Though you may have tried many recipes belonging to different cuisine styles, some stay very close to your heart. It brings memories of your childhood and your grandmother’s traditional style of cooking.

The dried beef cheese ball recipe is one of them. It is a super simple but delicious recipe that can be made within minutes. You can eat these balls as the main food or as an appetizer, as you please. The best part of this dish is that you can add or reduce ingredients, as per your creativity, to suit your taste buds.

The combination of green onions, cream cheese, and dried beef makes this dish taste heavenly. Are you planning a party at your home this evening? Make sure you include these dried beef cheese balls as part of the starter menu, and watch your guests drooling over them.

Here are some points to remember before you know how to make these cheese balls

• Sometimes, if you cannot find your favorite brand’s dried beef in the supermarkets, you can also buy chipped beef. The taste of the cheese balls will remain as authentic as you want.
• Many people may find chipped beef to be too salty. So, we recommend you clean the meat thoroughly before using it to roll the balls to reduce the salt content in the dish.
• If you are health-conscious and don’t want to buy dried beef from the market, you can make it home. Yes, it is a lengthy process, but the time you spend on this is worth every second, considering how tasty your cheese balls are going to turn out to be!

How to Make Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe

• Choose the part of the beef that has the lowest fat content if you decide to make dried beef at home. Air drying is the most common method used by many.
• Cut the meat into strips using a sharp knife – the kind that butchers use.
• Mix all the flavorful ingredients that you intend to use (like vinegar, marjoram, thyme, pepper, and salt) in a bowl. Mix the contents very well to ensure that they give out the maximum flavors.
• Add the freshly-cut beef strips to this spice mixture. Ensure that the strips are immersed well in the mixture. Cover the bowl with a tape or cover of your choice.
• Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to remain there for about 12 to 14 hours.
• For the air-drying process, you have to use a special storage box that has aluminum foils, proper lighting (a 75W incandescent bulb) and aluminum bars (for hanging the beef strips). A 12-volt fan is an additional bonus in the storage box. This will keep the strips away from fungus, if any.
• If you don’t have a specific storage box like this, you can use your refrigerator’s sandwich box for this purpose. You can make modifications to this box by adding the fans, bars, light and fan.
• Use some paper clips to hang the beef strips on the bars securely. After you set up the box, you can switch on the box’s power by plugging it into the nearest outlet.
• Allow the meat to dry on the bars for 12 hours. Check the box after 12 hours. If the strips still have some juices on them, let them dry for some more time. If they are completely dry, you can take them out.
• Allow the dried beef to cool down before you use them to roll the cheese balls.
• Your homemade, healthy dried beef is now ready to be used for your favorite recipes.

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Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese – 8 ounces,
• Dried Beef – 3 ounces,
• Green Onions – 2 (finely chopped),
• Onion Salt – ¼ teaspoon,
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – 1 ¼ teaspoons,
• Worcestershire Sauce – 1 tablespoon,
• Nuts for decoration – optional

Instructions

• Once you gather all the ingredients and keep them ready, prepare the cheese balls within ten minutes. Here is how you can do it:
• Take a big bowl and mix cream cheese, dried beef, and chopped green onions.
• Mix the contents well before you add the other ingredients of salt, MSG and Worcestershire sauce.
• Now, roll the ingredients into a ball, and refrigerate the balls for about 30 minutes. Wrap the ball properly with plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap in the shape of a cross-shape for the ball to get a perfectly round shape. This way, it will settle well, once it is placed in the refrigerator.
• After 30 minutes, please take out the cheese ball from the refrigerator unwrap it. Cut a small portion and serve them with unsalted crackers, butter crackers, or celery sticks.
• Tangy and tasty cheese balls made from dried beef are now ready.
• Make them in batches and store them in the refrigerator. They stay good for about 2 to 3 days.

Some changes you can try to this recipe

• You can also add a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper for additional flavor and taste, along with salt and Worcestershire sauce.
• After shaping the balls, you can coat them with dried bits of beef pieces, groundnut powder, almond nuts, or small bacon pieces before refrigerating them.
• If you like the dried beef to be spicy and flavorful, you can also add a small amount of vinegar, marjoram, thyme and hot pepper to the dried beef when you are rolling the mixture into small balls.
• You can also mix about 4 ounces of buttermilk ranch seasoning into the mixture to get unique flavors from your cheese balls.
• You can use any brand of dried beef or chipped beef. However, you can also make your own dried beef following the below-mentioned methods.
• You can omit MSG completely, if you wish, for a healthier version of dried beef cheese balls.
• You can roll the cheese balls in a mixture of dried beef pieces and green onions to make the dish look colorful and yummy.

This authentic recipe has been named after the famous Mount Vesuvius Volcano in Campania, Italy. Some also believe this dish is named thus because it was first served in a restaurant in the Vesuvio district of Chicago. The chicken Vesuvio recipe is one of the most sought-after dishes in Chicago’s Italian-American restaurants.

You can prepare this dish in many different ways and use some of your creativity as well. However, we will tell you the most common way to make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio and the ingredients you need for the same.

