Homemade Hot Pockets

For those of you who don't know, my husband, Aaron, is a professional chef.  Ironic that I am the one with a food blog, isn't it?  In any case, after we had kids he got out of the kitchen and into the other side of the restaurant and bar business - but I digress - the point is, in the last five years, I do the majority of the cooking.

This hasn't come as much of a surprise though to those who worked and cooked with Aaron for the last fifteen or twenty years because he was notorious for putting out the most gorgeous, sophisticated plates and then sitting out back and having a frozen corn dog or hot pockets for dinner.  It would drive executive chefs crazy that they had all this wonderful food in their walk-ins, stacked next to frozen corn dogs.

So as much as I can impress Aaron with some of the dishes that I produce in our kitchen here, there is also always a family-size box of Hot Pockets in our freezer.  And, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand their appeal - I have the occasional need for a Hot Pocket or Taco Cabana burrito myself, but as a mom, I don't love the idea of feeding it to my kids.

When I cook at home I use as much organic produce and ingredients as are available, and try to make things as scratch as possible.  It feels really good to know exactly what's going in my kids - there isn't a lot we can control as parents so this feels like a nice attempt at it for me.  So over Christmas break I decided to jump in a tackle the ever-present Hot Pocket.

Not only were these insanely delicious but they were completely organic! I even managed to finagle some vegetables into one version (though Aaron condemned this variety as blasphemy).  On top of all of that, they were hand-held, un-messy, kid-pleasing, and easy to make!  The dough came together well and then you just fill it with whatever you want - we made the regular pepperoni, sausage and cheese variety for Aaron, and a second one with sausage, bell pepper, mushroom, and spinach.  But get creative - anything you would put on pizza would be perfect!

Homemade Hot Pockets

Serves 6-8

For the Dough:

• 1 cup warm water (100°+)
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbs. vegetable oil
• 2-3 cups bread flour
• Egg Wash (1 egg whisked with a bit of water, dried basil and dried oregano)

For the Filling:

You can use whatever you want - but we used these two variations:

Italian Medley:

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced small
• 6 oz. baby bella mushrooms, diced
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (2-4 cups, depending on your cheese addiction)
• Prepared pizza sauce (1-2 cups)

Pepperoni and Sausage:

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
• 8 oz. pepperoni, chopped
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (2-4 cups, depending on your cheese addiction)
• Prepared pizza sauce (1-2 cups)

Prepare the Filling

For the Italian Medley version: In a large skillet, warm some olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two until fragrant.  Add the vegetables and saute until spinach has wilted.  Push the vegetables to the side and add the sausage.  Breaking up the sausage with your spoon as it cooks, cook the meat through before mixing it into the vegetables.  Once mixed, then cook for just a minute or two more, season with salt and pepper and then remove from heat and set aside.

For the "traditional" version:

Saute the sausage in a skillet until cooked through, breaking up the meat with a spoon as your go.  Remove from heat and toss with the chopped pepperoni.  Set aside.

Make the Dough

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the yeast and the sugar.  Add the warm water and let stand for five minutes until foamy, so you know the yeast is live.  If it doesn't foam, toss it and start over with new yeast.

Add half a cup of the bread flour and mix well with a spatula or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add another 1/2 cup of flour and the salt and mix well. Continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky.  If using a dough hook, it will have formed a ball around the hook.  If mixing by hand, it should be elastic enough to knead easily with your hands without sticking to your hands and coming apart.

Take it out of the bowl and knead it by hand on a floured work surface for just a few minutes.  Roll the dough into a ball and then pat it gently into a 1 inch thick disc.  You may want to use a floured rolling pin, but careful not to roll it too flat.

Then using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out 6-8 circles of dough. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle 1/4 inch thick. 

In the middle of the circle, layer cheese, filling, then drizzle sauce over top.  Go lighter with the sauce, it gets super hot inside (as any Hot Pocket aficionado knows) and you want the filling to stay in there, not spew out if there is too much liquid.

Fold the dough in half and then seal the seam by folding over a 1/2 inch segment at a time, overlapping over the previous section just a bit (see the photo).

Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining circles of dough.  Once all pockets are made, brush the tops with the egg wash and then bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes.

