Hello all. Hare here...finally.
It's been a while since I hit the kitchen, or at least it's been a while since I tried anything new. But the weather round the Inn has turned off cold, and cold weather puts me in the mood for soup and chili and stew, so last night I decided to try my hand at a chicken stew. And since I had the time (which is running in short supply these days, it seems), I decided to cobble my own stew together, using a couple of different recipes as starting points.
The first one was this...
Lumberjack Stew
Serves 6
2 pounds boneless pork, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 package (10 ounces) pearl onions, peeled
3 cups frozen green beans
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup cold water
Toss pork with salt, sugar, pepper, and paprika, then brown in oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and garlic; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add water, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon cubes, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add carrots and pearl onions. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add beans. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth, then stir into stew. Bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Source: Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup,© 2005 Taste of Home Books
Probably very tasty, but a pork stew, not a chicken stew. And no taters. I realize that taters aren't a requirement in every stew, but I like taters.
Then I saw this stew...
Skillet Chicken Stew
Serves 4-6
1/3 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Brown the chicken, then add the onion and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in potatoes and carrots.
Combine broth, thyme, ketchup, and cornstarch. Stir this into the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Source: Taste of Home's Big Book of Soup,© 2005 Taste of Home Books
Hmm....not quite what I was looking for either. I wasn't particularly interested in celery for this stew, and using 1 cup of broth seemed a bit scant. On the other hand, taters. Not a lot of taters, but taters.
Bottom line, while both of these were tasty looking, neither was exactly what I wanted. So, I did the only thing I could – I mixedthe two together to create...
Hare's Chicken Stew
Serves 4 – 6
2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1 inch (or thereabouts) pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced (I opted for a yellow onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth (roughly - I actually used 2 boxes of broth)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (roughly
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or so)
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 bay leaves
6 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used baby carrots and cut them in half)
3 medium potatoes. Peeled and cut into ¾ inch pieces (I opted for Yukon Gold potatoes)
1 package (10 ounces) pearl onions, peeled
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup cold water
Toss chicken with salt, sugar, pepper, and paprika, then brown in oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and garlic; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add broth, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add beans. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth, then stir into stew. Bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.
Notes from the Hare
The final results? Delicious.
I went for a yellow onion for the sliced onion, to try to differentiate the pearl onions and the sliced onions. Similarly, I grabbed the Yukon Gold taters so it would be easy to tell the taters and the onions apart.
Keep in mind my measurements are mostly estimates – I didn't exactly stop to see just how much lemon juice, Worcestershire, or ketchup I was adding. For that matter, I didn't measure the spices that went on the chicken at the start either.
Next time, frozen peas instead of the green beans, perhaps. And a sliced red onion instead of the yellow, to see if it tweaks the flavor any.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
"schnorf"
You may be wondering what a "schnorf" is.
This is the sound I hear when my sinuses are going bonkers. I get drippy, stuffy, sneezy, coughy, froggy, groggy, and generally pre-sick. It's like having my very own seven dwarfs - slimy and icky dwarfs that are freeloading and stealing almost all my air.
Worst part of it all is that this isn't a new thing for me - happens pretty much every year.
So do forgive me if recipes aren't exactly flowing freely at the moment. Proper cooking is tricky when you occasionally cough yourself into seeing stars.
Back with tasty things soon, guests.
This is the sound I hear when my sinuses are going bonkers. I get drippy, stuffy, sneezy, coughy, froggy, groggy, and generally pre-sick. It's like having my very own seven dwarfs - slimy and icky dwarfs that are freeloading and stealing almost all my air.
Worst part of it all is that this isn't a new thing for me - happens pretty much every year.
So do forgive me if recipes aren't exactly flowing freely at the moment. Proper cooking is tricky when you occasionally cough yourself into seeing stars.
Back with tasty things soon, guests.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wherein the Rabbit Plans a Menu
Hare here.
So I'll be cooking dinner Saturday for Ox and a few of our friends, which I haven't done in a while. I've got most of it in mind – pot roast, gravy, coca cola rice – but I'm not entirely certain what I want to do for the vegetables. The rice itself is a bit sweet, so my sides don't need to be. I kinda want to do something with onions. Like, maybe...
Onions au Gratin
Serves 6
3 large onions, sliced
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
¼ cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine onions, ½ cup of the mozzarella, butter, flour, milk, and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
Spoon onion mixture into an ungreased medium baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over the top.
Bake casserole until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are browned, about 30 minutes.
Source: Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards
...or do I want to do something green? I do have green beans from Mom's garden. Or do I want to do something else, like..
