Beef Stew

I apologize for the lateness of this post.  I was in Ann Arbor running around all day yesterday before attending the second day of the Ann Arbor Folk Music Festival.  I suppose I could have found a coffee shop to camp in and write this entry (goodness knows there are endless choices of coffee shops in Ann Arbor).  But I decided to do some rare shopping while I was there.

John has been telling me he was craving beef stew with barley for a little over a week now.  And of course, since he brought it up, I started craving it as well.  Despite the fact that I had just made a batch of Brunswick stew, I felt this would be a good thing to keep him stocked up for the next week.

I did some research to try to learn how to make effective beef stew (mine usually turns out more like beef soup). Once I had cobbled together ideas for what I thought would be an effective recipe, I gathered the ingredients that I had on hand.  Then on the way to John's place, I stopped and picked up the rest.  I chose to use a red blend from my stash for the red wine, a decision I might rethink if I use this recipe again, however, it was tasty wine, so while not as hearty as I might prefer, still nice enough.

I wanted something that I could start on the stove, but finish in the crockpot.  This recipe worked very well for this purpose.

Hungarian Beef Stew with Barley

• 1 1/2 lbs stew beef
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 8 small (or 2 regular) red peppers, sliced
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb red-skinned potatoes, large dice
• 3 carrots, coarsely diced
•  3/4 cup barley

1. Prepare the vegetables.  Season the beef with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add 1/3 of the beef to the pan and sear on each side.  Remove beef and set aside.  Repeat two more times with remaining beef.

2. Add onion and peppers to pan.  Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.  Add flour, paprika, caraway seeds and garlic.  Continue cooking for 1 minute.  Add wine and stir, cooking, until thickened, making sure all dark bits are stirred up from the bottom of the pan.  Add the remaining liquids, mix well.  Cook about 1 minute more and then remove from heat.

3. To assemble: Place carrots and potatoes into the bottom of the crockpot.  Place beef on top and then pour wine mixture over all.  Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours.  Adjust seasoning and add barley.  Mix well and then cook, covered, for another 1-2 hours on LOW, or until the barley is cooked.

 

The Southern Tour Continues: Corn

I guess I started a theme this week which was probably spurred on by the opening of Bayne's Apple Farm.  You see, the opening of the cider mills is my signal that autumn is upon us.  True, they haven't started selling cider yet (that will start Labor day weekend), but I did have a cider doughnut (the other requirement for autumn).  Given this event and having made corn pudding last weekend, I was reminded of my other favorite autumn food...one that is rather uniquely Southern.  We received corn again this week in our CSA shares and the vegetables which make Brunswick stew are corn and lima beans.

If you do not know what Brunswick stew is, there is a bit of history you need to know...and a decision to be made, which I still haven't quite figured out.  According to the stories, the origin of Brunswick stew can be traced to either Virginia or Georgia.  Each state has a city/town called Brunswick.  Each of these cities/towns claims to have created this lovely dish.  As a matter of fact, if you stop at the rest area off I-95 nearest Brunswick, GA, there is a stewpot monument explaining their version of the story.

Regardless of which state actually was responsible, one of my favorite things in the autumn near Richmond was when people would set up massive cast-iron kettles on the side of the roads out in the country and cook up stew...and then sell it by the quart.  I mentioned on my FB tonight that apparently the key to it was smoked paprika.  To this, I got the response "I thought the key was squirrel".  The rumor always was that the reason these roadside Brunswick stews were so good was because they included the local "roadkill" (squirrel or oppossum).  When we had a block party and made a big pot, we actually used shredded pot roast.

The interesting thing is that I could never quite get the right texture or flavor when I tried to make Brunswick stew at home.  Thus my comment above.  I saw something that suggested adding smoked paprika to the stew and sure enough, that did the trick.  I finally managed to make a Brunswick stew that is similar to the stews I remember from my days in Richmond, VA.

Brunswick Stew

•  3 ears of corn*, kernels cut from the cob
• 6 small to medium tomatoes*
• 1 (10-oz) bag frozen lima beans
• 1 small sweet onion*, thinly sliced
• 2 medium red-skinned potatoes*, diced
• 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie)
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.  Add chicken paprika and cayenne.  Cook, simmering, until vegetables are cooked and to desired texture.

