Banana Pudding Cannoli

Rachael's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dessert Basket including the following items:

Dessert Basket:
Theme: Paula Deen and Thomas Keller
Butter
Banana Pudding
Pastry Cream
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Bonus Item (optional): Bouchons au Chocolate

Banana Pudding Cannoli
by Rachael Tanis
adapted from this recipe

1 6-ounce package instant banana pudding

3 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 bananas, sliced and diced

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus small amount of canola oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped Nilla wafers

1. In the blender, mix the banana pudding mix and milk; blend on low, scrape the sides, then blend on high until smooth.

2. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until set.

3. Whip the cream until stiff; fold into the vanilla pudding. Then, fold in the bananas. Refrigerate.

I bought some pastry shells from a bakery to save lots of time, but if you would like to make them, Group Recipes.com seems to have a good recipe.

4. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small saucepan. I add a little oil to thin it up so it will be smooth and won't cake together.

5. Dip each end of the cannoli shells into the chocolate. Place on wax paper and let cool and harden.

6. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the chopped Nilla wafers and "saute" for a minute. You want the crumbs to be like its original form, not soggy.

7. Fill a ziplock bag with the pastry cream. Cut off a corner of the bag and fill the cannoli shells with the cream.

8. Sprinkle the wafer crumbs on top of the cream at each end. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Home Made Twinkies (Twinkeez!)

Donna's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dessert Basket including the following items:

Dessert Basket:
Theme: Paula Deen and Thomas Keller
Butter
Banana Pudding
Pastry Cream
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Bonus Item (optional): Bouchons au Chocolate

Home Made Twinkies (Twinkeez!)

by Donna Currie

For the Twinkeez:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons) softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

For the pastry cream filling:

Recipe here.

For the banana pudding filling:

1 3.4 ounce package Jello instant banana cream pudding

1 cup half-and-half

For the Twinkeez:

Spray the wells of a canoe pan with baking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine well.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter until it is smooth, then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Add the flour in thirds, alternating with the milk in halves, so you begin and end with the flour, mixing well after each addition.

Fill the wells of the canoe pan half-full with batter.

Bake at 350 degrees until the little cakes spring back when touched in the center and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - about 20 minutes. They will be lightly browned.

Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile make the pastry cream and/or banana filling.

For the banana filling:

In a medium bowl, combine the banana pudding mix and half-and-half until completely combined and thickened. This will be MUCH thicker than a standard pudding, which I think works better for the filling here.

You can make it thinner if you like, but keep in mind that although you'll be storing filled Twinkeez in the refrigerator (because of the dairy), you'll probably want to serve them at room temperature. The pudding will be a little thinner at room temp.

Twinkies are filled from the bottom, and that's how I filled these. I used a pastry bag with a long fat-needle-like tip. I'm sure there's a name for it, but I have no idea what it is. I just filled the bag with the cream, shoved the tip into the bottom, and pumped in the filling until I felt the Twinkee get fat and puffy. Three evenly-spaced punctures on the bottom, and I was done.

For the chocolate sauce, I just heated some half-and-half and dropped in some semi-sweet chocolate chips to make a thick sauce. I didn't measure, just added chips until I had what I wanted. Then I smeared it on the plate, in Chopped-presentation fashion.

And that's it - all done. Did I do good, or did I get chopped?

Note: the actual filling in a Twinkie is more like a sugar-shortening combo, which is why it has such a long shelf life and doesn't need refrigeration. These home made Twinkeez will either need to be refrigerated after filling, or you'll need to fill them right before eating.

Chuckwagon Pinto Burger on a Biscuit Bun with Angel Hair Pasta Salad with Pepperoncini and Crispy Prosciutto

Aimee's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon
Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto
BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

So with this Chopped Basket, I knew exactly what I was going to do with the beans. Make a bean burger. A few years ago, when I first started making Bento lunches for my husband, I started experimenting with beans and making burgers with them. No, it’s not the same as a hamburger, nor is it the same as a veggie burger but it’s still a great source of protein AND you can stuff it full of great vegetables. I decided to use the biscuit as my bun and make pasta salad with the pasta and add some crispy finely diced vegetables, including the peppers and the prosciutto. I used the same vegetables in the pasta salad as I did to fill the bean burgerso all the flavors were tied together. It was pretty good!