Broccoli a la Brava
Serves 4
5 cups small broccoli florets (from about 1 large head)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
¼ teaspoon mild red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
Prepare the broccoli: you can steam it in a steamer insert set over boiling water, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is just cooked but still crisp, or you can blanch it in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 – 7 minutes until it is crisp-tender. Transfer the cooked broccoli to a large bowl and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then stir in the red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Add the broccoli to the skillet and toss together to marry the flavors. Serve sprinkled with lime zest.
Source: Simply Delicioso © 2008 Ingrid Hoffman
...or do I perhaps want to do something completely different?
Think, think, think.
So I'll be cooking dinner Saturday for Ox and a few of our friends, which I haven't done in a while. I've got most of it in mind – pot roast, gravy, coca cola rice – but I'm not entirely certain what I want to do for the vegetables. The rice itself is a bit sweet, so my sides don't need to be. I kinda want to do something with onions. Like, maybe...
Onions au Gratin
Serves 6
3 large onions, sliced
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
¼ cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine onions, ½ cup of the mozzarella, butter, flour, milk, and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
Spoon onion mixture into an ungreased medium baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over the top.
Bake casserole until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are browned, about 30 minutes.
Source: Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards
...or do I want to do something green? I do have green beans from Mom's garden. Or do I want to do something else, like..
Broccoli a la Brava
Serves 4
5 cups small broccoli florets (from about 1 large head)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
¼ teaspoon mild red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
Prepare the broccoli: you can steam it in a steamer insert set over boiling water, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is just cooked but still crisp, or you can blanch it in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 – 7 minutes until it is crisp-tender. Transfer the cooked broccoli to a large bowl and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then stir in the red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Add the broccoli to the skillet and toss together to marry the flavors. Serve sprinkled with lime zest.
Source: Simply Delicioso © 2008 Ingrid Hoffman
...or do I perhaps want to do something completely different?
Think, think, think.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Arroz con Coca Cola (Coca Cola Rice)
One day not too long ago, I had a hankerin' for pot roast. What I didn't really feel like, though, was the usual fixins that you get with pot roast. Not that there's anything wrong with carrots, potatoes, celery and onions that have been bathing in a nice, beefy broth for hours on end, slowly roasting to perfection. Or with a pot of egg noodles boiled in beef broth and ladled with a big helping of gravy. These are both delicious.
But on this particular day, I wanted neither.
So, I turned to the bookcase of cookbooks, or my "cookcase" if you will. I was having a pot roast, and I was going to make a gravy. Didn't want potatoes, didn't want noodles. I flipped idly through my cookbooks, and stopped on a likely suspect, a Latin dish called Coca Cola Rice.
So I gave it a shot. And with the roast, and the gravy, it was delicious.
Arroz Con Coca Cola / Coca Cola Rice
Serves 4 to 6
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups long grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups cola
1/4 cup raisins
3 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it is opaque, roughly 2 minutes.
add teh salt tot eh cola and stir until dissolved - the salt helps release some of the carbonation. Add the cola to teh rice along with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, roughly 15 minutes. Stir in the raisins and almonds and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with fork, and serve.
Source: Simply Delicioso, © 2008 Ingrid Hoffman
Notes from the Hare
I can attest to this dish being delicious even if you didn't actually have any raisins or almonds to add to it.
I made this with plain old Coca Cola, but Most any kind of cola would do - and depending on what you use, would probably alter the the taste of the final product. If I were serving this with a ham, I would probably use Dr. Pepper.
I might also consider playing with the add-ins - if I used Cherry Coke, for example, I might use dried cherries instead of raisins.
In the book, this is suggested as a perfect accompaniment with any slow roasted pork or beef dish.
But on this particular day, I wanted neither.
So, I turned to the bookcase of cookbooks, or my "cookcase" if you will. I was having a pot roast, and I was going to make a gravy. Didn't want potatoes, didn't want noodles. I flipped idly through my cookbooks, and stopped on a likely suspect, a Latin dish called Coca Cola Rice.
So I gave it a shot. And with the roast, and the gravy, it was delicious.
Arroz Con Coca Cola / Coca Cola Rice
Serves 4 to 6
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups long grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups cola
1/4 cup raisins
3 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it is opaque, roughly 2 minutes.
add teh salt tot eh cola and stir until dissolved - the salt helps release some of the carbonation. Add the cola to teh rice along with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, roughly 15 minutes. Stir in the raisins and almonds and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover, fluff with fork, and serve.
Source: Simply Delicioso, © 2008 Ingrid Hoffman
Notes from the Hare
I can attest to this dish being delicious even if you didn't actually have any raisins or almonds to add to it.
