Hearty Beef Stew

There's a cold, chill-you-to-the-bone December rain over most of New England tonight. New England winters are fickle and this rain is is likely to turn to snow. I knew that a hearty beef stew would be the best way to combat the chill of this cold rain. And it did not disappoint. Instantly warmed and comforted. I will likely continue to post soups and stews along with other comforting dishes throughout the winter. My little Estelle, who is now three, only ate a couple of peas and one carrot. But soon enough I know she'll enjoy this stew and the cozy feeling it brings. This stew would be great with a green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread. 

Hearty Beef Stew

3 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 stew beef, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 large onion

3 cups of beef broth 

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 large russet potatoes, peeled (optional), and cut into 3/4 inch cubes  

15 baby carrots, cut in half

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 cup of peas

1 1/2 teaspoons dried majoram

Preparation 

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Trim the stew beef of fat. Cover the beef with the flour and salt and pepper. Add it to the pot and cook until all sides are browned. Add the chopped onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste. Add the broth and brown sugar. Be sure to scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour. 

Add the potatoes and carrots. Now simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes until everything is tender. Add the mushrooms, marjoram and peas. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy! 

Lentil Soup With Spinach and Ham. Fall means soup!

We're smack dab in the middle of fall and that's when I get soup crazy. And I should add I equally crave stews. That means you can expect more of these recipes from me. Lentil became my facorite soup last fall and it still is. I have this simple but scrumptious recipe and I throw so much in- carrots, celery, spinach and ham. That's my kind of soup; one that becomes a meal. I have to approach it this way to convince my husband, Henry, that soup can be a meal. He's got a bottomless pit of a stomach and he always grumbles a bit, his stomach does too, when I mention making a soup for dinner. But he always says, with surprise, how filling this lentil soup is. So, if you have a guy like mine, this soup will get the job done. 


Lentil Soup with Spinach and Ham

• 
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2  celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup dried French lentils (or any variety)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes and the liquid
• 1 cup finely chopped ham
• 1 cup frozen spinach
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken broth, divided
• Black pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in large pot and add garlic, carrots, celery, and onions. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in French lentils, tomatoes, ham, dried thyme, rosemary, and the bay leaf. Add 1 quart of the broth, and the frozen spinach. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Stir and cover again. Simmer and add more broth, as needed, for about 30 minutes longer, or until lentils become soft. Remove bay leaf and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy! You can garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme if you desire. 

Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ah, fall begins tomorrow and everything is made of apple and pumpkin. I'm still rebelling as I have yet to make something with these two foods. Instead, I'm celebrating this equinox eve with a favorite dish - stuffed cabbage. 
With my Austrian roots, this dish was a staple in my house. I can never quite make it as well as my mom. I can't seem to recall her little additions. And she keeps secrets. I will be asking again. My mom recently retired after a career as a chef and then a food service director. She also owned a catering business for a spell when I was in high school. She's the inspiration behind my love of gardening and cooking. We grew up with a large garden. She canned everything. She even made her own ketchup. It was incredible. We would prefer her ketchup to Heinz. 
This dish is not something I make every week as it is time consuming, but it is so worth it. Every ingredient was local except for the rice, garlic, and ground turkey. I need to find some local ground turkey. I use it fairly often. I've made this recipe healthier and there are some shortcuts. Enjoy! And happy fall eve!
I started by coring the head of cabbage and putting in large boiling pot for 3 to 4 minutes. This cabbage is from Racine's Farm in Adams, MA. Just lovely. 

I also prepared a cup of rice. And then I diced up my onion and garlic. Then I finely chopped the sage and parsley that Estelle and I picked from the herb garden. Many of the herbs are still surviving despite a couple of frosts. 

 I added the ground turkey to the onion and herbs. The cabbage and rice was cooled. I put the tomato sauce at the bottom of the glass baking dish, I then put the turkey mixture into the individual cabbage leaves. Mmmmm. So tasty! 

Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup white rice, cooled 
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 cups tomato sauce (see below for my recipe, which)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

Prepare the rice by boiling 1 cup of water and adding 1/2 cup of rice to boiling water. Add salt. This will make 1 cup of rice, but just use a 1/2 cup. Make sure to let it cool. 

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a teaspoon of salt. Cut the core out of the cabbage and put the head in the water for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burner off and let it sit in the water for another minute. Drain and rinse with cool water. Place the cabbage on a tray or a plate and let it cool even more. 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, place the ground turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup rice, parsley, red onion, sage, salt and pepper and egg. Mix this well with your hands. Lay out the cabbage leaves on a tray or a cutting board and place a handful of the turkey mixture in the lower center of the leaf. Roll each leaf from the base and create a pocket. In a casserole dish, place 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom and add the cabbage rolls. Spoon the remaining sauce over the rolls and bake for 1 hour at 350 F. Remove and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 
8 oz can of diced tomatoes
!/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

This tomato sauce is more flavorful and fresh tasting. 

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham.

There was frost on my car's windshield this morning. A sign of what's ahead. As the weather turns colder, we turn to hearty, warming dishes.  Everyone loves homemade macaroni and cheese. I would argue that this creamy and cheesy dish is the quintessential comfort food. Macaroni and cheese lends itself to many different add-ins, such as tomatoes, seafood, or broccoli. I prefer ham. I think it's smokey flavor complements the cheese perfectly. I have yet to try bacon. Of course, that will be a great addition!

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Serves 4 to 6

Preheat oven to 350. 

Ingredients

12 oz. elbow macaroni

1 lb ham (cubed)

bread crumbs

Prepare elbow macaroni according to instructions. Rinse and place in a casserole dish. Cube the ham and also add it to the dish.