*CSA ingredients

Labor Day Quiche

So, today I will start out with what I cooked for breakfast.  I will be posting other recipes, but I will do them one at a time to make it easier to look them up.  This morning, I had some roasted vegetables that my mom made this week.  She roasted eggplant, potatoes, onions, red, yellow and green peppers, brussels sprouts (yep, brussels sprouts!  Yum!!!) and zucchini.  So, I picked some up thinking I could make a quiche out of it.  So, that's what I did this morning.  If I haven't mentioned this yet, I am quickly falling in love with including bleu cheese in my quiches.  I guess it's time to try Gruyere.

Roasted Vegetable Quiche

• 1 cup roasted vegetables
• 2 oz bleu cheese
• 2 oz sharp cheddar
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk
• cayenne
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare round baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread roasted vegetables in bottom of pan.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Whip eggs with milk and seasonings.  Pour over fillings.  Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

Cauliflower

So, today I need to use up my vegetables.  I haven't been very good about cooking lately and I have been wracking my brain what to make with a beautiful head of cauliflower I've had a few days.  But to be perfectly honest, I really just love aloo gobi, so yesterday I picked up some potatoes so I could make a batch.  Of course, I am still having issues finding all the boxes with my spices, etc, so, I had to improvise a little.  I couldn't find my stash of garam masala, so I looked online and found a simple recipe for homemade garam masala.  It probably isn't as exciting as the stuff I get from the India stores, but it smells really good now that it's cooking.  Here is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-garam-masala/.  I will be adding garbanzo beans (which is an unusual ingredient) so that there is some protein in the dish.  I am cooking it on top of the stove in my beautiful Calphalon Dutch oven.  I do love that pot!

Aloo Gobi
Adapted from: http://vgourmet.ca/2012/05/19/aloo-gobi/#comment-1626http://vgourmet.ca/2012/05/19/aloo-gobi/#comment-1626

• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp whole cumin seed
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsps turmeric
• 2 tsps garam masala (see link above)
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 16 oz  stewed or crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 large cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 3 large potatoes, diced
• 1 15 oz can gabanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)
• sea salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add whole cumin seeds and cook until they pop and sizzle.  Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two. Stir in turmeric, garam masala, and cayenne. Cook until fragrant but be sure not to burn the spices; about 1 minute.

Stir in salt, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, cauliflower, and potatoes. Cook with the lid on until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring often. If it gets too dry, add a little bit of water. When the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, turn off heat and add beans. Put the lid back on and let the peas steam in the residual heat; about 1 minute. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and pepper. Add chopped cilantro and serve piping hot.

Note: I am allergic to cilantro, so I would serve the cilantro on the side for other people, but I cannot add it to the overall dish.

Split Peas and Chorizo

It was a busy weekend with a trip home to Michigan. I picked up the CSA Friday night from Renee and received a really nice chorizo. Since it was thawed, I spent sometime while home looking for a slow-cooker recipe to use it. I figured I could throw it together before I went to bed when I got back to Cleveland. I very quickly ran across this comforting-sounding yellow split pea soup recipe.

 Yellow Split Pea Soup with Chorizo
 Adapted from: www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-yellow-pea-soup-with-chorizo-107162

•  1 (16-oz) pkg dried yellow split peas
•  2-1/2 cups homemade vegetable stock*
•  2 medium carrots*, sliced
•  2 cups water
•  1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper
•  1 tsp salt-free spicy seasoning blend
•  2 small potatoes*, peeled and diced
•  1/2 medium red pepper*, diced
•  2 cups fresh com kernels*
• 8 oz chorizo sausage*

 Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until split peas are cooked.

*CSA ingredients   

Potatoes and Leeks

This weekend, I went to a birthday party for my husband's aunt's 90th birthday. While there, his cousin, Rene, offered everyone squash and leeks. I managed to come away with 2 large, beautiful leeks, 2 acorn squash and 1 small spaghetti squash. Since we got potatoes in the last share, I decided to try my hand at potato leek soup. Now, I usually spend a lot of time searching recipes and making a gameplan, but this morning I was in a hurry, so I just threw things in my Crockpot and went to work. I will admit I had some anxiety, and there are some things I would do differently next time, but overall, I ended up with a very tasty soup.