Dough Recipe adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen

Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

I had just finished checking a whole lot of things off my to-do list, like Townes' birthday invitations and health insurance changes, when I realized it was suddenly 3:30 and I had no idea what we were eating for dinner.  I also looked outside and it had gone from a blustery, damp day to pre-storm gloom.  I had to make a decision fast and had no where to start.

I wanted something comforting, but I didn't want another comfort food that was covered in cheese and grease and overly decadent.  I wanted comfort food that would warm my soul but also make me feel good.  I wanted veggies and freshness.  I decided risotto was a great place to start, but my favorite (mushroom risotto) would be a no-go with Aaron.  So while I walked to Randall's with T in the stroller I started deciding what to put together. 

I thought sweet potatoes would be an interesting starch to add to the rice, but wouldn't be savory enough on their own.  I always think bacon marries well to sweet potatoes and would add some kick.  Chipotle and sage would add smoky, spiciness that would bring out the depth of the sweet potato instead of the sweetness.  I decided to up the nutritional factor and add some spinach, along with the risotto staples of onion, shallots and garlic. Finish it off with nutty Parmesan and I was good to go.

The best part about how this came out, is that you can keep customizing it.  Substitute kale for spinach, use prosciutto instead of bacon, vegetable broth instead of chicken.  This can be filled with super foods, its gluten free, and it could be vegetarian!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Risotto

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped into 1-inch chunks
• Olive oil
• 1 tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbs. Chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 8-12 oz. bacon, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced small
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or olive oil. 

In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato chunks with the sage, Chipotle powder, garlic powder, season with salt and pepper and 2-3 tbs. of olive oil, until evenly coated.  Spread the sweet potato onto the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until very soft and tender.  Mine took about 30 minutes, tossing them every 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven, over medium heat, cook the diced bacon.  In a separate sauce pot, warm the chicken broth over medium high heat, if it comes to a boil, turn the heat down and keep it warm.

When the bacon is done, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon into a paper towel-lined bowl.  Pour out the bacon fat, leaving just about a tablespoon or two at the bottom, discard the rest.

Melt the 2 tbs. butter in the dutch oven into the bacon fat over medium heat.  Add the shallots and onion, sauteing until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and spinach, cook until spinach has wilted. 

Your sweet potatoes should be done around now, just pull the tray out and set it aside and let them cool for a bit.

Add the rice to the pot with the veggies and cook for around 5 minutes, stirring constantly so the rice doesn't burn, but starts to toast.  Add the white wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. 

Once the wine is fully incorporated, pour in enough chicken broth to just cover the rice.  Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom or burning.  The broth should bubble a bit, but should not be boiling.  After the broth is absorbed, add more broth, just enough to cover the rice and repeat the process until the rice is tender and cooked.

While the rice is cooking, put your sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash until smooth.  Taste and re-season to your preference.  I added more Chipotle powder to kick up the spice factor. Don't forget to keep stirring your rice, though!

Once your rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed (you may need more or less than 4 cups of chicken broth depending on your rice), turn the heat down to low and stir in the sweet potatoes one scoop at a time.  My potatoes made about 1 1/2 cups mash and I used it all.  If your potatoes were very big you may not want to use it all. Stir well until the sweet potatoes are well incorporated.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few more minutes to let the flavors mingle. 

Add the grated Parmesan and half of the cooked bacon, mix well, and turn off the heat. Taste and re-season as needed.  Garnish with Parmesan, bacon and some fresh herbs like sage or parsley.  

Chicken Lo-Mein: NY Chinese Take-Out

I spend a lot of time extolling the virtue of NY Italian food and the impact it had on my culinary development.  However, there is a dish that I grew up with, that was not homemade, but an important thread in my culinary history: Chicken Lo-Mein.  When I was growing up we only had a couple of places we ordered take-out from (far less than my family does now) - there was Joe's Pizza and Imperial Wok.  We had pizza at Joe's once a week on Thursdays after tennis lessons with our friends and about twice a month my dad decided we would order Chinese. 

I had two staples that I liked to order; chicken fried rice and chicken lo-mein.  I don't think my tastes were wild and crazy at the age of eleven so I kept it simple and easy.  And since then, I have lived in San Francisco and been exposed to the insanely wide variety of Asian cuisines, fell in love with Thai fried rice with tofu and Pad Kee Mao and so on and so on.  But my basic, simple, chicken lo-mein could never be replaced in my heart.

