Chicago Deep Dish Pizza!

Because our paint night was cancelled tonight, I invited my friend, Lawrence, to come over and have dinner.  He had a friend in town who had come to cheer Lawrence on in his Santa Clause race in the morning.  I met this friend a month or so ago and he's very interesting.  He works in Aeronautics.  Because he's in a science world, I find him fascinating.  So always glad to have the two of them to dinner.  And now that I have my own beautiful house, I have the space to entertain AND I have a beautiful kitchen to cook in. 

Thus, it was a very busy day of cooking and cleaning.  It started with "Christmas Crack" or Chex mix.  This would be my third batch this year and I try to only make it when I have an excuse to share.  This was followed by Magic Bars (my version this year has dark chocolate and PB chips).  Finally, to the main dish. About two months ago, I updated my pizza supplies, including individual sized deep dish pizza pans.  Seeing them on the counter made me want to try my hand at making Chicago-style deep dish pizza.  I have resisted doing this in the past because I love the crust and I am always worried that the recipes are not quite right.  There is a different texture to Chicago pizza crust and that is what I love able it.  After some searching, I found a recipe to try out.  But at the same time, I decided that I would also make my own pizza sauce for this (given that I have those beautiful home-canned tomatoes).

Well, the result was incredible.  The crust was light and crunchy, exactly what I expected.  We chose sausage and pepperoni (very traditional) and I made my own sauce which was exactly right for this pizza.  Can't wait to try it again and change up the fillings.

Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza
Adapted from:www.bunsinbyoven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/chicago-deep-dish-pizza-recipe.jpg

For crust

•  3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 cups flour
•  1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp suger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp corn meal

For sauce

• 1/2 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 28-oz jar home-canned tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried basil (during the spring/summer, consider using 2 Tbsp fresh basil)

Fillings

• 1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• 15 slices turkey pepperoni

To make crust:
Add the water and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Add flour, oil, sugar, salt and corn meal to the bowl and turn the mixer to low.  Mix until just combined and increase speed to medium, kneading for 2 minutes.  Place the dough ball into a large, greased bowl and set in a warm place for up to 6 hours (or until dough has doubled).  

To make the sauce:
While the dough is rising, make the sauce.  In this case, I cooked and crumbled the sausage in a large skillet.  Once cooked, remove the sausage to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.  Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the drippings.  Add onions and cook until starting to brown.  Add garlic and cook one minute longer.  Add tomatoes and basil.  If tomatoes are whole, halved or quartered, use an immersion blender to puree until consistency of pureed tomatoes (you may use pureed tomatoes as well).  Cook for about 20 minutes to meld flavors.

To assemble pizza:
Preheat oven to 475F.  Lightly butter 3 individual-sized deep dish pizza pans (or a 12-inch cast iron skillet).  Sprinkle with additional corn meal.  Punch down the dough and let rest for 15 minutes.  Divide into three balls and place one in each prepared pan.  Use your fingers to press it into the bottom of the pans and up the sides. 

Sprinkle crust with mozzarella cheese (this keeps crust from becoming soggy).  Layer sausage and pepperoni.  Then spoon sauce over all.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is browned and the edges of the pepperoni that peek through the sauce are also browned.  Allow to set for 5 minutes before cutting.

Stuffed Eggplant

I had puchased a couple small eggplant at the farmers market last week and needed to use them. In light of the fact that I had also made ragu last week, I thought this would be a good time to try my hand at stuffed eggplant. After hollow in out the eggplant halves, I combined the ragu and eggplant flesh with panko and cheese and stuffed the mixture into the shells. After baking, I ended up with something quite yummy!  I think next time I would include some sweet peppers. But this was quite tasty.

