)


    6 Chicken Legs
    ½ tsp salt
    ½ tsp ground black pepper
    ½ tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
    ¼ tsp thyme
    ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper


    NOTES:You can baste the chicken legs in your favorite marinade or brine before using this method. I make a Tandoori spice blend which you could substitute for the spices here and still follow the instructions. You can't go wrong!

    Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

    Coat the chicken legs evenly with all the spices.

    Line a sheet pan with tinfoil and lightly oil an area for the legs to sit on, place the chicken legs on the tinfoil in the pan and place in lower center of the oven for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes flip the chicken over and bake for another 12-15 minutes, depending how large the legs are. If you like then a bit more color in them place under tour broiler for a minute or 2, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn. Serve with your favorite sides like mashed potatoes and gravy or some rob-a-roni!

  • Chicken Pot Pie

    Chicken Pot Pie
    Chicken Pot Pie
    (Serves )


    The Pastry
    10 cups all purpose flour
    2½ tsp salt
    10 tblsp Italian Parsley, optional
    5 tsp chopped fresh herbs, a mix of thyme, savory and basil, optional
    2½ cups unsalted butter, chilled, in small cubes
    18-20 tblsp ice water


    The Filling
    3 cups cooked chicken (1 lb), cubed
    3 cups carrots, cubed, par cooked
    3 cups peas
    3 cups potatoes, cubed, par cooked


    The Stock
    11 cups chicken stock, or 11 cups water and 3 tblsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon
    1 tsp fine ground black pepper
    1 tsp salt
    ¾ cup corn starch slurry


    NOTES:I like to separate the pot pie process into three stages: The pastry, filling and stock. Each stage can be completed separately, which lets you concentrate on making it as tasty as it can be for your tastes! Do not use bouillon cubes, especially Knorr!
    Take a look at the ingredient list between Knorr and Better Than Bouillon brands, notice where the chicken flavor comes from and how far back in the ingredients list!:


    Knorr Chicken Bouillon cubes:SALT, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, PALM OIL, CORN STARCH, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, SUGAR, XANTHAN GUM, CHICKEN FAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, WATER, TURMERIC (FOR COLOR), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, MALTODEXTRIN, DEHYDRATED PARSLEY, SPICES, CARAMEL COLOR, TBHQ.

    Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon : ROASTED CHICKEN, SALT, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, DRIED WHEY (MILK), FLAVORING, FOOD STARCH, DISODIUM INOSINATE AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TURMERIC.
     

    The Pastry: Mise en place (is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "gather". It refers to the setup required before cooking): Make sure your butter is all cubed up and it's sitting in the fridge, herbs are already chopped, if you're using them and you have a cup or bowl of ice water on hand. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt and herbs together with a whisk, if you are using the herbs.
    Add the butter cubes to the mixture and mix quickly with your fingers, remember the heat of your fingers and hand will warm the butter up very fast, which is why you want to mix quickly until the mixture resembles sand and small pebbles, only tiny beads should remain.
    Add the ice water, up to 14 tblsp at first then add, one at a time a tblsp of the ice water until the dough holds together when you squeeze by your hand. You may not need all the ice water.
    Create a rounded oval shape which is not too thick, cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until needed. I don't like making the dough a ball as when it comes straight out of the fridge will take longer to get it flat with a rolling pin. You want the dough to be very cold when rolling but it will also crack on the edges more so when cold which is why I recommend a much flatter pile of dough. Your finished product should be that you can see small tiny patches of butter interwoven in your pie dough top and bottom.

    The Filling: Using either boneless skinless thighs or chicken breasts, sprinkle salt, pepper and granulated garlic on both sides and grill (ideally) or use a heavy bottoms pan and heat up some vegetable oil and pan fry each side until done, really thick breasts can be butterflied open for more even and quicker cooking. Cube up the chicken and set aside. Keep the cubes the same size as the vegetable cubes.
    Cut the carrots into cubed pieces and boil in water for 2-3 minutes, until the are cooked through but not too soft, set aside.
    Blanch the peas in hot water just until any frozenness disappear, drain and set aside.
    You can skin the potatoes or don't for a more rustic look. Cube up the potatoes and cook in boiling water until cooked 3/4 of the way, about 4 minutes depending on how large you made the cubes, drain and set aside.