 Potato Leek Soup with Cheddar and Bacon

•  2 large leeks
•  8 small potatoes* 
• 3 medium carrots*
•  32 oz chicken stock
•  2 cups water
• 1 sprig sage
•  1/2 1b bacon
•  2 cups shredded cheese (I used extra sharp white cheddar)

 Trim the leek (use only light green/white part). Cut in half lengthwise and wash out sand. Thinly slice the leeks. Add to the Crockpot.

 Peel and chunk the potatoes; add to the Crockpot. Peel the carrots and cut to 1-inch pieces; add to the Crockpot. Pour chicken stock and water over the vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Cool soup slightly and blend,using an immersion blenderor regular blender, until chunky. Return to Crockpot, add cooked, crumbled bacon, cheese and sage. Cook until cheese is melted and sage has flavored the soup. Remove sage and adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) if needed.

Note: while this soup turned out very tasty, you could probably double the potatoes and carrots and have a much heartier soup. Also, I prefer sharp cheeses in these types of soups, but you could just as easily use mild cheddar or Swiss if you prefer.

* CSA ingredients

Hash, Microwave Style

I am in the middle of moving and up to yesterday didn't have a working stove. I turned out that the gas was shut off. It was turned back on while I was teaching yesterday. So, yesterday morning, I decided to get creative in cooking eggs. I searched the web for creative ways to cook hard-boiled eggs. I didn't have an oven either, so I thought maybe I could use my rice cooker. Believe it or not, it worked!

 Rice Cooker Hard Boiled Eggs

• 4 farm-fresh eggs*

 Line rice cooker bowl with 3-4 moist paper towels. Place eggs on towels. Cook on white rice setting. Depending how you like your yolks, allow to sit up to 2 minutes when cooking is done. Put eggs in cold water for 5 minutes to stop cooking.

 Note: My husband prefers medium-cooked eggs. I don't think that's exactly possible, but next time I will cool the eggs as soon as the timer goes off.

 For carbohydrates, I decided to cook potatoes in the microwave. We had gotten a bag of small potatoes in the last CSA bag. Here's how I cooked them.

 Microwave Potatoes

• 4 small potatoes*
•  salt and pepper, to taste

Large dice the potatoes and place in a microwave-safe cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 minutes. Stir potatoes and cook on high 3 to 5 minutes longer (depending on microwave power). Allow potatoes to sit in closed cooker 2-3 minutes to finish cooking. Check to see if potatoes are fluffy. If not done, cook in intervals of 1 minute until cooked. Be careful to not overcook as potatoes tendto get mushy when overcooked in the microwave.

My husband reminded me late last night that I had a leftover bratwurst in the refrigerator. Since we haven't brought the pan over that I normally use for hard-cooking eggs, I decided to try making hash in the microwave starting with the above microwave potato recipe.

 Microwave Potato Hash

•  5 small farm-fresh potatoes*
•  1 green onion bratwurst*, cooked
• 3 farm-fresh eggs*
•  salt and pepper, to taste

 Large dice potatoes and place in microwave cooker. Cook on high for 3 minutes. Stir eggs and cook an additional 3-5 minutes. In the meantime, slice cooked bratwurst.  Add the bratwurst to the potatoes and stir to combine.  Careful break eggs on top of mixture. Cook an additional 1 minute per egg. Allow to stand in closed cooker 1-3 minutes to finish cooking.

*CSA ingredients

Boiled dinner

This week we received a nice pork roast in the share. We also received a cabbage, Yukon gold potatoes, turnips, and apples. Since it's snowing outside, and also close to St. Patrick's Day, I figured boiled dinner would be a great comfort meal for today.

 Boiled Dinner

•  1 4-5 lb pork roast*
•  1 large potato*, diced
•  1/2 head cabbage*, wedged
•  1 large winesap apple*, wedged
•  1 large turnip*, wedged
•  1 cup apple cider*
•  7 cups water
•  1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
•  1 tsp sea salt

 Place vegetables and apples in bottom of crock. Place roast on top. Pour cider and water over roast and add spices and salt. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-5 hours, until roast is 160°F in the center. Remove roast and allow to temper 5 minutes. Turn cooker to LOW and cook until potatoes are fork tender. Slice pork thin and serve with vegetables and apples.