Stuffed peppers

•  2 small eggplants*
• 1/2 batch sausage bean ragu (http://csafoodie.blogspot.com/2015/09/home-canned-tomatoes.html)
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
• 6 thin slices provolone

Preheat oven to 350F. Hollow out eggplants and chop removed flesh. Microwave the eggplant with 1/4 Cup water for 5 minutes on HIGH.  Heat ragu, add cooked eggplant, panko and cheese; mix well. Spoon mixture into the eggplant shells. Cover with provolone slices. Bake 45 -50 minute, or until eggplant is cooked and cheese is melted and golden brown.

*farmers market ingredients

Home Canned Tomatoes

So, last week, I canned tomatoes for the first time in probably 2 decades.  I tried to can 6 quarts.  Five worked beautifully and one failed spectacularly.  So, this week, I needed to use that quart.  I decided that since I have a really nice looking spaghetti squash, I would make a ragu.  This one with sausage and cannellini beans.  I started it in a skillet and then transferred it to my crockpot to cook while I was out shopping with John.  Love having things like this cooking in the crockpot because it makes the house smell heavenly!

Sausage, White Bean and Tomato Ragu

• 12 oz sweet Italian sausage**
• 1 large onion*, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
• 1 cup chianti
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 quart tomatoes*, undrained
• 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking up, for about 3 minutes.  Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.  Add olive oil to pan and then saute onions about 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and garlic; cook for about 1 minute.  Add wine to pan to deglaze; make sure to scrape the brown bits from the pan.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour all into a crockpot and cook, covered, on LOW for 4-5 hours.  Then open lid and allow to cook for 2 more hours to thicken.  Serve over pasta, rice or spaghetti squash.

*Farmers market ingredients
**CSA ingredients

Eggplant and Frittatas

I happened to catch The Chew last week when Michael Symon made his ratatouille frittata.  This morning, I was thinking that something like that sounded good because I had made ratatouille last week, so I just typed "ratatouille frittata" into the search bar and lo, and behold, up popped the actual recipe.  While his version sounds really yummy (with the addition of okra), I adjusted it to what I had available in my refrigerator.  That is the nice thing about quiches and frittatas.  They are today's pot luck.  They are both great ways to use up things in your fridge.  In my case, I had ratatouille, asiago bread and feta cheese.

Ratatouille Feta Frittata
Adapted from: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Ratatouille-Feta-Frittata-Michael-Symon

• 3 cups ratatouille** (see recipe: http://csafoodie.blogspot.com/2012/07/ratatouille.html)
• 4 slices day-old bread (I used asiago bread)
• 8 eggs*
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat broiler to low.  Place 12 inch skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat.  Spoon ratatouille into skillet and warm.  Cut bread into 1-inch cubes.  Add to the ratatouille and mix well.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs with milk until smooth.  Season as desired with salt & pepper.  Pour over fillings and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Cook until eggs begin to set up.  Once the eggs are 75% set, place the skillet under the broiler and broil about 8-9 minutes or until the top begins to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.

*CSA ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Chicken and Eggplant

I feel like it has been an eternity since I've posted here. Part of that was recovering from getting my knee replaced. And of course, I just got back from SAP training in Houston. So today, it was time to cook. I had gotten a nice eggplant and thawed the chicken I cooked before leaving for Houston. So, I put together a casserole. It turned out quite yummy and I will make it again!

 Chicken Eggplant Casserole

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 small onion
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
•  1 (15 oz) can tomatoes with Basil, onion & oregano
•   1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
•  6 oz cheddar
•  2 eggs, beaten
•  Parmesan cheese

 Dice eggplant and onion. Heat olive oilin large skillet. Cook eggplant and onion until onion is cooked.

 Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix vegetables, tomatoes, chicken, cheddar and eggs in a large bowl. Pour into a prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 1 hour.

Tomatoes & Beef

I love productive days.  Today it was productive because I managed to get caught up on most of my school work.  But I also got a bunch of cooking and baking done.

So, lets start with the cooking.  I am from a Sicilian/Irish family (with some other UK islands mixed in there).  Because of that, Italian was a staple in our house.  But since my gastric surgery, I don't really eat pasta, so Italian is rather non-existent.  I did, however, have a couple pounds of ground beef to use up and really had a taste for my mom's meat sauce, so I recreated it in my new crockpot.

