Yam and Peanut Stew with Kale

Around our house we've been feeling pretty uninspired to cook lately.  And there's one big culprit - we bought a house! So that means finding time or energy to think about or do anything has pretty much gone out the window.  Honestly even I get bored of how much we talk about house stuff but still we're super excited that we finally made this dream a reality.

When we have busted out with some cooking it's been for simple and healthy things to make up for all of the eating out we've been doing lately.  Up here in the PacNW we are also in between seasons weather wise so it can change daily what we're in the mood for.  We hit a cold and rainy spot earlier this week and that sent us hankering for some soup.  But healthy soup...and cheap soup...and quick soup.  So I found this recipe and it called my name immediately.

I really liked this soup but next time I'd pureed the whole thing and then add in the kale.  The texture was a little weird to have it a little of both.  Flavor wise this soup was top notch.  You may think, peanut butter in soup?  Are you sure?  And yes, I am sure - it's delicious!  Another thought is serving it with a nice lemon yogurt sauce on top to brighten it all.  Enjoy any which way you serve it.

Yam and Peanut Stew with Kale
found here

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 cup dried red lentils
2 lbs of yams, peeled and cubed
3 ripe vine tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
dash of cayenne
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 head of curly kale
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions and peanuts for garnish, optional but highly recommended

1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and sautee until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and sautee until fragrant.  Add the lentils, yams, tomatoes and spices and stir to combine.
2.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce soup to simmer and cook until yams are tender, about 35-40 minutes.
3.  Add peanut butter and stir well.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  Add kale and cook until wilted.
4.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper.  Serve and garnish with peanuts and green onions, if using.

Chinese Style One Pot Beef Stew

Being in the mood for stew a lot recently is sometimes tough.  Tough in that it can often take forever to get that fall apart texture to your meat when it's a week night and you just don't have all day to make it.  I live for that meat texture - it's definitely my favorite when the meat seems to melt away.  This Chinese style one pot meal makes for a good rendition of a week night stew recipe.

It doesn't take too long, the meat texture was good, and there's minimal chopping which seems to get your meat a-stewin' quicker. I also liked doing something a little off the beaten path as far as flavor profile. The shot of greenery in the form bok choi is also a nice touch and I think broccoli would work just as well.  Hope you enjoy!

Chinese Style One Pot Beef Stew
from BBC's goodfood blog

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch green onions
• good thumb size piece of ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 red chili, seeded and thinly sliced (I used a jalapeno since I couldn't find a red pepper)
• 3 1/5 lbs stew beef, cut into large pieces (I used
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon chinese five spice powder
• 2 star anise 
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine or cooking sherry
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 bunch bok choi, chopped and steamed

1.  Heat 2 tbsp of oil in large dutch oven or stock pot.  Sautee the garlic, onions, ginger and chili until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Put onto a large plate.  Toss the beef in the flour and salt and pepper generously.  Add 1 more tbsp of oil to the pot and brown the meat in two batches, adding the last tbsp of oil in between batches.  Put on the plate with the garlic sautee mixture.

2.  Add the five spice and the anise to the pot, fry for 30 seconds, then add the sugar.  Keep the heat high and add the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits.  Put the meat and garlic sautee mixture back in the pot, add the stock and soy sauce (it won't cover the meat completely), and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very soft and sinewy bits have melted away.

3.  When the stew is close to finished, steam your bok choi and make some rice to serve stew over.  Add the bok choi to the plate with stew and rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

When that first fall chill hits the air, out comes my dutch oven for a big pot of stew.  

This was a crockpot recipe, but I wanted to do it on the stove top because I was worried it would turn into a big pile of curry mush. I am glad I did it my way because all the vegetables turned out perfect!  The curry gives it a warm comforting vibe, like a big hug from the inside. 

If you use vegetable broth, this would be vegan!  If you don't like one of these veggies, just leave it out or sub something else that you do like--green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage, etc.  Add some shrimp or shredded cooked chicken if you have some on hand.  If you like things spicy, add more cayenne or top it with hot sauce when you eat it.  We ate this as a soup but it would also be delicious over rice or cous cous.
Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
Adapted from TheKitchn
Serves 8 - 10

1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 large onion, diced 
2 medium sized red potatoes
1 small sweet potato
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
10-ounces baby spinach
1 cup frozen peas  1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 garlic cloves, minced 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
2 cups chicken stock
2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon salt 
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup coconut milk 

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the diced red potatoes and sweet potato and a tablespoon of salt.  Saute until the potatoes are slightly translucent around the edges.  Add the broccoli, cauliflower, red and green bell peppers and saute for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.  Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour in the stock and the tomatoes with their juices and stir to combine.   Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer.  Let simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables are just barely soft.  