Unfortunately however, there weren't that many great Chinese places in San Francisco (lots of Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Japanese, etc.), Chinese take-out seemed to almost be unique to New York.  When I moved to Austin, the situation only got more dire.  We have even less Asian take-out and just about one decent Chinese place.  No offense to some of the staples here like Mama Fu's and Madam Mam's, but its just not the same.  Thank goodness for Titaya's Thai Cuisine that absolutely hits the mark for Thai fried rice and Pad Kee Mao, but I am sorely out of luck on Chicken Lo-Mein.  It just constantly blows my mind that I just can't get it here - you can walk in to almost any Chinese place in New York and get a solid serving of Chicken Lo-Mein that tastes the same.

Anyway, I am getting too deep on my feelings for Chinese take-out.  The point is, I only get to eat lo-mein when I go home to see my mom, which is just not enough.  This was the first year we didn't go to New York for Christmas in my entire life (which was wonderful for some reasons and sad for others, but that's another story for another day) and so I didn't get an opportunity to feed my craving.  I've been thinking about it for weeks and finally decided to give it a go making it at home.

Y'all it was so worth it.  SO WORTH IT.  This was an insanely easy concept once I didn't some reading and comparing of recipes and decided on a game plan.  I wanted chicken in mine, so I chopped up the chicken into bite sized pieces and tossed it in the crock-pot and let it ride all day until I was ready to make dinner.  Then it was as simple as boiling the noodles and then sauteeing the veggies and tossing it all together.

Chicken Lo-Mein

Serves 8

For the Chicken:

• 4 skinless chicken breasts (or breasts and thighs) sliced thin into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup Teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sesame oil, divded
• 1 tbs. ground ginger, divided
• 2 tbs. sugar

For the Sauce:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbs. sugar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 2 tbs. ground ginger
• 2 tbs. Sriracha mayo

For the Lo-mein:

• 16 oz. Lo-Mein egg noodles
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped green cabbage
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 tbs. minced garlic
• 1 cup snow peas (optional)

Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce in the bowl of a crock-pot.  Add the chopped chicken and stir to coat.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours until cooked tender.  Remove from crock pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and cook the lo-mein noodles according the directions on the package.  Drain cooked noodles into a colander and rinse well with cold water.  Set aside.

Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large saute pan or braiser over medium-high heat.  Add a few tablespoons of sesame oil and the garlic.  Saute until fragrant, just a minute or two.  Add the onion, carrots, mushrooms and snow peas.  Saute until onions are translucent.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook for a few minutes.  Add the cabbage and saute until wilted.  Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the veggies and chicken and saute until evenly mixed.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the lo-mein noodles, using tongs to toss the noddles with the veggies and chicken.  Add the remaining sauce as you go, tossing to distribute the sauce evenly and cook for a few minutes more until the flavors are blended. 

Serve immediately, or refrigerate and consume in the morning after a rough night out.

Comforting Chili-Mac

So right now finding things to eat in our house can be a bit of a challenge; everyone has an opinion and so I feel like often whatever I make, at least one person is unhappy that night at dinner.  Townes is in a phase where all meat is "sausage" and he only wants "sausage" - Hondo is all carbs all the time, if there isn't pasta, life's not worth living - and Aaron is fine as long as the vegetables aren't big enough to be obvious.  Easy to make everyone happy, right?

Not surprisingly I was exasperated figuring out what to make for dinner, so I asked Chanel (who I have finally realized is like a dinner Magic 8 Ball - I don't know how she does it - I say what should I make for dinner and she just says "x" and its perfect).  Well, she said chili, because it would make T happy, but then macaroni because of Hondo.  I couldn't choose between my children, so I made both.

This chili-mac is full of veggies (and you can even add more, I think sweet potatoes diced up add a great layer of flavor in chili and are chock full of nutrients; a spicy pepper like a jalapeno would kick it up a notch; use your imagination!), has pasta for Hondo, meat for Townes (we can just call it sausage), and is wrapped in a silky cheese sauce no one can resist.  Serve it Texas-style with some Fritos for a second-level frito pie, or top it fully-loaded with sour cream, bacon, green onions and shredded cheese, or just eat it as it is.  You can't go wrong.