One quick note: I didn’t make the biscuits. I wanted as few carbs around the house as possible and since I’m not much of a baker anyway and the biscuits I have made in the past invariably turned into hockey pucks, I decided to forego the homemade and opt for canned. I did, however, use dried beans.

Chuckwagon Pinto Burger on a Biscuit Bun with Angel HairPasta Salad with Pepperoncini and Crispy Prosciutto

by Aimee Michard

1 can biscuits (5 count)

1 16-ounce bag of pinto beans

1 cup diced celery, divided

1 cup diced carrots, divided

1 cup diced red pepper, divided

1 cup diced red onion, divide

½ cup diced pepperoncini, divided

1 cup Diced Proscuitto

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

5 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Dried or fresh herbs of your choice

½ pound Angel Hair pasta

Condiments for burger (lettuce, tomato, etc.)

Start by soaking the beans overnight, per instructions. You can always do a quick soak if you forget but I prefer to soak overnight. Drain the beans the next day and fill a large pot with water or broth, add the beans and cook over medium heat for 2-3 hours. You may want to add more liquid if it gets absorbed before the beans are soft. You may also add rough chopped vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, etc) to the liquid for flavor. Drain the beans when they are soft and mash with a potato masher. They don’t have to be completely mashed but you don’t want many whole beans left. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside. Whisk 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar, salt, pepper, and any herbs of your choice. Pour this dressing over the pasta and add ½ cup of each diced vegetables. Saute the prosciutto over medium-high heat until crispy and add to the pasta salad. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Saute the remaining vegetables in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the beans and season with salt and pepper. Make the burgers as you would with ground beef. The mixture is thick enough to hold together. Set aside.

Bake the biscuits in accordance with the package instructions. Cut the biscuits in half after they are cooled.

In a large skillet or grill pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cook the bean burgers over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat. Fill each biscuit “bun” with a bean burger and add condiments of your choice. Serve with the pasta salad.

Western Style Angel Hair Pasta with Cheesy Prosciutto Biscuits

Susan's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon
Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto
BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

The ingredients for the main dish basket in Round Two of our Chopped Challenge were cowboy style pinto beans, angel hair pasta,prosciutto and biscuits. When I saw the list, I immediately knew what I was going to do! The mascarpone cheese in the biscuits was a happy accident. I had thought about making sour cream biscuits, but I happened to have the mascarpone in the fridge. You see, I intended to do Round One of our chopped challenge, and that was the only ingredient I had purchased. As it turned out, I wasn't able to do the challenge after all, and found myself stuck with a lonely little container of mascarpone. I had no idea what to do with it and then I had an idea...use it in my biscuits in place of the sour cream! They were fantastic! The whole meal was great. My husband said it was "off the charts good"! If you make it I hope you love it too!

Western Style Angel Hair Pasta with Cheesy Prosciutto Biscuits
by Susan Whempner

Western Style Angel Hair Pasta

inspired by Peasant Bean Sauce with Tomatoes and Sage, "Skinny Pasta" by Sue Spitler 

2 cans of cowboy style pinto beans
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
16 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes (drained and chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 ounces prosciutto, chopped and divided (half will be for the sauce and half will be for the topping)
angel hair pasta

Drain the cowboy beans and set aside (do not rinse). In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beans, chopped plum tomatoes, sage, salt, pepper and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium and let reduce for about 30 minutes. While the sauce is reducing, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and add one half (two ounces) of the chopped prosciutto. Saute until crisp (watch and stir often...the prosciutto will not render fat like bacon does and it will stick if you're not careful). When nice and crispy, remove from the pan and set aside. Cook angel hair pasta according to the package directions. Right before serving, stir the second half of the chopped prosciutto right into the beans. Serve the beans over pasta and top with the crisped prosciutto.

Cheesy Prosciutto Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon sage
3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450F. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and the milk. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. If needed, add more milk, a tiny bit at a time, to get the desired dough consistency, but be careful not to add too much. It's okay if your dough is a little crumbly. Now gently fold in the cheddar cheese and prosciutto. Turn out onto a floured surface and flatten to 1 1/2 inches thick (I just used the palm of my hand but you can use a rolling pin).