Add in the chickpeas, spinach, frozen peas, and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender, the spinach is wilted, and the chickpeas and peas are warmed through.   Stir in the coconut milk, taste, and adjust seasonings.  Fall comfort in a bowl!

Lamb Meatballs, Two Ways

This is a long post but bear with me.

In the past year or so I have realized that I LOVE lamb. Like I want to eat it all the time. I don't, but if it is an option when we go out to eat I will generally order it in some form. But that being said, I had never attempted to cook anything with lamb.  This little meatball recipe sure did make me happy and I am looking forward to eating the leftover stew tonight and cooking with lamb again soon!

If you are not accustomed to lamb, this stew definitely does not have an overwhelming lambiness to it, but the essence is there.  This stew is a perfect springtime dish because though it does have the lamb, it is really pretty light, filled with greens, and beautiful to look at, thanks to the red chard stems. Another thing I love about meatballs in general is that you can make a ton of them all at once and then use them however you see fit! I saved some out of the stew for us to have pita wraps the second day, which breaks up the monotony of eating the stew for multiple days in a row. If we would have had more lamb I might have doubled the recipe and froze a bunch, but alas we were not able to get much lamb. This type of double duty cooking is my fave and is a good way to not waste food!

I mixed together a couple different meatball recipes because the original stew recipe meatballs sounded too plain and the other one from The Oregonian Cookbook had a lot of different seasonings I thought would work well, so I omitted just one (dill) and used slightly less of all of them.  It worked out beautifully.  Also I did not use orzo, as the original recipe suggested, but instead tossed in some leftover rainbow Israeli cous cous that I had in the fridge. It was perfect!

First up, the stew:

Lamb Meatball and Swiss Chard Stew

Adapted from Real Simple and from The Oregonian Cookbook

Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb (our butcher did not have a full pound of lamb so I amped down all the ingredients somewhat.)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dry oregano

1/4 tsp dry thyme

3/4 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Stew:

1 large bunch Red Chard, stems chopped and leaves sliced, separated

5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup small pasta such as orzo, stars, leftover Israeli cous cous, which is what I used

salt and pepper 

plain yogurt for serving (optional)

Make the meatballs:

1. Combine the eggs, garlic, bread crumbs, paprika, oregano, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the lamb and gently mix with your hands until just combined. Form the mixture into meatballs about an inch in diameter (I had 28 meatballs out of about 2/3 lb).

2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in a single layer, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 4 to 6 minutes (longer if your meatballs are larger). Transfer meatballs to a plate and reserve the pot to make the stew!

Make the stew:

1. Once your meatballs are removed from the pan, turn down the heat to medium and toss in the chopped chard stems.  Cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  

2.Add the chicken broth and reserved meatballs (save some for another use if you wish!) and bring to a boil.  Toss in your uncooked pasta if you are using orzo or some such (if you are using something leftover like I did, toss it in with the chard in the next step!). Reduce heat and simmer to let the flavors meld and the pasta cook, about 10 minutes or until the pasta is to your desired consistency. 

3. Once the pasta is cooked, fold in the chard leaves (and your pre-cooked pasta if that is what you are using). Serve warm topped with the yogurt, if desired.  

Look how pretty!

The next day, take those leftover meatballs that you did not toss into your stew and make a pita sandwich with roasted veggies and a super delicious cucumber mint yogurt sauce on the side! You will not be disappointed with this 'leftover' meal!  You can use any veggies to roast, but I thought the sweet potato and asparagus were especially good with the yogurt sauce. I also put some of this sauce on my meatball gyro because dang it was delicious!

Lamb Meatball Gyro with Roasted Veg and Cucumber Mint Yogurt sauce

Adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook 

Serves 2

For the vegetables:

1 sweet potato

1 small bunch asparagus

olive oil

paprika

salt and pepper

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

1 tsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the pita

8 - 10 already cooked lamb meatballs (see above!)

2 pita breads

Roasted garlic hummus (I like King Harvest brand)

1 Roma tomato, sliced

2 leaves romaine or butter lettuce, chopped

crumbled feta cheese

1. Make the yogurt sauce and let it hang out for a while to get extra delicious. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Stir in the cucumber, herb, lemon zest, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (This yogurt sauce recipe makes a bit more than you will likely use at one time so chop it in half or use it for something else! dip, salad dressing, another gyro-type thing, etc.)