Meaty Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 8 oz sliced button mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp mince garlic
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, broken up
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until just translucent.  Add mushrooms and continue cooking until moisture is evaporated.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Pour into crockpot.

Return pan to heat and saute beef, breaking up as cooking, until no longer pink.  Add this to the crock pot.  Add the tomatoes, seasonings and cheese.  Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW.

Shrimp Saganaki

Today's recipe is yet another from Hello Fresh!  I did end up ordering a second box because of this recipe.  I have to say, it was worth it!  Shrimp Saganaki is a Greek style spicy tomato and olive based dish.  Tomorrow, I am going to try to get up early enough to sear some short ribs to make braised short ribs ragu again (http://csafoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/braised-short-ribs.html).  I have another spaghetti squash left and thought this would be perfect for the ragu (and I need to use the short ribs!).

Shrimp Saganaki
Recipe courtesy of Hello Fresh!

• 10 oz Shrimp
• 1 Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp Chili Flakes
• 2 oz Feta
• Fresh Parsley
• 3/4 C Israeli Couscous
• 1 oz Olives
• 1 T Olive Oil

 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small pot, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil with a pinch of salt.  Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion.  Crush the garlic with the side of your knife.  Coarsely chop the parsley and olives.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sear for 2 minutes.  We will continue to cook these later, but we want to get a nice sear on them.  Set aside.

3. In the same pan, add the onion, garlic and as many chili flaces as you dare.  Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the tomatoes and olives and cook for 5 minutes more, until flavors have melded.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the couscous to the boiling water and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.

5. Transfer the sauce to a baking dish.  Place the shrimp on top and sprinkle with the feta.  Bake for 5-7 minutes, until shrimp have cooked thoroughly.

6. Serve the baked saganaki over the couscous.  Sprinkle the parsley on top!

Low-carb Spaghetti & Meatballs

Tonight's dinner has been in a long line of "healthified" comfort foods.  I have been sick for about 4 weeks with first a cold (which had almost gotten better) and now a sinus infection.  This latest started with a fever a week ago and I have been craving comfort foods all week.  Today, with a nod to HelloFresh!, I made a low-carb version of spaghetti and meatballs.  Since they had $30 off a box, I ordered my first HelloFresh! box this week and it contained ingredients and recipes for Basil Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash, Cashew Chicken with Snow Peas and Carrots, and Baked Shrimp and Linguine.  These recipes are supposed to be for 2, but as you know, I have had gastric surgery, so I have frozen the shrimp and chicken and chosen to do the meatballs because they sound good and because they have the most perishable ingredients.  It wasn't bad, if a little complicated.  However, I now remember the reason I don't pan-fry things like bacon and meatballs in this house.  There are 4 fire alarms in a very close vicinity to the kitchen (this is a small house) and every time I do, all 4 get set off.  Then it's a battle to get them to stop.  I end up losing my hearing for short periods of time (if you can imagine having four fire alarms going off within 100 ft of each other!).  But the meatballs were worth it!  If I do this again, I will roast them in the oven to avoid a repeat.

Basil Meatballs over Spaghetti Squash
Courtesy of: HelloFresh!

• 12 oz Ground Beef
• 1 (15oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
• 4 cloves Garlic (this may be a bit much)
• 1/2 oz fresh Basil
• 1 small Spaghetti Squash
• 5 oz Spinach (I would use baby spinach next time)
• 1/4 cup Panko Crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Shallot
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 T Olive Oil*

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Halve the squash lengthwise to remove the seeds with a spoon.  Smash two garlic cloves.  Rub the inside of each squash with 2 tsp olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Place the squash halves on a baking sheet cut side down with a clove of (smashed) garlic in the center of each squash to roast.  Cook for 30-35 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a knife or fork.