    The Stock: Using home made stock is best (See my Chicken Stock recipe). Next best thing is making your stock with Better Than Bouillon Chicken Bouillon or the Roasted Chicken Bouillon (I think they also make a low sodium chicken bouillon). If your using the Bouillon method, it's easiest to mix all three tblsp with as little warm or hot water as you can and once you integrate the Bouillon making sure it's dissolved, add more water until you get to 11 cups. Once you have the mixture, chicken stock, you can add a tsp of salt and 1 tsp of fine ground black pepper. If your not using the herbs in the dough, you should add a tsp thyme to the stock now. Bring to a simmer over medium/low heat, stir, once hot taste for slat and pepper content and adjust accordingly. Get your corn starch slurry together by measuring our ¾ cup of corn starch and adding just enough cold water until it can be stirred, mix well, once the stock is simmering and your happy that it tastes chickeny and is seasoned well, add some hot stock into your "slurry" until you can pour easily pour the mixed slurry back into the stock, but first turn down the heat to stop the simmering and stirring simultaneously as the stock meets with the slurry and will react by thickening your chicken stock, once you've added three quarters of your slurry, turn the heat back to a simmer, this is when the magic happens, stir the chicken stock it should be getting thicker, now adjust the stock with more slurry until you have a very thick base for your chicken pot pie.
    Stir in all the vegetables and the chicken, taste! Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Let cool, as it cools it will thicken even more. You can stop at this point and make the pot pies the next day if you wish.

    Putting it all together: Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Take the dough from the refrigerator and using a rolling pin roll out the dough between ⅛ to ¼
    If you like a bottom crust: form a sheet onto a pie plate or baking dish pushing the sheet to conform to the inner curves of the pie plate or baking dish and trim off the excess dough that overhangs the edges using a butter knife. Add the pot pie filling into the pastry lined baking apparatus very close to the top leaving a ¼ of space. Add a top pastry sheet over your fillings and using a knife slice an X into the center of the pie to allow steam to escape. If your making a huge 13x8 baking dish you can cut three X's into the top to help the steam escape. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the pie on it, place in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the insides are bubbling hot and the crust id golden. You may need to check at 15 minutes to make sure the edges are not browning too much, if they are take a couple of strips of foil and wrap around the crusts edges.
    If you like a only a top crust: fill the baking dish with pot pie filling and leave a ¼ inch gap to the top. Add a sheet of pastry dough over the top and using a butter knife trim the edges off, place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30-30 minutes. Be aware that the edges can burn, check at 15 minutes and use some foil strips to cover the edges if it happens.

    You can also par bake a top crust by measuring how large the top needs to be to fit on your baking pan, bowl or whatever you are using. Cut it to size and place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until tan in color, not golden. Then use these pre cooked tops to put over your bowl of hot pot pie filling you heated on the stove top and then only bake for 5 minutes until the pie top heats up and gets a more golden color, 10 minutes tops. Remember if you forget to cut an X into the pre-baked tops, if the filling bubbles over it will all be over the sides of the crust!

  • Croutons

    Croutons
    Croutons
    (Serves 12)

    1 baguette, day old bread, (about 2 cups), cut off the crusts
    ½ tsp granulated garlic (or you can use 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced)
    ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
    ½ tsp onion powder
    2 tsp fresh herbs, minced, like thyme, parsley and rosemary
    2 tblsp melted unsalted butter or olive oil
    1 tblsp parmesan cheese, grated

    NOTES: You can use fresh bread, or even sandwich bread or sour dough. I pop these in my mouth as a snack, they're that good! The parmesan cheese should be grated fresh with a micro planer or the smallest grid on your grating device!
     

    Pre-heat oven to 325°F. On a sheet tray

    Cut your crustless bread into cubes about ¾ inch in size. Set aside.

    Add the olive oil or melted butter to a large bowl, then add the spices, herbs and cheese, mix well, dump in all the bread cubes quickly and mix quickly so the oil/butter does not only get into the the first bread cubes that landed on it! Mix, mix, mix!

    On a sheet tray, spread out the saturated bread cubes and place in the oven. check every 5 minutes and flip over the cubes with a spatula. When they are golden turn off the oven and remove to cool in a bowl, about 15-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container on your counter, for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a month.

  • Focaccia w/Roasted Garlic Herbs & Tomato

    Focaccia
    Focaccia
    (Serves 4-6)


    Focaccia Dough
    4 cups flour (high protein flour - (11-13)
    1 tsp Kosher salt
    1 pk of dry active yeast
    2 tsp brown sugar
    1+1/3 cups warm water
    1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

    Topping(s)
    12 cloves of Roasted Garlic
    1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, with color varieties, cut in half
    1 tsp fresh thyme, finely minced
    1 tsp fresh rosemary
    1 tsp fresh basil, finely minced
    1 tsp fresh oregano, finely minced
    2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/3 tsp salt, kosher

    1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil (for the sheet pan), optional

    NOTES: You can use many different toppings for this Focaccia, prosciutto, olives, thinly sliced potatoes, onions, caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, or simply salt, the list goes on and on! My favorite has to be rosemary and potatoes!
     

    In a very hot skillet blister the halved cherry tomatoes, tossing them around for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and mix in the fresh herbs and roasted garlic cloves, remove into a small bowl, then mix in the olive oil and salt and set aside for brushing over the top right before the dough is ready to bake.

    Mix the yeast and sugar with the warm water (read what temperature the water should be, on the yeast packet instructions). Let the yeast bloom (get foamy) @ 5-10 minutes. Mix the yeasty mix with the flour and olive oil.
    Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is slightly elastic, then let rest in a warm area, covered, until the dough doubles in size (about 30-45 minutes).