For the cheese sauce:

1 cup of sharp cheddar

1/4 parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

Hot sauce (to taste)

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of flour

2 1/2 cups of hot milk

Freshly ground pepper

salt

Heat 2 1/2 cups of milk in microwave for a minute or two. Or heat the milk in a saucepan on the stove until small bubbles appear on the sides of the pan. In a large sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the flour and cook. Stir the flour and butter constantly, for about two minutes. The flour will bubble but don't let it brown. Add the hot milk and stir as the sauce thickens. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in the mustard and a few dashes of hot sauce. Then lower the heat. Lastly, stir in the cheeses and cook for about 2 minutes more. 

Final Steps:

Pour the cheese sauce on top of the elbow macaroni and ham. Mix everything together. Sprinkle on additional parmesan if you wish. Finally, top it off with breadcrumbs and bake for about 30 minutes, until it's nice and bubbly. Enjoy!

Speedy Spaghetti and Sausage Meatballs

Fall is a busy time of year and we're all learning to adjust to new schedules. This means we're looking for quick but satisfying week night meals. I stumbled across this  Johnsonville recipe in the newspaper. And it was a hit with everyone. The only change to the recipe was the addition of fresh oregano and parsley. This came together so quickly. Yet it tasted like a Sunday meal that had been simmering away for hours. A success!

Spaghetti and Sausage Meatballs

1 pound of Italian ground sausage or Italian link sausage with casings removed 

1 jar or 24 oz. pasta sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

1/4 cup milk 

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano

1 lb spaghetti 

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, herbs, milk, and onion. Add sausage to the bread crumb mixture and mix well. Shape into 20 meatballs and arrange on a shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions and heat sauce to s simmer on the stovetop. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Top the pasts with the sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!

These meatballs would also make great grinders. 

*Recipe slightly adapted from Johnsonville Kitchens (JohnsonvilleKitchens.com)

Fall comfort. Chicken and dumplings.

It's the last day of August and the humidity is off the charts. There certainly is no hint of fall in the air in the Berkshires. However, there are other clues. The milkweed pods are out and the leaves are crunching beneath my feet. And here and there you see a splash of orange in the trees. 

These are also warning signs. Everyone should take cover soon because the pumpkin season is approaching. You will soon be inundated with everything pumpkin. In the near future, you'll be sipping on your pumpkin latte while nibbling on your pumpkin donut. 

I will undoubtedly eat my share of pumpkin yummies. But I also hope to rise above this pumpkin frenzy and celebrate some of the other delicious fall foods and dishes. For example, chicken and dumplings. One of my favorite things about fall is that it's a time for comfort food- rich, hearty, soul-warming fare. The dumplings in this recipe are so filling. They perfectly soak up all of that flavorful chicken broth. Mmmmm. This recipe is great for leftover, roasted chicken.

As an important side note, I am happy to be using local eggs. I used them to make my dumplings. This is one of the benefits from attending the Farmers' Market. I now get my eggs from a neighbor who lives on the next street over. He has over 20 hens and there is such a difference in taste. And I feel better knowing where the eggs come from and that the hens are free range and loved. 

Now on to the recipe...

I start with making the dumplings first and then set them aside (covered up with a dish towel or plastic wrap). 

After mincing 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup of celery, you saute them in butter and olive oil. You add flour and then chicken stock. After that simmers for about 15 minutes and thickens, you add peas and plenty of chicken...

After adding the chicken, return this to simmering. Then, you can add large scoops of dumpling batter. Make sure the dumpling cooks before turning it over, keeping it at a simmer. I would say at least 5 minutes per side for the dumplings. 

Once the dumplings have cooked on both sides, you're ready to serve it up, nice and hot!

Chicken and Dumplings

Dumplings:2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup milk 
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Then pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and fold. Mix thoroughly. The batter will be thick and sticky. 

Sauce:

 4 to 5 cups of cooked, shredded chicken1 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced carrot or peas or a 1/2 cup of each
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup flour

1/4 heavy cream or half and half (room temperature)
5 cups chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper

In a Dutch oven or a deep pan, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Add carrots and/or peas, celery, garlic, and bay leaf. Saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until soft. Next stir in the flour and make a roux. Continue to stir the flour and cook it for 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, and continue to stir well. 

The sauce should simmer for about 15 minutes to make it thicken. Add the shredded chicken into the sauce and bring to a simmer. Using an ice cream scoop, carefully drop the dumpling batter into the sauce. Let the dumplings cook for about 10 minutes until they are firm. Turn them over after 5 minutes. Season with black pepper and serve.

Pork Chops with Rosemary and Parmesan Crust

This quick meal of breaded pork chops is a favorite as it is tasty and so easy to make. The pork chops are very moist too. It goes so well with greens. You can also use different herbs and you'll end up with the same delicious result. Perhaps you could use thyme or sage or maybe a combination of these and more. 

Pork Chops with Rosemary and Parmesan Crust

Ingredients

1/2 cup of of grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon of crushed, dried rosemary

1 large egg

1/4 all purpose flour

3 center cut pork chops (each about 1 inch thick- you can also use bone-in)

1 Tablespoon butter

3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and rosemary in a pie dish. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg with a splash of milk. Put the flour on another plate and add salt and pepper.  Season the pork chops with plenty of salt and pepper. First, coat both sides of the pork chops with flour and shake off the excess. Secondly, dip the chops into the egg. Lastly, coat the chops in the breadcrumb mixture. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the pork chops to the hot skillet and cook until brown about two minutes per side. Put the pork chops in a baking dish into the oven. Bake the pork chops until the meat thermometer reads 150°F (about 20 minutes).