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop your sweet potato into small bite sized chunks. Snap off the hard ends of the asparagus. Toss them all with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of paprika. Roast in the oven until both are softened perfectly, about 15 minutes, tossing them around once or twice if you think of it. 

3. While the veggies are in the oven, warm up your meatballs. You can either toss them onto the sheet pan with the veggies or toss them into a skillet on the stove on medium heat. You just want to warm them up to 165 internal temp.

3. When your veggies are cooked, remove them from the oven and throw your pitas into the still warm oven to soften them and warm them up.  

4. Spread 2 Tbsp of hummus on each warm pita. add the lettuce and tomato slices.  Place on your warmed meatballs and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Put some of the veggies on the side with a big dollop of cucumber yogurt sauce and gobble it up! I put some of the sauce on my meatballs too because it was just so delicious!

oh and here is a video of making the meatballs and stew!

Pork Posole Verde

Posole is quickly becoming one of my favorite soups.  

Every time I have eaten any variation of this hearty, rich, and spicy soup I can't get over how extremely delicious and satisfying it is. I like to eat posole with a side of chips, guacamole and pico de gallo, but it is also superb scooped on top of cornbread for a sweet and spicy combo (Trader Joe's cornbread is my fave)!

This recipe is a mixture of a couple of recipes, and it turned out well. It made a ton and the only thing I would do differently is to use more hominy, or keep the full can of hominy and cut everything else in half. I started with this recipe but modified quite a bit using elements of another recipe that I got from V's mister, where you slow cook a hunk of pork separately in salsa verde and then add it into the soup pot with the sauteed, onions, roasted and peeled peppers, etc.  This method works great if you remember to start the pork in the morning!  To make a chicken version, refer to that recipe I linked to just above.  I do not think that zucchini is in any way traditional to posole but I like the extra texture it provides to the soup, and I always try to add extra vegetables wherever I can.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Pork Posole Verde

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork sirloin, loin roast, or tenderloin, trimmed of any excess fat
• 16 oz jar of salsa verde (or make your own if you are extra ambitious)
• 4 oz can of diced green chiles 
• 1 T ground cumin
• 2 pounds green Poblano chili peppers
• 29 oz can of hominy, drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bunch of fresh oregano (I had about 1/4 cup of oregano leaves)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 large zucchini, diced
• 1/2 head of Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Start the pork in the slow cooker in the morning!  Put pork into crock pot.  Season all over with salt.  Pour in salsa verde, green chiles, and cumin.  Set slow cooker to low and let cook for 8 hours.
2. When your pork has about an hour and a half left, place the poblano peppers whole onto a rimmed cookie sheet and put them under the broiler. Let them get black and then flip them, letting all the sides get black.  This should take about a half hour or so.
3. After all the sides of the peppers are blackened, cover them in a bowl or place in a plastic bag or paper bag. Cool and the skins will slip off effortlessly. Remove the stem and the seeds. 
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until the onions are soft.
5. Add to the pot the garlic, fresh oregano, the peppers, about 1/3 of the hominy, and 4 cups of the chicken stock. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth. 
6. Shred the finished pork, it should be falling apart. 
7. Add the shredded pork and all the liquid in the slow cooker to the soup pot along with the remaining hominy and the last 2 cups of stock. Simmer for about 45 minutes.
8. Add the diced zucchini and shredded cabbage to the pot. 
9. Let simmer for another 15 minutes or so until the zucchini are softened to your liking. Adjust salt and pepper, add extra cumin if you are so inclined, and if the soup seems too thick, add some more chicken stock or water. (I like it thick and stew-like!)
10. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime.

Watch!

Beef Stew

Beef stew, a classic!

I have made beef stew multiple times, always different variations and methods, but this was by far the best beef stew I have made.

Browning the meat is the thing that takes the longest hands on time and makes this recipe seem a lot more daunting than it is. It does take time, but if you can be patient with the searing of the meat (not a strong suit of mine!), you will be rewarded with the most flavorful broth and you will not believe you haven't been doing it this way all along. I know that throwing the ingredients into a crockpot seems so much simpler but really, you are missing out!  Make this on a weekend when you can take a little extra time. Trust me.



I used this recipe from The Kitchn to make the most flavorful, rich, hearty, and comforting bowl of beef stew ever, and here is the recipe as I made it:

Classic Beef Stew
Serves 6-8
Total time: about 3 to 4 hours.