*CSA Ingredients

Winter Vegetables

Today, I need to use up winter vegetables. I also need dishes that will fit into my pre-op diet which is pretty basic. I couldn't quite find a recipe that appealed tome, so I am going to do what we used to call potluck. I am going to take all the vegetables I have and make a fresh vegetable soup. Seems an appropriate dish for a snowy winter day.

 "Pot Luck" Vegetable Soup
 Note: This soup is made with vegetables I had in my kitchen. You may use whatever you have available.

•  1/2 head cabbage*, chopped
•  2 turnips*, peeled and diced
•  1 large Yukon gold potato*, peeled and diced
•  celery heart and leaves (about 4 stalks), sliced
•  6 oz mushrooms, quartered
•  2 cups sweet corn*, frozen or fresh
• 2 cups frozen peas
•  1 small sweet potato*, peeled and diced
•  12 cups water
•  4 Tbsp beef stock flavoring ^
• 1 tsp dried thyme
•  1 Tbsp dried marjoram
•  1 bay leaf
•  1 Tbsp minced garlic

 Prepare all vegetables and place in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are well cooked.

^Note:Use a good beef, chicken or vegetable stock if you have one. I did not have one, so I used a stock base.

*CSA ingredients 

More Potatoes & Sausage

I am finally using up all those potatoes that I have been complaining about for weeks.  I want to thank Lia Hotchkiss for giving me an idea of how to use them, along with some of the packs of sausage that have been lurking in my freezer.  While this isn't exactly the idea she gave me, she gave me a good basis.  I can smell it simmering on the stove and it smells wonderful. Oh, and Lia, thanks for the idea for the ale.  It pulls all of the flavors together nicely!

Rustic Sausage & Potato Soup

• 6 Tbsp olive oil, split
• Water
• 2 lbs red-skin potatoes split*
• 1 large onion*
• 1 medium green pepper*
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ½ lb pork sausage*
• ½ lb Italian sausage*
• 4 cups chicken stock
• “Dollop” of Bell’s Best Brown Ale (by dollop, I mean 1 cup)
• Seasonings to taste (salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic & herbs)

1) Wash potatoes, green pepper and mushrooms.  Peel 1 lb of the potatoes and cover with water to 1 inch above.  Place these on the stove, cover and boil until potatoes are cooked (knife pierces potatoes easily).  Allow to cool and then blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

2) Preheat oven to 450F.  Dice remaining potatoes to 1/2" cubes.  Peel and dice onion to same size cubes.  Place all in a ziploc bag.  Pour in 3 Tbsp olive oil and garlic & herbs to taste.  Seal bag and shake until all vegetables are coated.  Pour vegetables onto a prepared cookie sheet and spread to a single layer.  Cook at 450F for 25 minutes, stirring once.

3) Dice green peppers and slice mushrooms.  Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add peppers and mushrooms.  Saute until peppers are starting to become soft.  Add sausages and cook, breaking up as you stir, until the sausages are no longer pink.

4) Combine pureed potatoes and roasted vegetables with sausage and peppers in the Dutch oven.  Add chicken stock, ale and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until flavors blend.  makes 12 1-cup servings.

*CSA ingredients

Potatoes & Sausage

My husband brought a yam with him when he came to visit this weekend.  I had cooked them for him last weekend and he thought they would make good carbs for his 5K race this morning.  Because the yam was so big, I decided to take some of that, along with potato and sausage and make a quick hash.

Two Potato Sausage Hash

• 1/3 cup cooked yam, diced*
• 1 small redskin potato, finely diced*
• 2 oz pork sausage*
• 1 large egg*
• salt & pepper to taste

 Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over med-high heat.  Add potato, yam and sausage.  Cook until sausage is no longer pink.  Break egg over top of mixture; cover and cook, about 5 minutes, until egg is cooked but yolk is still runny. Makes 1 serving.