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as the dough will yield (you can gently gather up and flatten out the dough a couple of times to cut more). With a 3" biscuit cutter you should be able to get about 8 biscuits. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

Italian-Western Three Bean Pasta Salad with Biscuit Breadsticks

Linda's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon

Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto

BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

Chopped Round II - Fusion Confusion

The idea behind this basket is what would you get if you had an Italian preparing meals on the trail, Chuckwagon style. The peperoncini sotto aceto from what I interpret is a pepper (banana pepper or green bell pepper) in vinegar.

This salad is really delicious! My husband loved it and it will be something we really enjoy during the summer months. Don't be afraid of the hot dogs/prosciutto in barbecue sauce! They are really good.

Italian-Western Three-Bean Pasta Salad with Biscuit Breadsticks

by Linda Mire

Biscuit Breadsticks:

1 can of grand biscuits junior

garlic powder

Lightly oil a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350F. Cut each biscuit into two halves. Roll halves into breadsticks (stretching the dough out). Place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder. Bake for 13 - 15 minutes, until brown.

Salad:

4 beef hot dogs, chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 cup prosciutto, chopped
cup Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Ranch style beans, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, washed and diced
2 stalks celery, washed and diced
1/2 red onion, washed and diced (since some onions are pretty big, use about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup pepperoncini from a jar, diced
2 cups cooked angel hair pasta, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
grated Parmesan for garnish
Paul Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
whole pepperoncini for garnish
flat leaf parsley for garnish

Place the chopped hot dogs and prosciutto on a sheet of foil (enough to make a foil packet). Pour the barbecue sauce over the meat. Fold the foil up into a packet. Place the baking sheet with a foil packet in a 375-degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and open the foil to cool.

In the meantime, get a big salad bowl and add the vegetables, pepperoncini, angel hair pasta and grated cheese. Add the cooled hot dogs/prosciutto and sauce. Toss. Pour about 1/2 cup dressing and toss again. Place about 2 cups on a large salad plate. Garnish with a whole pepperoncino, grated Parmesan, and flat leaf parsley. Serve with a biscuit breadstick.

One Cajun, One Texan, and that Guy from Italy

Luke's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Appetizer and Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Chinese New Year - Mardis Gras Celebration
Wonton Wrappers
Bean Sprouts
Cajun Seasoning
Shrimp
BONUS ITEM: Muffaletta Olive Spread

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon
Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto
BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

For this challenge, I was torn between cooking the appetizer and entrée, so I twisted them together and created a dish that involved the shrimp, Cajun seasoning, pasta and biscuits. (Probably against the rules, but I wanted to cook one of my favorite dishes.) I did not have access to prosciutto so I used Smoked Tasso instead. I decided to use them together and make a dish that came out bursting with flavor. I had a hard time naming the dish but I came up with “One Cajun, One Texan, and that Guy from Italy”. My wife said it was one of the best shrimp and pasta dishes I have ever cooked. And I was highly surprised with the outcome with the pinto beans being mixed in. I do not think that the pictures do the food justice but I’m new at this! Try it, it is awesome!

One Cajun, One Texan, and that Guy from Italy

by Luke Deville

For Shrimp and Tasso Sauce:

8 ounces Angel Hair pasta

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green, yellow, red bell pepper, diced

1 overly ripened tomato, skinned, diced

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

½ stick of butter

1 can chicken broth

2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces Teet’s Smoked Pork Tasso, thinly sliced

1 pound of shrimp

2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan

2 ounces chopped green onions

2 ounces diced parsley

5 flaky Grands biscuits

In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, butter, onions, bell pepper, and sliced tasso. Sauté for 30 minutes to ensure the tasso is cooked. Once sautéed, remove from the skillet and place in a bowl. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, minced garlic, seasoned shrimp and sauté until the shrimp become pink. Once the shrimp are cooked, remove from the skillet and place the sautéed onions, bell peppers and tasso back into the skillet. Then add half a can of chicken broth and the diced tomato into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp, stir, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add the green onions and parsley when ready to serve.

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Cook the biscuits according to package directions.