Ingredients:
4 pounds beef chuck roast
1-3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 medium onions, diced 
3 celery stalks, diced
 3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 tablespoons tomato paste
 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, divided 
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1 cup red wine, plus extra to finish 
3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried) 
1 bay leaf 
4 cups chicken stock 
3 carrots, diced 
1 ½ pounds red potatoes, cubed 
1 cup frozen peas 
Salt and pepper



Instructions:
1.  Trim off any large pieces of fat from the outside of the roast, and cut it up into relatively even bite-sized cubes.  Use a sharp knife and if you are having trouble, freeze the meat for just a little while to make it less jiggly. 

2. Set a large dutch oven over medium-high heat (on the hotter side of medium hot) and pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  When the oil is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles when it hits the oil, it's ready.  Add a single layer of beef cubes to the pan and sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper.  (Do not overcrowd the pan! I did about 6 batches of searing.)  Let the beef cook without touching it for about 5 minutes, until the bottom sides develop a dark brown crust and come away from the pan easily, without forcing it.  Flip them and let them cook again undisturbed for about 5 minutes.  If the pan is a little dry, add a little more oil.  Once seared, remove to a plate and repeat this process until all of the beef is beautifully brown on the outside. Don't forget to salt and pepper each batch!  This process took me probably an hour.

3.  An important step to this stew is the development of the "fond", a sticky dark glaze that forms on the bottom of the pan.  It may look gross but it is just delicious flavor!  Don't worry about it unless it starts smoking or smells like burning.  If this happens, add a little bit of water to dissolve it and then pour that liquid over the cooked beef. 

4.  Once the beef is all seared and sitting aside on it's plate, turn down your burner to medium and give it a chance to cool down a little (I removed my pot for about 5 minutes for this to happen with my electric stove). Put the pot back on the burner and add another tablespoon of oil.  Add the onions and celery, cooking until the onions are softened and translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and one tablespoon of the Worcestershire sauce and stir it around so it is all mixed in.

5. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir until there is no more visible flour and everything is coated in flour and looks mushy.

6.  Raise the heat back up to medium-high and pour in the wine.  It will bubble and smell delicious.  Stir and scrape the sticky fond coating from the bottom of the pan and keep stirring until the fond is all dissolved and the wine has reduced and thickened slightly.

7.  Return the seared beef to the pan along with the broth, whole thyme sprigs, and a bay leaf.  Stir to combine.

8.  Bring the pot to a low boil, and reduce heat to low.  Cover the pot and let it cook for 1 and 1/2 hours.  Stir occasionally and make sure the stew stays at a very low simmer. 

9.  Add the potatoes and carrots to the stew.  Cover the pot again and continue simmering for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and the meat is very tender, falling apart easily. 

10.  Add the peas along with the remaining tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a splash of red wine.  Remove the thyme stems and the bay leaf.  Taste at this point and add any additional salt, pepper, or anything else you might like in your stew. Paprika would be nice, or maybe more garlic?  I didn't add anything but salt and pepper and I am glad I kept it simple.  Serve with a nice loaf of bread and a salad if you are being good.

Note: This stew freezes beautifully so don't be alarmed by how much it makes!  Freeze your leftovers for a rainy day!

Watch me make this soup:

Chicken Pot Pie

We arrived home from a two week trip to Spain to find that fall has hit in Portland! Which is just dandy by me, I sure do love this season. All the traveling and hotel hopping left me yearning to spend the day in my kitchen so I decided to spend my Sunday making this very involved, from scratch, chicken pot pie that I got from the new Bon Appetit magazine. It was the perfect cure for fall weather and the need to cook. I went above and beyond on this one and even pulled the meat from the chicken carcass with my bare hands, a first and most likely a last for me. I'm not as carnivorous as I may have thought after shirking my vegetarian upbringing some 12 years ago. Overall, this recipe turned out really well but I think I prefer Ina Garten's Chicken Stew with Biscuits more. It's an all time favorite. This recipe can be a close second though and one to keep around should I ever need to impress anyone with my chicken ripping skills.


