Tortellini Italian Sausage and Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 lb. Italian Sausage
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 32 oz. vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package tortellini
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach
• 1 bay leaf
• shredded parmesan

 

1. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat.  Heat vegetable oil and add diced onion.  Sauté until onions are soft.
2. Crumble Italian Sausage and garlic and cook with onion.  Cook until sausage is no longer pink.
3. Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaf salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  Let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
5. Serve with shredded parmesan.

Notes:
For a creamier soup, add a half cup of greek yogurt or sour cream.

Southern Fried Chicken from Viking Cooking School

Southern Fried Chicken (adapted from Viking Cooking Schools’ recipe)

prep time: 10 minutes

marinade time: 24 hours

cook time: 20-30 minutes

yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk (I used low-fat because it’s all I could find – they suggest full-fat)
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt (I used two cloves fresh garlic, minced)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-lb) fryer (preferably skin-on) cut into 8 pieces (I used a pre-portioned griller pack from the grocery store that contained 4 legs and two breast halves, which I then cut in half again to make 4 small breast pieces)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste (I used the full 2 teaspoons, and it wasn’t too spicy for my kids)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• healthy pinch of kosher salt
• 24 ounces vegetable shortening (such as Crisco®) for frying (I used 12 ounces of coconut oil and 12 ounces of palm kernel oil)

1. For the chicken: whisk together the buttermilk, garlic, salt and pepper.  Place the chicken pieces in the buttermilk mixture and completely submerge.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cayenne, paprika, black pepper and salt; place in a large plastic bag.  Lift a piece of the chicken out of the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess buttermilk to drain off. Add one piece of chicken at the time to the bag, and shake to thoroughly coat.  Place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to rest until ready to fry.  Continue with the remaining pieces of chicken.
3. Spoon the shortening into a large, deep cast-iron skillet or dutch oven.  Place over medium-high heat until the melted shortening regiserts 350F on a deep-fry thermometer.  The fat should come halfway up the sides of the pan. (Note: an even oil temperature is key to the success of this recipe; a deep-fry thermometer should be kept in the pot at all times. Make sure the temperature never drops below 325F or rises above 365F during the cooking process. As I stated – we did not use a thermometer, but I do recommend it the first few times you try this recipe).
4. Once the fat has come to 350F, fry the chicken in batches, skin side down, until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. (Note: do not overcrowd the pan, or the chicken will not cook evenly).  Turn and fry until golden brown on the second side, about 6 to 8 minutes more.  Between batches, use a skimmer to remove all crispy bits floating in the oil.  (Note: if chicken is brown but not quite cooked through, place in a 350F oven to finish the cooking process, about 5 to 10 minutes).  Cook white meat to an internal temperature of 165F, and dark meat to an internal temperature of 175F.

Slow-Cooked Southern Greens Viking Cooking School recipe

Slow-Cooked Southern Greens

Viking Cooking School recipe

• 2 pounds collard greens*
• 6 slices smoked bacon, cut crosswise into think strips
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 cups water (or chicken stock/broth)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, or to taste

1. Vigorously plunge the heads of greens four or five times into a sink filled with lukewarm water. Pull the greens out of the water. Drain the water, and clean the grit out of the sink. Remove and discard the tough center ribs from the greens; stack the leaves one on top of the other and roll into a cylinder. Using a very sharp chef’s knife, cross-cut the cylinder into thin strips.
2. Refill the sink with clean, lukewarm water; place the chopped greens in the water and swish around. Soak the chopped greens in the water, letting the dirt and grit settle to the bottom of the sink. Lift the greens out of the sink, leaving the sand and grit behind; repeat if necessary, then drain in a colander. (Note: Pre-washed greens do not have to be washed twice, but it is a good idea to wash at least once.)
3. Heat a large sauce pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat; add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently until crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and season with salt and pepper; cook until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the water to the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (deglazing). Add the greens in batches, stirring each batch to wilt slightly before adding more. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are melt-in-your mouth tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle in the vinegar and sugar; cook until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Serve hot with cornbread. (Note: Southerners like to either dip their cornbread in the pot likker, which is the juice from the greens, or crumble their cornbread over their greens. Many like a little extra kick from sprinkling vinegar pepper sauce over their greens.**)

*If collard greens are unavailable, substitute mustard greens, turnip greens or kale.
**Vinegar pepper sauce (such as Louisiana Brand® Tabasco Peppers in Vinegar) may be found in the condiment section of most grocery stores or online at cajunsupermarket.com.

Variation: If you wish to substitute ham hocks for the bacon, score 2 smoked ham hocks all over with a small knife. Complete the recipe through Step 3, then place the pot over medium-high heat. Increase the water to 4 cups, and add to the pot along with the scored ham hocks. Simmer until the ham hocks are very tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours. Continue with Step 4 of the recipe, beginning with “Add the greens in batches…” Before serving, remove the ham hocks from the pot and cut the meat off the bone; dice the meat and add back to the pot of greens. Discard the bones. Smoked turkey necks are another popular choice in the South for imparting flavor to greens; they should be handled in the same manner as the ham hocks but will only take half the amount of time to cook.

Make it ahead: Make the greens up to two days in advance; reheat over medium heat until hot throughout. Make sure you save the pot likker for dipping your cornbread.

Make it light: Omit the bacon and cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive or canola oil. Add a teaspoon of liquid smoke for flavor. You may also omit the sugar, if you desire.

Viking School Biscuits from "The Help"

Feather-Light Biscuits

• Vegetable oil cooking spray, for oiling pan

• 1 1/2 cups Southern self-rising flour (preferably White Lily®)*

• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons shortening (preferably zero trans-fat)

• 3/4 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, for shaping

• 2 tablespoons lightly salted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Adjust an oven rack to just above the middle position. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Combine self-rising flour, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium-mixing bowl. With your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the shortening into the flour mixture until there are no shortening lumps larger than a big pea.

Stir in buttermilk and cream, and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. (Note: This dough is so wet that you can’t shape it in the usual manner.)

Pour the cup of all-purpose flour onto a plate or pie tin; flour your hands well. Spoon a biscuit-size lump of wet dough into the flour, and sprinkle some flour over the wet dough to coat the outside. Pick up the biscuit and shape it roughly into a round; at the same time, shake off the excess flour. The dough is so soft that it will not hold its shape. As you shape each biscuit, place it in the pan. Push the biscuits tightly against each other so that they will rise up and not spread out; continue shaping biscuits in this manner until all of the dough is used.**

Brush biscuits with melted butter, and bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 1 or 2 minutes in the pan, then dump out and cut the biscuits apart. Butter while hot and eat immediately.

Tips and Techniques

* If low-protein Southern self-rising flour is not available, use 1 cup national brand self-rising flour and 1/2 cup instant flour (such as Shake & Blend or Wondra) or cake flour plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. If self-rising flour is not available, use a total of 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. Do not use self-rising flour for shaping since the leavener will give a bitter taste to the outside of the biscuits.

** To make a large batch of biscuits in a hurry, spray a 2-inch ice cream scoop with cooking spray. Cover a jellyroll pan with all-purpose flour. Quickly scoop biscuits onto the floured pan, sprinkle with flour, then shape and place in small pans to bake.

Makes about 10 biscuits