  *CSA ingredients

Pork Loin

As I was researching recipes for ideas of what to do with a small pork tenderloin, I was interested to read a long thread with arguments about whether you could cook a pork loin in a slow-cooker or not.  The people arguing against it claimed that since the loin doesn't have enough fat, it would end up dry and stringy.  The people arguing for it all claimed to have done it with great results.  I have never found a meat that I couldn't cook in my slow-cooker.  I especially like it for Boston butt and whole chickens, but I have only cooked 2 pork loins in my lifetime and both were the prepackaged, pre-marinated types that you really can't mess up.  This is a local pork loin that I received in my CSA this summer.  Since it came to me frozen, I put it in my freezer until I could figure out what to do with it.  I found it today as I was straightening up my freezer and decided to give it a try.  It is is my slow-cooker as I type and I used a recipe I found on www.foodnetwork.com:

Slow-Cooker Parmesan Pork Loin

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/slow-cooker-parmesan-sage-pork-loin-watercress-salad-sliced-pears-goat-cheese-toasted-pine-nuts-recipe/index.html

• 2 pounds diced yukin gold potatoes*
• 1 cup chopped candy-stripe beets*
• 1 cup chopped baby carrots 
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup Shock-Top raspberry wheat beer
• 1 (2-pound) pork loin*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Romano

1. Place diced vegetables into base of slow-cooker. Pour broth and beer over vegetables.

2. Season pork loin with pepper and garlic and herb seasoning.  Place on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle with grated Romano; press into surface of pork loin.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Remove pork from cooker and place on a cutting board; temper the meat for 5 minutes.  Slice pork crosswise into 1/2" slices.  Serve with vegetables.

*CSA ingredients.

As you can see, the meat was very, very well-done.  I cooked this overnight (about 8 hours) and that probably was a bit too long.  The meat is tender and moist, but it fell apart as I tried to cook it.  The other sad thing was the fact that the beets lost all their color in the cooking.  They actually kind of look like turnips now that they are cooked, however, they definitely taste like beets.  This is a very tasty dish, but I would keep the cooking time down to 6 hours the next time I tried it.

Eggs with winter vegetables

After roasting the winter vegetables, I then was still faced with making breakfast. I decided to put the vegetables in the eggs instead of having them as the side.

Scrambled eggs with Roasted Winter Vegetables

-2 cups roasted winter vegetables*

-3 large eggs*

-3 large egg whites*

-2 slices sharp cheddar

1) Beat eggs and egg whites until well mixed.

2) Coat a large skillet with cooking spray.

3) Heat winter vegetables, pour eggs over vegetables and break up cheese over entire mixture.

4) Allow bottom of eggs to cook, then cook, flipping every minute or so until eggs are almost cooked (note: eggs will finish cooking after you turn off the heat. This keeps them moist).

5) Makes 2 servings.

*CSA ingredients

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Potatoes and squash

This morning, I only had squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes to work with. It reminds me that summer is over and soon enough I will be missing all the wonderful local produce I've enjoyed this season. Not one to be down, I decided to roast these beautiful vegetables for breakfast and for John to have for meals during the week.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

-1 small butternut squash*
-1 medium sweet potato*
-1 large Yukon gold potato*
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp garlic powder (use fresh if you have it)
-Mrs. Dash Italian blend

1) Preheat oven to 400F with foil-covered cookie sheet in oven. Wash and peel squash; dice into 1/2" pieces.

2) Wash potatoes, remove blemishes and eyes (leave peel-it's good for you), and dice to 1/2 inch pieces.

3) Place all pieces in a large bowl and coat with oil and spices.

4) Spread vegetables in single layer on heated cookie sheet.

5) Roast 40 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through.

*CSA ingredients

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Potato Salad

For those readers who were in the winter CSA, do you remember that wonderful Brussels Sprout Relish we got to try? Here's a recipe using it and it is so refreshing!

Red-Skin Potato Salad

•  6 medium red-skin potatoes, washed
• 1 cup olive oil mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup brussels sprout relish*
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 hard-boiled eggs*, peeled and diced

Wash potatoes, dice to bite-sized pieces. Place in large Dutch oven andcover with water. Heat to boiling; cook 8-10 minutes to taste.

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, relish, salt and pepper. Add cooked potatoes and hard-boiled eggs; mix well. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

*CSA ingredients

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