For Pinto Beans:

I cheated and used a can of Bush Seasoned Pinto Beans

¼ cup of onions, diced

¼ cup of bell pepper, diced

3 ounces Smoked Tasso, diced

2 Tablespoons sliced jalapenos

In a small pot, sauté the onions, peppers, tasso, and jalapenos. Add the pinto beans, stir, and cook until heated through.

Once the beans, pasta, and sauce are done, mix everything together to create an unusual looking dish, but get ready for an explosion of flavor that is out of this world! Go ahead and use the biscuits to mop up the remaining sauce! 

Bruschetta Pasta Salad a la Home on the Range

Sandra's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon
Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto
BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

I have worked as an extra on several movies and television shows, and although I can’t publicly mention which movie set this refers to, we had a lunch one day that everyone complained about. It was a green salad with spaghetti in it! We all were 100% sure it was leftovers thrown in a bowl. Yet, when I was thinking of what to do with Linda's crazy Chopped basket contents, I thought of this immediately! And guess what? The biscuit croutons, the salty fried prosciutto, and of course the rinsed off ranch style beans right from the can really did it for me! The real test was to let Willie try it. He loved it! Haha! So pasta in the green salad isn't so bad after all!

Bruschetta Pasta Salad a la Home on the Range
by Sandra Simmons

Romaine lettuce, chopped
tomatoes, diced
1 can Ranch Style beans, rinsed
Prosciutto, chopped, fried until crisp
Ken's Light Options Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Angel hair pasta, cooked al dente and cut in half
Biscuit croutons - Take baked biscuits, tear and cook them in a skillet with olive oil until browned; drain on paper towels.

This is a simple salad to put together. I tossed each salad individually so the ingredients listed here are not exact. Feel free to play around with them and add and omit ingredients as you like.

Italian Cowboy French Onion Soup

Sandra's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Main Dish Basket including the following items:

Theme: Italian Chuckwagon

Cowboy Style Pinto Beans

Biscuits

Angel Hair Pasta

Prosciutto

BONUS ITEM: Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

First, I was a customer of The Six O'Clock Scramble, and then I became friends with Aviva Goldfarb, the owner. Eventually I became a recipe tester. And that’s just what I was doing on a recent Saturday night. As I read through Aviva’s recipe, I knew two things. I knew the recipe would be a hit (it was) and I knew I could change a few things around to make it into a soup I could use for Linda Mire’s Chopped Challenge for 37 Cooks, which is exactly what I did. Both recipes are delicious. If you want to, you can omit the beans, bread, cheese, and pasta in these soups and you will have yourself a very flavorful, very low-calorie vegetable soup to keep in the refrigerator to use as a quick snack. You can always add the omitted ingredients back to turn your snack time soup into a meal.

Enjoy these two soup recipes!

Italian Ribollita Soup

from The Six O'Clock Scramble

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling, if desired

1/2 red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic, about 3 cloves

2 Tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley, minced

28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes, with their liquid

14.5 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups Italian bread, preferably stale, or use whole wheat or whatever you have, chopped or torn

4 cups fresh spinach or stemmed and chopped kale

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the oil, and when it is hot, add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and parsley and sauté the mixture until the onions start to brown.

Add the tomatoes, beans, zucchini, salt, and 2 cups water, or enough to just cover the vegetables. Cover, bring to a boil, uncover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bread and spinach, and continue to cook, partially covered, for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally so the bread doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Serve immediately, topped with the cheese, if desired, or refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Scramble Flavor Booster: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic; serve with freshly ground black pepper or hot pepper sauce.

Italian Cowboy French Onion Soup

by Sandra Simmons

adapted from the soup listed above

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic, about 3 cloves

2 Tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley, minced

28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes, with their liquid

14.5 ounces Ranch Style beans, drained and rinsed

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups fresh spinach

Angel Hair pasta, cooked and drained (optional)

4 biscuits, cut in half lengthwise
fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for serving
fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the oil, and when it is hot, add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and parsley and sauté the mixture until the onions start to brown.

Add the tomatoes, beans, zucchini, salt, and 2 cups water, or enough to just cover the vegetables. Cover, bring to a boil, uncover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, and continue to cook, partially covered, for 10 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta (optional) and remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler. Place heatproof individual serving size bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the soup to each bowl. Add one-half biscuit to each bowl and top with enough slices of fresh mozzarella to completely cover the top of the soup and the biscuit. Put under the broiler until the cheese is melted and a little browned in spots, 5-7 minutes. Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan and a little chiffonade of basil.