Cozy Chili-Mac

Serves 8

ingredients for chili:

• 3 tbs butter
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 green bell pepper, diced small
• 1 medium to large white onion, diced small
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 tbs chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 can of red kidney beans (15 oz)
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz)
• 1 small can of crushed or petit diced tomatoes
• 1 lb tube pasta, uncooked (I used elbows but cavatappi would be fun, or anything you like to hold sauce well)
• 1 box (32 oz) beef broth

ingredients for cheese sauce:

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (optional)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Salt and pepper

In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt the 3 tbs of butter and sauté the garlic for just a minute or two until fragrant. Add the peppers and onion and sauté until onions are translucent.

Push the vegetables to the on half of the pot, add half of the ground beef and brown. Once browned well, and broken up, stir into the vegetables and push the mixture back to half the pot. Repeat with second half of the meat.

Add the seasonings (chili powder, chipotle, cumin, oregano and salt and pepper) and stir to combine well. Add the beans and tomatoes. Combine evenly and bring to a simmer.

Pour in the beef broth, bring to a boil and add the uncooked pasta. Boil until the pasta is cooked: it will probably take 50% longer than the time on the box (i.e. If it says 8 minutes, expect about 12). Stir frequently to prevent the chili from cooking into the bottom of the pot.

While the pasta in cooking, prepare your cheese sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and then whisk in the flour. Whisking constantly, let the floor and butter cook for just a minute or two, but do not burn.

Slowly, adding it just a little at a time, whisk in the half cup of chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Repeat with the milk and then cream. Once combined, mix in the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Once the pasta is cooked into the chili, remove from heat and pour the cheese sauce into the chili. Stir well to combine together. Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream, bacon bits, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, chives or Fritos.

Savory Sweet Potato Gratin

I think I am going to make this again for Thanksgiving on Thursday so I should have more pictures soon, but seriously this got gobbled up so fast and everyone loved it I never had a chance to get pictures!

Chanel had mentioned a few weeks before Friendsgiving this year that she wanted to do a sweet potato dish, but was tired of it always being so sweet and didn't want to do anything with marshmallows or brown sugar everywhere - I got what she was saying.  We both love sweet potatoes and they are sweet as they are and I can't turn down savory.

So I went on the hunt and starting turning options over in my head and we ended up with this slightly adapted recipe from the kitchn. I loved the addition of a mild and nutty cheese that wasn't Parmesan, the Jarlsberg was both those things and tangy - perfect!  A great tip when using a softer cheese like Jarlsberg, but don't want it to melt into gooeyness but rather be grated like a hard cheese, you can just freeze it first!  Toss it in the freezer at least a few hours before using and then grate it and it should come apart into tiny crumbs pretty well.

Savory Sweet Potato Gratin

Serves 8 - 12

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 large yellow onion (or two small), halved and sliced
• 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin discs (as thin as you can, less than 1/4 of an inch)
• 1 tbs. ground sage
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. whole grain mustard
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup grated Jarlsberg, Gruyere or White Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat your oven to 350° and butter an oval gratin dish (or 9 x 13 rectangle). Melt 2 tbs. butter in a skilled over medium heat and add the onions.  Season them with salt and pepper and caramelize them, stirring frequent for 20-30 minutes, until browned and sweetly fragrant, not burned.

While your onions cook, layer half the sweet potato slices in your gratin dish. You may need to make more than one layer to use half the sweet potato slices.  Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

After the onions have caramelized, add the sage, thyme, mustard, paprika, chipotle powder, garlic and cream.  Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.  Stir until the cream is thickened, just a few minutes.  Remove from heat.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the cream sauce and spread the onions evenly over the sweet potato layer.  Once all the onions are in your dish, layer the remaining half of sweet potatoes on top.  Season with salt and pepper and pour the cream sauce evenly over the whole gratin.  The cream will not fill the dish, just spread it around as much as you can - don't worry.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, assemble the topping.  Melt 2 tbs. of butter, set aside.  In another bowl, combine the Panko, grated cheeses and salt and pepper.  Pour the butter over the bread crumbs and cheese and toss to combine.

Remove the gratin from the oven and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top.  Return the gratin to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, until topping is golden brown and crispy.