I made this with plain old Coca Cola, but Most any kind of cola would do - and depending on what you use, would probably alter the the taste of the final product. If I were serving this with a ham, I would probably use Dr. Pepper.
I might also consider playing with the add-ins - if I used Cherry Coke, for example, I might use dried cherries instead of raisins.
In the book, this is suggested as a perfect accompaniment with any slow roasted pork or beef dish.
Monday, September 06, 2010
Glazed Plum Cake
Let’s have a little story, shall we?
Once upon a time, when the Hare was trying to work out how he was going to have a good collection of recipes without having to transport a few hundred pounds of cookbooks every time he moved, he got an offer in the mail for a set of recipe cards – a set called, specifically, Easy Everyday Cooking. There were a couple of sample cards in the packet, and the hare looked these over and considered. “Some of these recipes look tasty,” he thought to himself. But there will probably be a bunch that I won’t use.”
“Well, hang on,” Hare said to himself. “It’s probably more likely to say there will be a bunch you wouldn’t eat. If someone were to ask for a recipe for something like that, you would still have one. And it’s not like you will deny cooking something for someone just because you yourself can’t or won’t eat it.”
“That’s true,” Hare thought. And he decided to get the card set, for at least a little while. Several hundred cards later, he was right – there were a lot of recipes he would never make just for himself, but if anyone asked, he’d be more than willing to make anything in the set. So all in all, it was a wise decision.
For anyone curious, not that isn’t how my thought processes go. Not exactly anyway. I tend to discuss things in committee more than just one on one.
Anyway – the recipe cards have been useful over the years, and to this day I have not been able to cook everything that I want to try. Today’s cake is an excellent example – I will make this one day. I just don’t know when.
Glazed Plum Cake
Serves 16
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
4 eggs
1 can purple plums, drained, cut into halves (30 ounces)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup plum jelly, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch tube pan. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar (the 1 1/2 cups worth), and lemon peel with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add eggs to the large bowl one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended, about 1 minute.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Arrange plums over teh batter, round sides up. Sprinkle with teh lemon juice, sugar (the 2 tablespoons worth) and cinnamon.
Bake until cake is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool, then invert cake onto a plate. Drizzle half the melted jelly over the cake, and serve the remaining jelly alongside.
Source: Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards
Notes from the Hare
Can’t find the plums at the grocery store, or are they just a bit too pricey? Use peaches instead – fresh or canned – and drizzle with peach jelly or preserves.
Add about half a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and sprinkle sliced or slivered almonds on top of the cake before baking for a nutty twist.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Top Chef - Another Bites the Butter
The final four are now heading off to Singapore for one final elimination and then the finale! Wow! This season has really had its ups and downs!
Angelo appears to have his cooking mojo back, which is a surprise as well. Who do you believe will win the finale now? All of my favorites, except for Tiffany are in the finals now (except for Angelo). Perhaps Angelo is the dark horse that is going to win everything?
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Lemony Sugar Cookies
This week, I thouht we would go with something sweet.
Lemony Sugar Cookies
Makes 40 cookies
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
Gradually add the sugar to the bowl: beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, lemon extract, lemon peel, and milk. Beat until smooth.
Combine flour, salt, and bakig powder in a small bowl. Add to sugar mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake untillightly browned, about 10 minutes
Source: Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards
Notes from the Hare
If you don't have any lemon extract, you can use an extra tespoon of grated lemon peel in it's place.
Once you have the dough prepared, you can wrap in tightly in plastic wrap and refridgerate for up to 48 hours before baking.
When I make these, I usually tell people that they are "Lemon Cookies with Sugar" because I don't taste enough of the sugar to say they are sugar cookies. This might just be me, though.
You could make these with orange peel and extract insted of lemon. Or any citrus fruit for that matter, I imagine. I may have to track down some key limes one day just to make Key Lime Sugar Cookies...
Lemony Sugar Cookies
Makes 40 cookies
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
Gradually add the sugar to the bowl: beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the egg, lemon extract, lemon peel, and milk. Beat until smooth.
Combine flour, salt, and bakig powder in a small bowl. Add to sugar mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake untillightly browned, about 10 minutes
Source: Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards
Notes from the Hare
If you don't have any lemon extract, you can use an extra tespoon of grated lemon peel in it's place.
Once you have the dough prepared, you can wrap in tightly in plastic wrap and refridgerate for up to 48 hours before baking.
When I make these, I usually tell people that they are "Lemon Cookies with Sugar" because I don't taste enough of the sugar to say they are sugar cookies. This might just be me, though.
You could make these with orange peel and extract insted of lemon. Or any citrus fruit for that matter, I imagine. I may have to track down some key limes one day just to make Key Lime Sugar Cookies...
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