2. While the squash is roasting, chop the remaining cloves of garlic.  Stack the basil leaves and tightly roll into a cigar shape.  Then, thinly slice.  Chop the shallot.

3. In a bowl, combine the chopped garlic, basil, panko, and ground beef.  Season with a large pinch of salt & pepper.  Once combined, roll the meat into ping pong-sized balls.

4. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Sear the meatballs for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Turn the heat down to medium low.  Add the shallot, Italian seasoning, and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

5. Once the squash is done, set aside until it is cool enough to handle.  Take the roasted garlic and finely chop it.  In a pan heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and spinach and cook until just wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.

6.  When the Squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the squash with a fork to release the strands.

7. Finish: Place the sauteed spinach and the meatballs on top of the squash.  Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

*Not included in HelloFresh box

Stuffed Poblanos

I have spent several days trying to figure out what to stuff my poblano peppers with this week.  This experience is brand new all around for me this week.  I have never roasted whole peppers before and thus, have never stuffed them before.  I went back and forth on the method of roasting.  I knew that fire was out because I have an electric range.  When I asked for tips on using the broiler, it was suggested to me that I should use an iron skillet and I considered it for about 20 minutes.  Then I remembered that I have 4 very loud and sensitive fire alarms in this house and decided against it.  Once they start going off, it takes me about a half hour to get them all turned off again.  So, not my idea of fun this time.  That left me back with using the broiler.  I researched it and saw an equal number of recipes which used oil to those which did not.  So, I decided to try it without.

Then there was the task of deciding what to fill them with.  Yes, I know, chiles rellenos traditionally are filled simply with monterey jack cheese.  However, I had such a supply of meat in my refrigerator, I decided I should choose from one of them.  The choices were chicken taco meat with corn and black beans, pulled pork or ground beef.  I really needed to use the ground beef (or at least cook it up), so I did that while I continued to decide what to fill the peppers with.  Then I figured, what the heck, let's take that meat, add corn and Rotel and fill the peppers with that.  So, here is what I did:

Beef and Corn Stuffed Poblanos

• 5 poblano peppers*
• 1 lb ground round
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sweet corn*
• 1 (10.5 oz) can Rotel tomatoes with peppers
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chile pepper
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, divided
• 1 cup Monterey jack, divided
• 1 1/2 cups homemade heirloom tomato sauce

Turn on broiler.  Wash and dry the poblano peppers.  Place peppers onto a foil-lined baking sheet and place about 6" from broiler.  Broil about 5 minutes per side (three sides), turning each 5 minutes, until the skin is blackened and bubbly.  Place cooked peppers into a Ziploc bag and seal; let stand for 15 minutes.  Open bag and let peppers cool until you can handle them.  Once cooled, pinch the skin and pull, the skin should easily pull away from the flesh.  Set peppers aside.

Meanwhile, cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no pink remains.  Add the corn, tomatoes, cumin and chile pepper and cook for an additional 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and cool for 30 minutes.  If peppers are ready, add bread crumbs and half of the cheeses; mix well.

To assemble, hold one pepper in your hand and stuff with the meat mixture.  Make sure you push down into tip of pepper and stuff as full as you can.  Place the peppers in crock of your slow-cooker.  There will be filling remaining.  Mix heirloom tomato sauce into the remaining filling and then spoon over the stuffed peppers.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Then turn heat to HIGH, sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover and cook until cheese is melted.

Picture of finished recipe is coming!
*CSA ingredients

Roasted Veggies

I had half a refrigerator full of zucchini, eggplant, and peppers, plus a few heirloom tomatoes and a large onion left.  I just ran out of ideas for things to make, so I decided to roast everything.  Then I'd have time to figure out what to do with them (or, I could just eat them as a side).  This time, I roasted the peppers whole and then chopped up everything else and roasted them separate.  In the end, I decided to take my rainbow of peppers and dice them to add to the rest of the vegetables, but they sure were pretty after roasting them whole.

