Welsh Rarebit

September 3: National Welsh Rarebit Day

A toasted cheese sandwich is Highlander’s ultimate comfort food. So it was no surprise that he likes the savory spread of cheddar cheese on toasted slices of crusty bread, known as Welsh rarebit, which we heard about from our often-mentioned friend, Lisa L., who is married to John, a Welshman. The dish sounds like a fancy toasted cheese sandwich but, historically, cheddar was a cheaper substitute for rabbit meat in Wales. Besides Welsh rarebit, our friends had told us about other traditional Welsh foods to try for our blog, such as cookies/cakes, and the Welsh patron St. David’s feast day foods, like leek pie and tarts. We now add a Welsh rarebit recipe to our blog archives as an appetizer for National Welsh Rarebit Day. Mwynhewch eich bwyd (Bon appétit in Welsh)!

Recipe

(Adapted from The Cheese Society on BBC Good Food)

• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (we used Lea and Perrins brand)
• ½ cup ale (we used Guinness beer)
• 1 egg plus 1 yolk
• ground black pepper, to taste
• butter or margarine
• slices of crusty bread

Directions

In a saucepan, mix the milk and flour over low heat until creamy. Add the cheddar cheese and mix until melted. Add the bread crumbs and mustard powder.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and ale/beer. Cool the thickened mixture slightly, then transfer to a blender. Add the egg and yolk. Puree or process until smooth. Season with ground black pepper.

Toast then butter the bread slices. Spread the warmed cheese mixture on top of the bread. Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese mixture has bubbled and browned on the top. Serve hot while the bread is still crisp and the topping has melted.

Notes

• There are several different versions of the Welsh rarebit recipe online ranging from a paste-like consistency to a runny sauce.
• Search our blog for other Welsh recipes, such as cookies/cakes, and St. David’s leek pie and tarts.

Marsala Chicken

September: National Chicken Month

Islander was gifted with an apron that stated: “I like to cook with wine! (Sometimes I even add it to the food.)” Ironically, she does not like to drink wine but she sure likes to cook with it! So when she was gifted with a sweet Italian wine, Marsala, she tried it in a tiramisu recipe and loved it! When she ran out of Marsala, Highlander went to buy another bottle for her. On the back of the Gran Chef brand was the recipe for Marsala chicken. It is surprisingly simple to cook and features the full flavor of the wine. Anyone who likes to cook with wine (and sometimes add it to their food) really ought to try and make Marsala chicken for National Chicken Month.

Recipe

(Adapted from Gran Chef)

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts/cutlets, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ – 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup Marsala wine
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• cooked fettucine, spaghetti or other pasta

Directions

Brown both sides of the chicken breasts in olive oil until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms for about a minute. Stir in the Marsala wine and let it simmer for another minute.

Add the cream and cook for 2-3 minutes. Place the chicken on top of the cooked pasta. Spoon the mushroom sauce over the chicken. Garnish with Italian parsley (optional).

Notes

• Some versions of this Marsala chicken recipe call for dredging the cutlets in seasoned flour. After they are fried in olive oil, the cutlets are set aside and the other ingredients are added to the same pan to make a gravy.
• For something similar, check out our Champagne chicken recipe that we posted on National Champagne Day (December 31) to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
• More Marsala may be used in tiramisu! See our blog recipe for tiramisu in October, which is National Dessert Month.
• Thanks to Olga W. for the apron that inspired this post. And thanks to Lisa L. for our first bottle of Marsala wine that she sent from Sicily, Italy.

Kung Pao Chicken

September: National Chicken Month

Highlander frequently orders kung pao chicken whenever we eat at a Chinese restaurant. But he finds that some are chintzy on the chicken and the nuts are almost non-existent. He prefers this classic Szechuan dish to be meaty, nutty, spicy and saucy instead of  the “very veggie-fied” versions serve at some of the Chinese restaurants. Highlander also likes the cashew chicken stir-fry from Islander’s Daddy, so based on his recipe she now cooks kung pao chicken for her hubby with his request for more substantial ingredients in mind. Below is our basic home-style kung pao chicken recipe in observance of National Chicken Month.

Recipe

(Inspired by Daddy)

For the chicken marinade

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sherry or Shaoxing wine
• ½ teaspoon oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• vegetable or hot chili oil

Directions

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Mix in the corn starch until smooth. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes. Heat a little oil in a wok or skillet. Brown the chicken and cook ¾ way through. Set aside and keep warm. Prepare the sauce.

For the sauce

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons corn starch

For the stir-fry

• 6-8 dried chili peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks green onions, diced to ¼ inch
• ½ cup peanuts, roasted and unsalted
• vegetable or hot chili oil

Directions

In the same wok or skillet, add a little vegetable oil, if necessary, and stir-fry the dried chili peppers, minced garlic and ¾ of the green onions for a minute.

Add the chicken and heat until fully cooked. Pour in the sauce and stir until thickened. Mix in the nuts. Sprinkle the remaining green onions on top. Transfer to a platter and serve hot with rice.

Notes

• Traditionally, Szechuan peppercorns are stir-fried into the dish to add a distinctive aroma and authentic spicy flavor to the kung pao chicken. This may be hard to find in American markets because of a nearly 40-year import ban on the peppers. To add more heat to this recipe, use hot chili oil instead of the peppercorns to saute the chicken and other ingredients.
• If you like nuts in Chinese stir-fry dishes, try our cashew chicken recipe posted on November 22 (National Cashew Day).