    Pre-heat your oven to 425°. F.
    Prepare a regular cookie sheet with sides with some olive oil or place a sheet of parchment paper down. Roll out the dough, place in the cookie sheet and dimple the dough using your finger, every inch or so up, down, across the dough, creating little dimples.

    Now, using the tomato/herb/garlic/olive oil mix, spread evenly across the top of your dimpled dough. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

  • Thanksgiving Balls

    Thanksgiving Balls
    Thanksgiving Balls
    (Serves 4)


    Frozen Center Mixture
    4 pack 2 inch ice molds
    4 oz cranberry sauce, for the first 4
    4 oz turkey or beef gravy, for the second 4

    Turkey Mixture
    1 lb ground turkey
    ⅓ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
    1 medium egg
    ¾ tsp thyme
    1½ tsp salt
    ¼ tsp sage
    ¼ cayenne pepper
    ¼ white pepper

    Stuffing Layer 1 box of Stove Top Stuffing (Turkey Flavor)
    (Requires 4 tblsp butter and 1½ cups water)

    Mashed Potatoes
    2 russet potatoes, peeled, cut into even chunks
    4 tblsp sweet butter
    ⅓ cup whole milk
    2-3 tsp salt, to taste
    ¼ tsp white pepper

    ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs for coating the balls before frying


    NOTES:These can be baked, after rolling them in the breadcrumbs, spritz with spray release or olive oil and bake for 12-15 miniutes at 400°F. And the frozen center, you can freeze the bottom half first of gravy, then after 2 hours open and fill the rest of the way with cranberry sauce, then you will have a split center! make an exact amount, you need aproximately ¼ lb turkey for every extra ball you want. I suppose if you used the jelled cranberry sauce in a can you can simply cut out a 2x2 inch square and put that on top before rolling into a ball. Also the longer they remain in the refridgerator the more likely the bottom will get wet and the ball will leak a bit. So its best to time the dethawing of the center right before cooking. I had a few and let one sit a day and another sit two days, they both leaked but held together and ultimately fried perfectly.

    Place the gravy, once it has cooled down into the mold, up to the fill line only! Place the top of the mold on and gently push the top into the mold, hopefully very little will leak out the top hole, which allows the mold to be full but not too full! Fill the other molds with gravy and then 2 of them with cranberry sauce. (or just do one or the other depending on your likes! Place in the freezer until solid, at least 2 hours depending on your freezer. It easiest to make these a day in advance and use them once you have all the layers cooked and cooled (except for the turkey of course).

    Divide the turkey mixture into 4 balls. place a piece of plastic wrap down for each of the balls, or you can get one larger piece of plastic wrap and when its time to roll them, cut into four sections with a strait knife. Now for each of the turkey mixture balls get anothe top peice of plastice wrap a place on top of each ball, centering the balls between the plastic wrap, with a rolling pin, flatten the balls into a circle ¼ inch deep. Once all four are flattened remove and discard the top plastic wrap, leaving the bottom plastic wrap in place.

    Turkey before rolling

    Place a couple tablespoons of stuffing on top of each flat turkey patty right in the center and gingerly spreadit into a circle being careful not to flatten the already flattened turkey patty. make sure to leave some turkey showing on the edges of each patty.

    Now do the same with the mashed potatoes, place 2 tablespoons worth on top of the stuffing and spread out but not to the edges.

    pop the frozen gravy and/cranberry sauce out of their molds (remove the top and use a butter knife to pop it out). Place in the very center of each turkey patty into the mashed potatoes, press it in lightly.

    Now using the plastic roll the edges as close together as you can and slip your whole hand under the turkey, we are now leaving the bottom plastic wrap behind as we finish cupping the ball in one hand and using our other hand to crimp together the turkey edges, once crimped together you can kind of roll the ball in your hands to some out and make round. But be sure the turkey has held together beacause once this goes in to cook the center will have gone from frozen to melted. So now they are held together and are round, you can roll them in the Italian breadcrumbs to get an even coat, then cover and put in the fridge to firm up the outside and let the center melt. I left mine in the fridge over night in tupperware. But leave in the fridge for 3-4 hours at least.

    Turkey after rolling

    I used a deep sauce pot to fry these in. Add ½ vegetable oil to a deep fry pan or sauce pan and put on medium low until it hits 350°F. Fry the giant turkey ball for a total of 8-10 minutes, let it fry for 1 minute at a time until all sections are golden brown, then keep the ball moving for the last three minutes to maintain an even brown coating

    You can present these on a giant platter for a guest to grab or what I did was, add a dollap or 2 of cranberry sauce in the center of the plate and place the ball on top, I finished mine off with a sprinkle of basil. You can always swap out the dollap of cranberry with: gravy, mashed potaoes, rice, cheese sauce, what ever hits your fancy!