Spicy Cajun-Oriental Shrimp & Olive Salad with Wonton Crackers

Linda's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Appetizer Basket including the following items:

Theme: Chinese New Year - Mardis Gras Celebration
Wonton Wrappers
Bean Sprouts
Cajun Seasoning
Shrimp
BONUS ITEM: Muffaletta Olive Spread

The theme for Chopped Round II was Fusion Confusion and in this dish, I marry the flavors of a Chinese New Year celebration and Mardis Gras.

If you like Muffalettas, you will love this salad. The shrimp was a great addition. The bean sprouts and water chestnuts gave the salad a nice crunch. While the baked wontons were good, I found myself wanting to pair it with nice crusty bread. I will definitely make this again.

Spicy Cajun-Oriental Shrimp & Olive Salad with Wonton Crackers

by Linda Mire

Salad:

2 cups shrimp (peeled, boiled and chopped) *
1/2 cup water chestnuts (diced)
1/2 cup bean sprouts (ends removed and diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup red bell pepper (diced)
1/2 cup green onions (diced)
1 cup green olives with pimentos (diced)
1 cup black olives (diced)
Handful of bean sprouts (end removed) for garnish
Whole green olives for garnish
Black pepper for garnish

Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl (except the garnish items). Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Dressing for Salad:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning
dash of sea salt and white pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk well. Set aside.

Wontons:

12 wonton wrappers (cut in half for triangles shape)
Olive oil

Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Place triangles on the baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil on top. Bake at 375F for 4-6 minutes, until lightly browned.

To Serve:

Whisk the dressing and add to the salad. Toss to coat well. Divide between four bowls and garnish each with a few bean sprouts, green olive and black pepper. Serve with baked wontons.

Casian Etouffee

Willie's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round Two Appetizer Basket including the following items:

Theme: Chinese New Year - Mardis Gras Celebration
Wonton Wrappers
Bean Sprouts
Cajun Seasoning
Shrimp
BONUS ITEM: Muffaletta Olive Spread

When I saw the ingredients for the Appetizer Basket, I thought about etouffee and decided to put it in a wonton wrapper. Why not, right?

Casian Etouffee

by Willie Simmons

½ pound shrimp, diced (any size)
Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning

2 Tablespoons olive oil

tomato sauce, small can

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

garlic, chopped

green onion, chopped

bean sprouts

¼ cup clam juice

crab meat

wonton wrappers

Muffaletta Olive Spread, prepared

Season the shrimp with SYM. Set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil and tomato sauce and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vegetables and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the clam juice. Add the shrimp. Cook until pink. Add the crab meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool slightly.

To fill the wonton wrappers:
Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush a little water along the perimeter of the bottom wrapper and then place another wrapper on top. Press down all around the edges with your fingers and seal with more water if needed.

To cook the wontons:
Place about 1 inch of peanut or other vegetable oil in a skillet and heat to 365 degrees over medium heat. Cook the wontons for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown.

Serve with Muffaletta Olive Spread.

Variation:
You can cook triangular shaped wontons if you wish. Just use one wonton wrapper, fill, put water along the edge, fold over and seal. Fry.

The Chopped Challenge Round Two

The Chopped Challenge Round One was...interesting! To say the least! Did you see the dishes? Oxtails, anchovies, donuts? It's hard to believe that we had even one recipe that looked appealing from those ingredients! Linda Mire was so tough on the cooks!

As we enter Round Two, let's remind ourselves what the cooks have in their baskets.

Appetizer Basket:
Theme: Chinese New Year - Mardis Gras Celebration
Wonton Wrappers
Bean Sprouts
Cajun Seasoning
Shrimp
Bonus Item (optional): Muffaletta Olive Spread

Main Dish Basket:
Theme: Italian Chuckwagon
Cowboy Style Pinto Beans
Biscuits
Angel Hair Pasta
Prosciutto
Bonus Item (optional): Peperoncini Sotto Aceto

Dessert Basket:
Theme: Paula Deen and Thomas Keller
Butter
Banana Pudding
Pastry Cream
Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Bonus Item (optional): Bouchons au Chocolate

So, Linda...