Roasted Sweet Peppers

• 4 large bell peppers*, mixed colors

Wash peppers and cut any blemishes.  Place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Heat oven to broil.  Place peppers under broiler and broil about 4 minutes each side until the skins are bubbled and black.  Place peppers into a Ziploc bag and allow to sit for 20 minutes sealed.  Then open the bag and allow peppers cool to handling temperature.  Cut away the stem and core, remove any ribs and remaining seeds.  Peel the skin by pinching and then pulling away.

*CSA ingredients


Roasted Vegetables

•  2 medium zucchini*
• 3 small summer squash*
• 2 small eggplant*
• 1 large onion*
• 1 ancho chili*
• 4 orange heirloom tomatoes**
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash all vegetables.  Dice into large dice and split between 2 Ziploc bags.  Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp olive oil per bag.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Seal each bag and shake to coat the vegetables.  Transfer each bag to a 13" X 9" pan.  Roast vegetables for 40 minutes, stirring twice. 

*CSA Ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Okra Eggplant Stew

The journey to enjoying my favorite southern foods continues, although I did do something a little different than you may expect.  At the farmers market today, one of the vendors had beautiful small okras.  I also had an eggplant that I needed to use and about 5 tomatoes to use up from my last CSA pickup (two weeks ago!).  So, I decided on stewed okra with eggplant.  Simple, quick and delicious!

Stewed Okra and Eggplant
Adapted from: http://eatingappalachia.com/2010/10/07/stewed-eggplant-okra/

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium candy onion*, diced
• 3 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1 medium eggplant, diced into 1/2" pieces
• 1 pint small okra**, washed and tops removed
• 5 small tomatoes*, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt & pepper, to taste
• water, as needed

 In a deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and saute for 4-7 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and saute another minute until fragrent.  Add smoked paprika and cook another 30 seconds, then deglaze with a splash of water (you could use white wine or chicken stock here for added flavor).

Add the eggplant, okra and tomatoes.  Stir to mix well and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until eggplant and okra are soft.  Check frequently and add more water (or wine or stock) if necessary.  Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

*CSA Ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Avocado Breakfast

When we lived in Chicago, I discovered that I actually like avocados for breakfast.  We were doing a fitness challenge through he Discovery Channel and one of the breakfast ideas was an omelet with shrimp and avocado.  It was one of our favorites and I adjusted it to also use bay scallops instead of the shrimp.  I haven't thought of that recipe in a very long time, but this morning had an avocado that I needed to use before it got too ripe.  Last week, in my weekly pins from Pinterest, I got a pin that looked quite yummy.  It was a spicy tomato avocado egg bake from Kalyn's Kitchen (http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2014/07/baked-eggs-skillet-with-avocado-tomatoes.html). It was so pretty, I thought I would give it a try.  Of course, I had to add cheese to it because I need the extra protein, but it looked pretty simple and I have just recently come into a cast iron skillet, which is what she recommends to use.  Oh, and if you haven't spent any time perusing this website (www.kalynskitchen.com), you should.  She's got a lot of really yummy looking, healthy recipes on her site!

So, here is my version of the recipe:

Baked Eggs Skillet with Spicy Tomatoes and Avocado

• 1 can (10 oz.) Ro-Tel tomatoes 
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced lengthwise into 10 slices
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 eggs*
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded  
  

 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Break eggs into individual ramekins and let the eggs come to room temperature while you proceed with the recipe.  (This might seem a bit fussy, but if you start with cold eggs the yolks will get too done by the time the whites are cooked.)

Spray a medium-sized ovenproof frying pan with non-stick spray or brush with oil, add the tomatoes, and start to simmer over medium heat.  (I used a 10.25 inch Cast Iron Skillet, and I highly recommend using cast iron for this if you have it.)