Chicken Pot Pie
slightly altered from Bon Appetit

Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Chicken
2 cups peeled, coarsely chopped carrots
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 leek, coarsely chopped
1 3-pound whole chicken
4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Filling
2 tablespoons dried chanterelle or shittake mushrooms
1 cupo 1/2" slices of carrots
1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) peas
1 cup fresh (or I used frozen already peeled) pearl onions
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 fresh sage leaves
4 thyme sprigs
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup 1/4" rounds sliced fingerling potatoes
1 egg, beaten to blend
coarse sea salt and ground pepper

PREPERATION:

Crust

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Add cubed butter and shortening and process until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. With machine running, add 1/2 cup ice water and process, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry, until dough forms. Form dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 12x9 1/2" rectangle, about 1/4" thick. Place on prepared sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Chicken

Preheat oven to 400°. Place carrots, onion, and leek on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large pot fitted with a lid. Add chicken, breast side down, celery, thyme sprigs, wine, salt, and peppercorns to pot. Add 8 cups water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and poach chicken until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool. Reserve broth. Shred meat; discard skin and bones. Set a large strainer over another pot. Strain broth into clean pot. Stir in tomato paste. Return to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 5 cups, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover chicken and broth separately; keep chilled. Rewarm broth before continuing.

Filling

Place dried chanterelles in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup hot water. Let steep for 10 minutes; set aside. Reserve soaking liquid. Cook carrots in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium bowl. Add peas to saucepan; cook for 1 minute; transfer to bowl with carrots. Add onions to saucepan and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside; let cool. Peel onions. In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Whisk in herbs and warm broth from chicken. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chanterelles to saucepan. Pour in soaking liquid, leaving sediment behind. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set a strainer over another large pot. Strain broth into pot; discard solids. Add chicken, carrots, peas, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing. Preheat oven to 400°. Spoon filling into an 11x8x2" or 2 1/2-qt. round baking dish. (Add pie bird, if using.) Top with pastry, pinching edges to seal. If not using pie bird, cut a 1" slit in center of crust for steam to vent. Brush pastry with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, if desired. Place pot pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Poaching the chicken and making the stock base

Stirring the roux

The filling. so good


et voila

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

I had a very hard time choosing what to make for dinner last night. I knew I would have the house to myself, and could take my time and make whatever sounded most delicious. I decided I should make something that would provide lots of leftovers for lunches the rest of the week. I wanted something with tomatoes and I wanted to soak up the yummy juices with delicious bread. I figured chicken would be cheapest. After scouring the internet for what felt like forever (how hard does it sound to find a recipe that suited my needs??), I finally decided to make this recipe from Martha Stewart. Below is the recipe as I made it, with only a few adjustments:

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

-about 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken. I used 2 breast halves and 4 small thighs.
-Coarse salt and ground pepper
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-a little over 1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 large can (28 ounces) whole stewed tomatoes
-half of an onion, quartered
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
-a few dashes of paprika
-a few dashes of cayenne pepper
-delicious hot bread to soak up all that juice (or rice if you prefer)

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook chicken, turning when it easily releases from the pan, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.


2. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes.


3. Add garlic, tomatoes, onion, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of salt and pepper.


4. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tomatoes have broken down, about 20 minutes.


5. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken to coat with sauce, and serve.


I felt like something was missing from this, and it might be because usually when I make something like this it is spicy. This was not spicy at all but it was super tasty. I ate it with a ton of bread for dinner and then boxed up the rest with rice into FOUR perfect lunch containers.

I liked the chicken breasts more than the thighs, and I think this would be delicious without meat, just maybe with some portabella mushrooms in place of the meat. Or steak! I think I will be making many variations of this dish in the fall.

Enjoy!

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

The lovely and generous V gave me a crock pot! It was my turn to host Mad Men Monday so I decided to use my new slow cooker to make a hearty beef stew. The only thing I had made in a crock pot prior to this was pot roast, so making a stew was kind of new and I was a little unsure about seasonings, etc.

I searched the internet high and low and found this recipe on Taste As You Go. I liked the idea of using sweet potatoes and made a few modifications. Here is the recipe as I made the stew:

2 pounds stew beef, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil
1 large white onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 14.5-ounce can beef broth
1/2 cup beer
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon dry nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 cup frozen green beans
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown beef on all sides, working in batches if necessary.

Place sweet potatoes in the base of a preheated 4-5-quart slow-cooker. Layer on the browned beef, onions, garlic and ginger. Pour in beef broth, beer, and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle in nutmeg and thyme.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove about cup of the broth and place in a bowl. Whisk in heaping teaspoon of flour until there are no more lumps. Add the broth and flour mixture back to the slow-cooker. Add frozen green beans and cook the stew for an additional 15-20 minutes.



I served with cous cous, but bread would have been better. The sweet potato didn't come through as much as I would have liked, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it! Definitely was a satisfyingly hearty cold evening meal.