Kitchen Encounters

~Oodles of Tender Chicken & Egg Noodle Casserole~

Chicken-noodle soup is the quintessential comfort food.  While nourishing the body, chicken-noodle soup channels the mind back to kinder, gentler, childhood times. When I was growing up, I don't remember eating canned chicken-noodle soup.  Mom always had one-quart containers of homemade chicken soup in the freezer.  When it was gone, she made more.  That was that, haha, no canned chicken-noodle soup for me.  While stocking my pantry with a few chicken-y staples (four boxes of chicken stock, two jars of granulated chicken bouillon, and, two double-size bags of wide egg noodles), my mind wandered to mom's chicken noodle casserole.

Mom's pantry-staple-based chicken-noodle casserole was different from the chicken-noodle casseroles my friends' moms made.   

Our family didn't eat a lot of casseroles (dad didn't care for casseroles), but, we ate this one. Mom's pantry-staple-based chicken-noodle casserole was different from the chicken-noodle casseroles my friends' moms made in that mom didn't use cream of chicken soup and she didn't use store-bought canned chicken (which was a common ingredient back in the 1950s and 60s. Mom used bouillon, water and a bit of cream, plus, all-white oven-roasted chicken breast. Feel free to substitute two poached chicken breasts or the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken. There's more.  Mom's casserole wasn't cheesy or cheese-topped.  It wasn't topped with bread crumbs or a buttery-rich and crispy Ritz cracker topping either (but those are options).  Left uncovered and alone, the tops of the curly-edged egg noodles brown and crisp on their edges.  

Mom's chicken-noodle casserole was an unembellished dish of humble, pantry-staple, made-with-love wonderfulness.

12  ounces wide egg noodles, cooked according to directions below, well-drained

2  cups frozen peas and carrots, steamed in the microwave or cooked on the stovetop, according to package directions

8  tablespoons butter, divided, 5 tablespoons (sliced) for coating noodles and 3 tablespoons for sautéing vegetables

4  tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon, divided, 2 tablespoons for cooking noodles, 2  tablespoons for sautéing vegetables

1  cup small-diced onion

1  cup small-diced celery

2 1/2  cups water

1  teaspoon onion powder

1/2  teaspoon garlic powder

3/4  cup heavy or whipping cream

1/4  cup Wondra Quick-Mixing Flour for Sauce and Gravy

4  cups hand-pulled or diced cooke chicken breast

~Step 1.  In a 3 1/2-quart chef's pan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add 3 tablespoons granulated bouillon to the water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt may be substituted, but the bouillon flavors the noodles as they cook) along with the noodles. Adjust heat to a simmer and cook until noodles are al-dente, about 8-9 minutes.  Drain into a colander and return noodles to pan on still hot stovetop.  Add 5 tablespoon sliced butter and toss until noodles are coated in butter.  Microwave or simmer the peas and carrots, drain them into the colander, then add them to the buttered noodles.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

~Step 2.  Over low heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the same pan.  Add the diced onions and celery.  Increase heat to medium- medium-high and sauté, stirring constantly until vegetables are softening, 2-3 minutes.  Add the 2 1/2 cups water and stir in 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.  Bring to a simmer.

~Step 3.  In the meantime, in a 1-cup measuring container, use a spoon to stir together the cream and Wonder flour.  The mixture will be thick.  Add it to the now simmering mixture on the stovetop. Stirring constantly, simmer gently until nicely-, but not overly-thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

~Step 4.  Transfer chicken-in-sauce mixture to  the noodle mixture in bowl.  Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, fold to combine.  Transfer casserole mixture to casserole dish.  Bake, uncovered, on center rack of 350° oven, 25-30 minutes, until lightly-browned and bubbling.

Stay home & relish in a retro comfort casserole:

Bring on some nice plates & take a generous scoop:

Try a taste of retro-vintage & frugal pantry cooking:

Oodles of Tender Chicken & Egg Noodle Casserole:  Recipe yields 6-8 main-dish servings.