Though this dish originates in the southern part of Italy, it is believed to have been first served in a beautiful restaurant named Little Italy in Chicago. This dish has many variations, as the Vesuvio can also be prepared using pork chops, steaks, or only potatoes.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

Ingredients

• Chicken – about 2 to 3 pounds (you can use only chicken thighs and legs, or you can use the breasts as well)
• ideally, it would be great if you have two pieces each of breasts, thighs, legs, and wings
• Salt – about 2 teaspoons
• Pepper – 1 teaspoon (always use freshly ground black pepper for this recipe)
• Olive Oil – about 1/3 cup (for the skillet)
• Canola oil – 2 cups (for frying the potatoes)
• Russet Potatoes – 3 (peeled and cut into wedges
• keep them thick)
• Garlic – 2 cloves (use freshly crushed garlic cloves for additional flavors)
• Dried oregano – 1 or 2 tablespoons
• White wine – ½ cup
• Parsley leaves (freshly chopped) – 2 tablespoons

Kitchen Equipment:

• Oven
• Heavy skillet or Dutch oven
• Deep frying pan
• Tongs or spatula
• Thermometer (for checking chicken’s internal temperature)
• Platter for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven:
   • Set your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Prepare Chicken:
   • Clean the chicken pieces in cold water.
   • Pat them dry completely.
3. Marinate Chicken:
   • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Brown the Chicken:
   • Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
   • Place the chicken in the hot oil, starting with breasts, followed by thighs and other parts.
   • Cook until each side is golden brown.
   • Once browned, remove the chicken, keeping some oil in the skillet.
5. Bake Chicken:
   • Put the chicken back in the skillet.
   • Transfer it to the preheated oven, uncovered.
   • Bake for 25 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
6. Fry Potato Wedges:
   • Heat canola oil in a deep frying pan.
   • Once it reaches 350 degrees F, fry potato wedges in batches.
   • Fry until golden, then place on tissue to drain oil.
7. Combine Ingredients:
   • 5 minutes before the chicken baking time ends, add fried potatoes, garlic, oregano, and wine to the skillet.
   • Return the skillet to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
8. Final Touches:
   • Remove the skillet from the oven.
   • Add chopped parsley and gently stir.
   • Transfer everything to a serving platter.
   • Pour the remaining juices from the skillet over the chicken.
9. Serve:
   • Your Italian Chicken Vesuvio is ready to be enjoyed!

If you’re a fan of this delicious Italian Chicken Vesuvio recipe, don’t forget to pin the image below! Share the culinary love with friends and family who would appreciate this mouthwatering dish!

Some variants you can try – Italian Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

• After the chicken and potatoes are cooked for 25 minutes, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a stovetop. Melt some butter and add frozen green peas to the dish. Cook on a low flame until the butter turns silky, making your whole dish tasty. Switch off the flame and serve immediately.
• If you want to make this dish healthier, you can skip frying the potatoes. Instead, you can bake them. Apply some olive oil to the skillet and place the cut potatoes in them. Keep sautéing them until they turn golden. If your skillet cannot hold all the potatoes at once, you can sauté them in batches to ensure even cooking. Once the potato wedges turn golden brown, you can place the seasoned chicken, garlic, oregano, wine sauce, and other ingredients on top of them and cook everything for about 30 minutes.
• For best results, always use dry wines like Sauvignon Blanc when using white wine. To make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio recipe juicier and tastier, you can add chicken broth and white wine.
• Instead of olive oil, you can use any other high-heat oils of your choice. However, grapeseed and coconut oils are good choices.
• If you don’t get thighs or wings, you can still make the dish very well with boneless and skinless chicken breasts alone.
• If you want to make this dish a non-alcoholic one, you can skip the white wine completely and replace it with a combination of low-sodium chicken broth and lemon juice. However, remember to use only a little lemon juice, as it can make the entire dish sour.
• When you are frying potatoes and garlic, you can add about ½ chopped onion to the pan.
• Also, If you’d like, you can add some peas to this recipe.

Chicken bog recipe is a Southern dish that combines rice and meat with influences from W. Africa and Spain. The element that makes chicken bog different from its ethnic relatives is suggested by its name: it’s a boggy/wet dish and rice stew as opposed to fluffy and dry rice.

What is Chicken Bog?

This single-pot dish is a nice mix of chicken bits, smoky sausage, and rice. Its name comes from the fact that it has a boggy and soup-like texture where large chunks of meat are bogged down in the bounty stock. The rice is simmered slowly in the homemade broth and releases its starch to give the dish a nice creamy consistency that resembles risotto. But there is actually no dairy in this rich and creamy dish!

Some variations of this are chicken perlo, chicken pilau, and chicken pilaf. While these may refer to the same or a very similar chicken and rice dish, we have always known this as “chicken bog”. This rustic and comforting chicken with rice and sausage is always satisfying.

Servings: About 6–8

Ingredients

For Homemade Stock (Optional, but recommended)

• 1 whole chicken (3–4 lbs) or 2 pheasants

• 1 white onion, diced

• 2 celery stalks, sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

• 1 sprig rosemary (optional)

• 1 sprig thyme (optional)

• Salt, to taste

• Water, to cover

For the Chicken Bog

• 2 cups long-grain rice

• 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)

• 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into rounds

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 Tbsp green onion, chopped

• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Make the Stock (Optional):

• Place the whole chicken (or pheasants) in a large pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme, and enough water to cover.

• Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam that rises to the top.

• Add salt to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours or until the chicken is tender.

• Remove chicken from the pot. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve (lined with a paper towel for clarity, if you like). Discard the vegetables.

• Shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Set both meat and stock aside.

2. Cook the Chicken Bog:

• In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.

• Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 8–10 minutes.

• Stir in garlic, smoked sausage, and the shredded chicken. Cook for 2–3 minutes.

• Add rice, stirring to coat, then pour in 1 quart of the prepared stock (or store-bought stock).

• Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Don’t stir while the rice cooks.

• Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5–10 minutes.

• Fluff the bog with a fork, then stir in green onions and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

3. Serve:
Serve hot, garnished with extra green onions or parsley if desired.

Tips

• If you want a richer flavor, brown the sausage before adding the onions.

• This dish keeps well in the fridge and reheats beautifully.