1) How do you think Chopped Round One went?

Chopped Round One was an adventure. I'm very proud of the Cooks who participated. I think the ones who did, enjoyed the crazy madness.

2) Have you seen the recipes the cooks have come up with for Round Two? Or are in shock and awe like the rest of us when you see them posted on the blog? 

I was able to see some pictures in the 37 Kitchen, but there are some that were submitted directly to our blog team. I'm excited to see those! FYI: the 37 Kitchen is our "workroom", where we discuss upcoming challenges, bounce ideas off one another, and in general, support one another. 

3) When do you expect us to see Round Three and Round Four that will be open to people who aren't in 37 Cooks?

I am not sure when Chopped 3 and 4 will be scheduled, that will be up to the person in charge of the 37 Cooks calendar. Round 3 will be for our Cooks only. Round 4 will be open to people who follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

4) Did you receive any feedback from the Cooks on Round Two? 

Yes, I did. The basket were a little easier and the Cooks, me included, came up with several recipes that are really good and something they would love to make again!

Myeolchi Bokkum (Candied Anchovies) with a Doughnut & Orange/Ginger Sauce

Linda's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Dessert Basket including the following items:

Sweetheart Valentine Candies

Wickles or Bread & Butter Pickles

Anchovies

Donut

I was the evil mastermind behind this Chopped Basket!

My first attempt was a complete fiasco because I didn't have the right anchovies for the recipe! I wasn't feeling well and I just wanted to get it done because the deadline was approaching. Canned rolled anchovies in olive oil cannot be made into dried anchovies!! I put them in the oven on parchment and they began to melt, leaving me with a paste. So I then started to improvise and stray far, far away from the recipe. To add insult to injury, when I placed the weird concoction back into the oven, I burnt it. 

I tried to salvage a bit of the burnt anchovies and assemble my dish, but the result was still very unappealing and it tasted down right gross.

DANG-IT, I couldn't go down with a failure. My fellow cooks had already given me a hard time about the ingredients….

I enlisted my son to go to the Oriental Market to buy the right ingredients and I woke up bright and early Monday morning, so I wouldn't rush. This is the result when you do things the right way!!!

I did take a bite and it was very interesting. The thing is, I rarely eat or like fish. This was a huge stretch for me. However, I feel that those who like anchovies and who have had Myeolchi Bokkum, will like this dish. My friend and one of the 37 Cooks, Woo Brower, instructed me to get the small dried anchovies. She said that the smaller ones were milder. This worked well for my palate and for this dessert dish.

I have learned so many new things as a member of 37 Cooks. I was pleased to learn about and try this popular Korean dish. For me, Round I of the Chopped Challenge has ended in a success!

Myeolchi Bokkum (Candied Anchovies) with a Doughnut & Orange/Ginger Sauce
By Linda MireMy inspiration for the dish came from 3 Hungry Tummies.

For Candied Anchovies:

½ Tablespoon sugar
½ Tablespoon corn syrup (light)
1 ½ Tablespoons water
½ Tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup dried anchovies (small without heads)
½ tablespoon of cooking oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Sesame seeds

For Orange/Ginger Sauce:

2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon orange zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Wickle* juice
Dash red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

Other Ingredients:

1 plain cake doughnut ( I got mine from Shipley’s.)
7-8 Orange Brach’s Sweet Heart Conversation Candies (grated into dust)
2 orange wedges for garnish

To prepare Candied Anchovies:

1. Mix the sugar, corn syrup, water and garlic in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place your dried anchovies in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the cooking oil and continue to stir for another 2 minutes.
4. Lower the heat and pour the sugar/corn syrup mixture into the pan, continue to stir for a minute.
5. Stir in the sesame oil and seeds.
6. Transfer the mixture into a bowl. Set aside.

To prepare Orange/Ginger Sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan. 
2. Add the orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, Wickle juice, pepper flakes and ginger.
3. Stir and reduce the heat to low.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring periodically.