While the tomatoes simmer, peel the avocado, cut in half, and then cut each half into 5 thin slices. When all the liquid has evaporated from the tomatoes (about 4-5 minutes), turn the heat to low and arrange the avocado slices like spokes of a wheel in the pan.  Gently put each egg between two avocado slices, spacing them evenly apart.  Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Put the skillet into the pre-heated oven and bake until whites are completely set and the yolks are done to your liking, about 6-8 minutes for runny yolks.  Add the cheese and return to oven for a minute to melt the cheese.  Serving size (for me) is one egg plus 1/2 vegetables.  

*CSA ingredients

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

Spanish Rice Soup

There are certain vegetables that you get in surplus every year from your CSA.  As you can imagine, zucchini and summer squash are a couple.  What surprises me about our CSA is that there hasn't been an excess of greens.  We have had the greens attached to root vegetables (which is just fine with me if it means beet greens), however, other than some random kale, this CSA doesn't seem to go in for the greens.  I will say that I am grateful for that because, as much as I have grown to like greens, after a while, you run out of ideas. This year, it appears that the squash and zucchini will be the vegetable that I run out of ideas for.

To use up some of the squash, as well as fresh green beans and peas, that I received, I decided to make a chicken vegetable soup.  Yes, I do cheat and buy rotisserie chicken to use in things like this.  For the price, you can't beat pre-cooked whole chickens!  However, when the soup cooked, it was nice but not very hearty.  I figured I would take a look at my past stash and see what I could add to thicken it up.  I ran across a package of Lipton Spanish Rice and decided, hmmm, this might be nice.  Thus, Spanish rice soup was born.  Very hearty and tasty, I think I will have to freeze some of this because a small amount is enough to fill me up!

Spanish Rice Soup

• 1 small green zucchini*
• 1 small yellow zucchini*
• 1 small crookneck squash*
• 1/2 cup shelled fresh peas*
• 1 1/2 cup green beans, snapped*
• 4 cans tomatoes with basil & oregano
• 2 cans water
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 package Lipton Spanish Rice

Wash vegetables and drain.  Cut ends off squashes, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.  Shell the peas and snap the beans into 1 inch pieces.  Place all the vegetables, tomatoes (undrained), water and chicken into crock of slow cooker.  Cook on HIGH for 1 hour and then reduce to LOW and cook 6-8 hours or until vegetables are cooked.  Turn cooker back to HIGH.  Add rice mix and cook for about 40 minutes or until rice is cooked.

*CSA ingredients

Nutrition (1 cup):
Calories, 190
Fat, 2.3g
Cholesterol, 15mg
Carbs, 34g
Protein, 9g

Beans and Ham

Happy July 4th, our nation's birthday!  And it is so beautiful outside today!  Currently 75 and sunny, a perfect day for a picnic!  So, today's menu includes ribs with my homemade bbq sauce and and new try at beans.  I was looking for a baked bean recipe, but the one I came across that gave me a start was a stovetop version.  I, of course, had to improvise with ingredients, but they turned out quite yummy.  This is a spicy version of Navy Beans with Ham.

Spicy Beans with Ham

• 2 small candy cane onions, chopped**
• 2 green garlic, minced**
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups Michigan ham, chopped
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Original Rotel tomatoes, with juice
• 2 (15-oz) cans Navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup sorghum*
• 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1/8 tsp fresh-ground pepper

Heat oil over medium heat.  Add chopped onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and ham and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes more.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. 

*CSA ingredients
**Farmers market ingredients

Beef, White Bean, Quinoa Stew

After a couple weeks in India, I had a taste for beef.  I had bought a pound of stew beef from Jack's before leaving for India and put it in my freezer.  I wasn't quite in the mood for traditional stew, so I looked around for other ideas.  I ran across a recipe for Beef and White Bean Stew but decided that I needed some additional protein and carbs in the recipe, so I added some quinoa.  It turned out to be a very nice, comforting stew.