Special Equipment List:  3 1/2-quart chef's pan w/straight, deep sides; colander; 13" x 9" x 2" casserole; large spoon; 1-cup measuring container; spoon; large spoon or rubber spatula

Cook's Note: It gets made in a pot of stock but it's not a soup.  It's not a stew either.  This heartwarming, down-home comfort-food dish is the great-grandmother of all noodle bowls.  Some refer to it as Southern, my experience with it is as an Eastern European, and, I know from first-hand experience the Pennsylvania Deutsch make it too.  I suspect they make it in Midwest as well. It's bite-sized pieces of tender chicken cooked in well-seasoned chicken stock with aromatic carrots, celery, onion and potatoes.  Egg noodles go directly into the pot to cook and absorb almost all the flavorful broth.  When executed properly, there's no need for a slurry (a bland-tasting thickener) -- the starch in the noodles does the work.  Try my recipe for ~ No Soup for You Home-Style Chicken Noodle Bowls ~

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)

~Would You Like Onion-Laced Steak Fries with That?~

Of course you would, and these couldn't be easier.  All you need is two pounds of your favorite gold, red or Russet potatoes, some olive oil and one packet of the onion soup mix you forgot you had in your pantry.  Yes my friends, a packet of onion soup mix is a souper seasoning for oven-roasted steak fries.  After five minutes of prep time, they'll need 1 hour, 15 minutes to roast in a 350° oven, which frees of your hands for other tasks.  That said, because steak fries are best served hot, right out of the oven, plan for them to be the last item to go on the dinner table.

2  pounds potatoes, gold, red or russet, your choice

1/4  cup olive oil

1 packet from one box of onion soup mix, your favorite brand

no-stick cooking spray, for preparing casserole 

serve with suggestions:  steak, chicken, ribs or chops, prepared as directed in specific recipe, plus a tossed salad and/or sweet corn, for accompaniments

~Step 1. Spray a 13" x 9" x 2" casserole with no-stick.  Slice the potatoes into large, "meaty" wedges, 6-8 per potato depending on the type and size of potato, placing the potatoes in a 1-gallon food storage bag as you work. Add the olive oil and the onion soup mix to the bag.  Seal bag and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated in the oil and onion seasoning.

~ Step 2.  Transfer potatoes to prepared casserole.  Oven-roast the potatoes on center rack of preheated 350º oven for 1 hour, 15 minutes, stopping to toss the potatoes with a large spoon or spatula every 15 minutes throughout the process.  Remove the golden steak fries from oven and serve immediately.

Would You Like Onion-Laced Steak Fries with That?  Recipe yields:  4-6 servings.

Special Equipment List:  cutting board; chef's knife; 1-gallon food storage bag; 13" x 9" x 2" casserole; large spoon or spatula

Cook's Note: Along with every protein, the price of steak has gone through the roof.  For those who have a family to feed, these costs are cause to take many things off the table.  It's disheartening.  That said, by purchasing steak and serving it portioned and sliced atop a simple, uncomplicated, well-dressed salad (alongside a side of simple, uncomplicated, well-seasoned steak fries), it turns out to be reasonably economical.  ~ Steakhouse Steak Salad w/Onion-Laced Steak Fries ~

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)

~Copycat Chicken, Beef & Spanish-Style Rice-a-Roni~

Coming up with copycat recipes for three flavors of made-at-home Rice-a-Roni made for a fun few days.  Truth told, I love developing copycat recipes -- I'm good at it too.  From sea to shining sea, as items we've come to take for granted disappear from our store shelves, many have reached out to express appreciation for these recipes.  There's more.  Many have reached out to request these recipes. ~ Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix & My Copycat Recipe ~  is one example.

Rice-a-Roni -- The San Francisco Treat.

Italian born immigrant Domenico (Charlie) DeDomenico moved to California in 1895 to open a fresh produce store.  After becoming a successful businessman, he married Maria Ferrigno, an immigrant from Salerno, Italy, where her family owned a pasta factory.  In 1912, Maria persuaded Charlie to set up a similar business in the Mission District of San Francisco.  Gragnano Products, Inc., was born and began delivering pasta to Italian restaurants and stores throughout the area.

Maria and Charlie's sons, Paskey, Vince, Tom and Anthony worked in the family business, and, in 1934, Paskey changed the name to the Golden Grain Macaroni Company. Tom's wife Lois fell in love with a pilaf recipe she received from an Armenian immigrant, Mrs. Pailadzo Captanian, which she served at a family gathering.  After tasting the unique pilaf, which was made by sautéing a combination rice and pasta in butter before adding chicken broth and seasonings, Vince went to work developing a new product.  In 1958, his creation, named Rice-a-Roni, was introduced to the NW United States as "The San Francisco Treat".  Four years later, in 1962, it went nationwide.

Amongst Rice-a-Roni aficionados, chicken-flavored Rice-a-Roni is still the undisputed favorite.

~ Copycat Chicken Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat ~

~ Copycat Beef Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat ~

~ Copycat Spanish-Style Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco Treat ~ 

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2020)