Community Cookbook: Winter main dishes and sides that pair for the perfectly warm meal
Today’s menu features four recipes that can bring some delicious eating to any wintertime dinner or lunch. Here are two main dishes, including Chicken à la King, and a couple of complementary side dishes. This version of Chicken à la King is regal eating on a peasant’s budget, and it’s comparatively easy to prepare.
Chicken à la King is a uniquely American dish created in the late 1800s. It originally resided in finer restaurants and among higher social circles, but eventually trickled down to us more common folk. There are a half-dozen competing claims about its origin, without a clear front-runner, so let’s move on.
Chicken à la King evolved into a popular home-cooked dish later in the 20th century, and variations remain a favorite among home cooks today. Ingredients vary widely but have traditionally included chicken, mushrooms, and pimientos bathed in a rich, creamy sauce and served over a variety of starches, such as toast, noodles and rice.
Today’s version is lighter and, perhaps, a little healthier than many, using less fat, flour, and no cream. It’s financially and laboriously frugal by using just a cup and a half of shredded chicken and a generous quantity of mixed vegetables, fresh from the freezer. The dish is colorful and inviting. Pair Chicken à la King and Hurried Curried Cauliflower in the same meal for a mind-blowing feast of flavors, colors, and textures.
Coeur d’Alene’s Macaroni and Cheese Festival beat me to the punch bowl yet again this year by convening last week. But I have a good retort with Mom’s Macaroni Casserole. It’s a sentimental favorite, and you may enjoy it as well.
Hurried Curried Cauliflower is recommended especially to those who have never tried a curry-flavored dish before. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that offers considerable nutritional benefits. It’s nearly flavorless, making it an ideal partner for curry sauce.
Sweet Buttery Peas and Carrots is a simple yet tasty and colorful side dish. It makes a perfect accompaniment to a macaroni and cheese casserole, such as Mom’s.
Chicken á la King
Chicken á la King has always seemed an elegant dish that must be complicated to make. On the contrary, it’s pretty simple. The most challenging part of the preparation is stirring the flour mixture constantly while it’s cooking. The elimination of a standard roux simplifies preparation and reduces the amount of fat needed. The use of precooked shredded chicken and frozen vegetables makes this dish a breeze to prepare.
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1½ cup chopped onion
12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup water
3-4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon poultry seasoning
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
1½ cup shredded or cubed cooked chicken
12-ounce bag (2½ cups) frozen mixed vegetables or peas and carrots, cooked and drained
Heat the cooking oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Combine the milk, water, flour, and butter or margarine in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, constantly stirring with a whisk, until bubbles start to break the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the seasonings and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken and vegetables. Serve hot over toast, split biscuits, noodles, rice, halved baked potatoes, or in puff pastry shells.
Notes: Turkey, shrimp, crab, or other seafood can substitute for chicken.
Yield: About eight main-dish servings
Hurried Curried Cauliflower
Cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli and cauliflower, are nutritional powerhouses. Cauliflower has a very mild flavor, allowing any accompanying sauce to stand out. In this instance, a delicious curry sauce teams up with the cauliflower.
4 cups, sliced into bite-sized pieces, cauliflower
½ cup, sliced into ¼-by-1¼-inch strips, red and green bell pepper (optional)
½ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1¼ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
Place the cauliflower in a 1½-quart microwavable container. Cover with a lid, leaving one corner loose to allow venting. Microwave on high power to the desired doneness, about 6 minutes, stirring every 90 seconds.
Stir in the optional bell pepper strips, if used, at 2 minutes of cooking; drain well. Combine the next 5 ingredients (through sugar) in a 1-cup glass measuring cup or bowl. Make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Drop the butter or margarine in and microwave on high power for 2-3 minutes, gently stirring every 30 seconds, especially around the bottom edge (the sauce must boil for at least 1 minute).
When done, let sit for a couple of minutes without stirring. Reheat the cauliflower, if needed, and combine with the sauce.
Notes: Be cautious when removing the lid due to possible steam. This recipe was developed using a 1,000-watt microwave oven with a turntable. Cooking times will vary for ovens with different wattage.
Yield: Four side-dish servings
Mom’s Macaroni Casserole
This pasta dish helped turn me into a pasta fanatic when I was a youngster. It may even have been the first pasta dish I ever ate. Back then, few, if any, of the now-abundant quick-prep store varieties existed. Mom believed that pasta shapes were interchangeable, while I thought that the shapes did affect the character of a dish. It turned out that pasta shapes are critical. Mom’s selection of macaroni for her casserole was perfect.
8 ounces dried macaroni
10½-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup milk
⅓-½ cup finely chopped onion
1¼ teaspoon yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 Roma tomato, sliced ¼-inch thick
½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Cook the macaroni in salted, boiling water until tender but still slightly firm. Drain well.
Meanwhile, combine the next 6 ingredients (through black pepper) in an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish (2-quart). Heat, uncovered, in a microwave oven at 50% power until the cheese melts, stirring every minute (don’t let the sauce simmer or boil). It will take 3-4 minutes in a 1,000-watt microwave oven. Add the macaroni and mix well.
Bake, uncovered, on the middle-low rack of an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and tomato slices (I like to sprinkle a little celery salt on the slices). Bake until the cheese melts and the tomatoes soften, about 5-6 minutes. Let rest for 6-8 minutes before serving.
Notes: Unlike Mom’s original recipe, this one uses a microwave oven to heat the sauce. It makes a more homogeneous mix and shortens the baking time.
Yield: Four to six main-dish servings
Sweet Buttery Peas and Carrots
Peas and carrots make an excellent vegetable side dish, especially when teamed up with the classic Thanksgiving dinner fare of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, and gravy. The unusual use of sweetened water brings out the best in the peas and carrots.
1 tablespoon water
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
⅛ teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
Combine the water and sugar in a small bowl. Place the peas and carrots in a microwavable container. Loosely cover with a lid to allow venting. Microwave on high power until tender, about 4½ minutes, stirring every 90 seconds. Carefully remove the cover. Drain the vegetables and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the butter or margarine, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the desired amount of sweetened water. Stir well before serving.
Notes: Be cautious when removing the lid due to possible steam. This recipe was developed using a 1,000-watt microwave oven with a turntable. Cooking times will vary for ovens with different wattage.
Yield: Four side-dish servings
Contact Dick Sellers at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com