Beef, White Bean and Quinoa Stew

• 1 lb Stew Beef
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 28-oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups sweet corn
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup dried quinoa (I used a mix of red and white)
• 2 cups water

Place all ingredients, except quinoa and water into bowl of slow cooker.  Cook, covered, for 4 hours on HIGH.  While the stew is cooking, boil water.  Add quinoa, stir and then cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Season slightly with salt (but remember that you have seasoned the stew as well).  Stir quinoa into stew and cook for 15-20 minutes for flavors to combine.

First Chili of the Season

It has been somewhere between 13 and 25 degrees for the past couple days, so I got a taste for chili.  I had to sing this morning at church and then we had our last class for our India students, so I wasn't able to make it until after I got done with all of that.  On the way home from school, I stopped at Jack's and picked up a sweet onion and 2 lbs of ground round.  From that, I used what I had in my pantry and put together a 2-bean chili.  Since I roasted a spaghetti squash last night, I decided to serve it Cincinnati-style in the only way that I can eat it these days (pasta and I are not friends anymore).

2-Bean "Cincinnati" Chili

• 2 lbs ground round
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh sweet corn
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• Roasted spaghetti squash
• cheddar cheese

 Heat EVOO in a heavy Dutch oven.  Add onions and saute until they start turning translucent; add ground round and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Add next 9 ingredients, bring to a boil.  cover and lower heat until simmering.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Heat squash, spoon chili over squash and sprinkle with cheese.

Bean Soup

I finally managed to do some cooking today.  I actually remembered to soak beans last night. So today, I made 15 bean soup.  I had chicken leftover, so chose that as additional protein and used vegetables that I had as well. This is a rather Italian style soup (I used Italian seasoning), so I also decided to garnish with parmesan cheese.  Very nice combination!

Italian-style 15-bean Chicken Soup

• 1 lb 15-bean soup mix
• 2 cups leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 cup mixed sweet peppers, diced
• 1 cup fresh corn
• 1 can roasted tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1 bag mixed baby greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard)
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• Sea salt to taste

Soak beans overnight in about 6 inches of water.  Drain and discard soaking water.  Combine all ingredients except greens in Crockpot.  Cook on High for 3-4 hours or until beans are cooked.  Service with parmesan, if desired.

Stewing

I stopped at the Middleton CSA table this weekend at the Midland Farmers' Market and purchased some stew beef.  I haven't made stew in a very long time, so I figured it was time to do so.  I picked up a couple small eggplants, some peppers and parsnips thinking they would be good for the stew.  I also have a six pack of Shock-Top Belgian White in my refrigerator and thought that would make a good addition for flavor.

Autumn Beef Stew

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 lbs stew beef
• 2 small onions*, diced
• 3 cloves garlic*, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow pepper*, diced
• 2 medium parsnips*, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 small eggplant*, diced
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 12-oz bottle Shock-Top Belgian White
• 4 cups homemade vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 1/2 tsp tumeric

 Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring, until just starting to turn translucent.  Add stew beef and cook until browned on each side.  Add garlic, stirring for about 1 minute or until fragrent.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered for 2 hours or until vegetables are cooked. 

*Farmers Market items

Quinoa Jambalaya

I know that I have posted recipes for jambalaya here before, but, honestly, this is a flexible recipe, just like my quiches.  I do, however, now always make my jambalaya with quinoa instead of rice.  There are several reasons for this.  First, quinoa doesn't seem to expand in your stomach the way that rice does.  Second, it has 4 grams of protein per half cup serving, so it makes the dish even healthier for me.  Third, quinoa is one of only 2 plant products that has complete protein: all amino acids needed in your diet are contained in this wonderful little grain!  It cooks up the same way that rice does, so it's a great substitute.

Quinoa Jambalaya with Asparagus

• 2 cups quinoa
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 cans tomatoes with chiles
• 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pkg al fresco Chicken Andouille sausage
• 2 cups asparagus pieces
• 2 cups mixed bell peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups corn

Combine all ingredients in crockpot.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.  Remove chicken thighs and sausages; cool.  Shred the chicken and slice the sausages.  Return to the crockpot; stir to blend.