To prepare the Doughnut:

1. Slice the doughnut in half. The top part needs to be thinner than the bottom. 
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
3. Dip the sliced side of each doughnut half into the Orange/Ginger Sauce and place it sliced side down into the skillet. Toast for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
4. Remove to a plate

To assemble:

Place the larger slice of the doughnut on a plate. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the Candied Anchovies atop the doughnut. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the anchovies/doughnut. Rest the top half of doughnut to the side of the larger one. Pour the rest of the sauce into a small serving dish. Using a sifter, sprinkle Sweetheart Valentine dust over the anchovies/doughnut. Garnish with orange slices on the side.

Candy Coated Campfire Donut with Peanut Butter, Bacon and Anchovy Sauce with A Warm Apple, Plum and Bread & Butter Pickle Compote

Aimee's recipe is submitted for the Chopped Challenge Round One Dessert Basket including the following items:

Sweetheart Valentine Candies

Wickles or Bread & Butter Pickles

Anchovies

Donut

When the Chopped Challenge was announced, I immediately signed on. I love the show and I thought it would be fun to do at home. Oh dear. The baskets were announced, and while the first two were interesting, I felt the dessert basket was the most challenging so I decided to tackle that one.

What the heck was I going to make with this? I don’t think I've even seen a contestant on the show get a basket this crazy. So I spent most of the 2 week challenge thinking about what to make. It didn't help that I was sick with a cold and not feeling very creative in the kitchen. I also knew that I couldn't afford to try out several different concoctions before I finally found something that worked. I just couldn't afford a bunch of ingredients to practice with. So…I needed to conceptualize the dish IN MY HEAD so that when I was finally ready to purchase the ingredients, I could do so practically and create the dish one time.

It never occurred to me until the day before I assembled my dish to actually make a donut. I was just going to buy some! But I am not much of a baker and I didn't really want fresh donuts around the house either. I was at the store with my 6 year old when she asked me to buy the canned cinnamon rolls. It’s not something we usually have but it hit me that I’d seen people on TV make donuts with canned biscuit dough and this was pretty much the same thing so I purchased a small can of the cinnamon rolls. Voila! Instant donut!

I made the individual components a few days before I assembled the dish, and put it all together with only one day left in the challenge. I think I did pretty well and was very proud of my accomplishment. We actually ate this dish together, me and my daughter, and she never suspected there were pickles and anchovies in there!

Candy Coated Campfire Donut with Peanut Butter, Bacon and Anchovy Sauce with A Warm Apple, Plum and Bread & Butter Pickle Compote

by Aimee Michard

Fruit Compote

1 Pink Lady apple, diced

1 red plum, diced

¼ cup chopped bread & butter pickles

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

¼ cup sugar

Peanut Butter Sauce

1 Tablespoon anchovies packed in olive oil, diced

1 strip bacon

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup sugar

2 Tablespoon light corn syrup

For the Donut

4 cups vegetable oil

1 can Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (cut small hole out of center of each cinnamon roll)

1 box Sweet Tart candy hearts (crushed into powder)

Drain the anchovies, rinse and soak in warm water overnight (this will remove some of the fishiness). When you’re ready to make the peanut butter sauce, drain the anchovy water, pat dry and dice.

Make the Peanut Butter Sauce by combining peanut butter, heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ½ tablespoon of anchovies to the peanut butter sauce and continue until ingredients are melted and creamy, about 7 minutes. The sauce may be made and refrigerated up to 5 days ahead.

Dice the apple, plum and pickles and add to a small saucepan. Add the orange zest, juice, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and apple cider vinegar. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. The compote should resemble a chunky applesauce in texture. This mixture may be made and refrigerated up to 5 days ahead.

Dice 1 strip of bacon and remaining ½ tablespoon of diced anchovies. Saute in small saucepan until crispy. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil for the donut in a heavy bottomed saucepan or deep fryer to 350 degrees. Add the cinnamon roll biscuit to the hot oil and cook for approximately 8 minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Drain and set aside. If the peanut butter sauce and compote are refrigerated (as they were in my case), gently warm both and add a little more heavy cream to the peanut butter sauce until you get the desired consistency.

To plate, sift the crushed candy heart mixture over the drained donut. Add the compote to a small bowl or cup. Spoon the peanut butter sauce on the plate, add the crispy bacon and anchovy mixture atop the sauce, and serve.