THOSE ONO-CHICKEN-LETTUCE-WRAPS!

A couple night ago I decided to try something that's been on my "Recipes to Try Soon" Pinterest board for quite awhile; chicken lettuce wraps (along the line of P.F. Changs')!  If I had remembered that sage advice from my mom, to always read a recipe first, I would have realized that I needed to buy some cellophane noodles, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots!  But, part way through the recipe, I wasn't going to let that stop me! I'm sure the noodles, etc., would have added to the outcome, but they were so good anyway, that I'll just share my easier/cheaper version with you. This is originally from foodnetwork.com, I just made a few other minor changes. (Maybe I should have called these "Oh-no!" chicken lettuce wraps, since I was missing 3 ingredients!)

THOSE ONO-CHICKEN-LETTUCE-WRAPS KNOCK-OFF RECIPE

(Original recipe was from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (or white grape juice)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (or white grape juice)
• 2 tsp. chili paste (adjust for heat)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry:

• 4 tablespoons peanut oil (I used grape seed oil)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
• 4 scallions; 2 minced, 2 cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts, cut in smaller pieces

• Lettuce leaves, I think butter lettuce is best for wraps

• Directions

Prepare the chicken: Whisk the egg white, cornstarch and rice wine in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Make the stir-fry sauce: Whisk 1/3 cup water, the oyster, hoisin and soy sauces, the rice wine, chili paste and sesame oil in a bowl, then whisk in the cornstarch until dissolved. Set aside.

Make the stir-fry: Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the skillet; when almost smoking, stir in the garlic, ginger, and minced scallions, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the water chestnuts and scallion pieces and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the stir-fry sauce and chicken and cook 1 minute.

Serve with lettuce leaves to wrap.  The chicken filling would also be wonderful over rice, instead of in wraps!

EASY BEEF AND POTATO PIES

I don't have a photo to post with this recipe (my camera charger went into hiding for the holidays!) but it's so good and easy that I want to share it anyway! It was originally Martha Stewart's recipe but I made a few little changes (among those: leaving out the 1/2 cup of golden raisins).  I am giving you my edited version here. Also, if you don't want to pay the $4 for a box of frozen puff pastry, I think they'd be really good with pie crust dough (just watch the cooking time). But I do love the light, flakiness of puff pastry! So, here it is...

GROUND BEEF & POTATO PUFF PASTRY PIES

(BY MARTHA STEWART)

• INGREDIENTS:
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika,  plus more for sprinkling on tops
• 1 medium potato (Yukon Gold is best), diced (about 1-1/4 cup)  NOTE: I used up a previously boiled potato and it turned out fine.
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

• DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and potato; season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from heat.
• On a piece of parchment paper, gently roll out puff pastry sheets to smooth creases (by hand, not with a rolling pin). Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in center of each pastry square. Brush edges lightly with water, fold over filling to form triangles, press to seal, and sprinkle lightly with smoked paprika. Transfer to two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and bake until pastry is golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note

Fill these pies the day before and refrigerate in a single layer, covered, until ready to bake.