Beef Stew

A thanksgiving follow-up with more classic Americana.
Rich wine braised beef stew on buttery noodles, fragrant with fresh rosemary and thyme.
A nice change for a rainy, wintry day.

Chicken and Dumplings: Fluffy or Flat

"Someday" James said quietly. " Can we have chicken and dumplings? With corn and sauce and not those big dumplings . . . "

Now I usually have some carrot or celery in my sauce but I've never seen corn in chicken and dumplings. And I always make fluffy herb scented "big" dumplings. But still, James rarely makes requests -- and honestly I thought he didn't even like chicken and dumplings (and those old Southern standards are some of my favorite things to cook) so I figured I'd give it a try.

Like many traditional foods, there is no one recipe for Chicken and dumplings. Some are chock full of tasty vegetables, some (the way I used to make it) leave meat on the bone, some use a milk-based gravy. But the most controversial element is the dumplings themselves. Some, like me, use fluffy drop biscuit style dumplings that steam over the savory stew and some -- apparently like James' grandmother -- use flat rolled dough, like thick squares of pasta.

I started the way I usually do by making a quick stock. I covered 1 whole chicken, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 2 bay leaves, 1 onion (cut in half), 1 bulb garlic (cut in half but not peeled), fresh thyme and fresh parsley with water. I brought the pot up to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour. I drained the stock and while the chicken cooled I started on the sauce.

After a couple TB of butter and a splash of oil heated together in a dutch over I added in about 1 cup each (maybe 3/4 cup) diced carrots and celery, minced garlic (4 cloves), a bay leaf, and some dried thyme. I seasoned the vegetables with salt and pepper and let them cook until softened, about 5 minutes, then added not quite 1/4 cup of flour to start making a roux. Once the floury taste had cooked out -- about 2 minutes, I slowly added the drained chicken stock (about 8 cups total), added both frozen peas and frozen corn (somehow I just couldn't do the corn alone) and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile I started to tackle the dumplings. I had never made these rolled flat style dumplings before. But I was not going to be bested by flour and milk so I turned to every cooks best friend -- the internet and started to read how other people make them. Most of the recipes I found imitated Cracker Barrel's recipe and used a hefty amount of crisco. Now I suppose vegetable shortening has been around so long some cooks even consider it a traditional ingredient but I don't like it. I'd rather spend my fats with real butter and lard and bacon grease instead of chemical stabilizers. So for my dumpling recipe I fork mixed 1/3 cup of bacon grease (yes I save it in the fridge) into 2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. While the bacon grease was still in big pieces -- like making pie dough -- I poured in 1 cup of buttermilk and mixed the ingredients together into a loose dough. I turned the dough out on a well floured board and kneaded it just a few times to bring it together to a smooth ball. I rolled out half the ball of dough to 1/4 inch thickness  (on a well floured board) and cut the dumplings into smooth squares and rectangles with a pizza cutter. I'm sure that's not the way James' grandmother did it. None the less I let the dumplings rest sprinkled with flour and let the other half of the dough rest until I was ready to roll more.

Back to the pot. When the sauce had thickened to my liking (just barely coating the back of a spoon but not too thick as the dumpling flour would add body to the sauce) I stirred in a 1/2 cup or so of whole milk for a creamy texture, checked the seasoning and brought the liquid to a gentle boil. In went the first batch of dumplings. I covered the pot and let it simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes. These first dumplings -- from what I read -- thicken the sauce. I rolled out the rest of the dough and turned back to the now cooled cooked chicken -- remember the stock we started with -- and pulled meat off the bones in large pieces to add to the bubbling sauce.

After the first batch of dumplings had cooked for 10 minutes I added in the second batch and some chopped parsley along with the chicken, covered the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes more. Then uncovered I let the stew simmer with very little stirring to not break up the dumplings for about 5 minutes more until the dough was cooked through.

Sprinkling chopped parsley over bowls of creamy stew I wondered if my maiden effort would live up to James' expectations. The rosy memory of a childhood taste.

James didn't say much as he ate, but "Mmmm so good." When he asked for seconds I silently declared that a victory and figured we might just have a new traditional dish for our little family.

Simple Chicken and Vegetables

I never really think much about the recipes that dot the William Sonoma catalogue. I just page by while scanning all the things I am not going to buy. But today, looking for something homey and warm and most importantly a one pot supper (I am just not in the mood to scrub pans) I stumbled across this rustic quick braised stew. WS' recipe called for carrots and potatoes. I had a couple carrots but also the lonely end of a bunch of celery and some still pretty nice bright pink radishes. I adapted. First I seasoned 4 chicken thighs with salt, pepper and paprika and browned them (about 2 minutes a side) in some bacon fat. Yes, I admit I do save it in the fridge. Then I set the chicken aside and dumped 2 small mild peppers (pardon), 1 chopped shallot (I wish I had more), the carrots I had (3 little runts from the garden and 1 respectably sized), a couple stalks of celery in big pieces, a bunch of radishes (cut in half), and two potatoes cut into big cubes into the pan. Seasoned with salt and peppers the vegetables sautéed for about 5 minutes. I sprinkled 1 1/2 TB flour over the skillet and let that cook just a bit before adding 1 1/3 cup  chicken stock and 1/3 cup white wine (and a pat of butter) which I brought to a boil. I nested the chicken (and the collected juices) back into the pan, brought the liquid up to a bubble, covered the pan and let everything cook together for about 25 minutes.
Usually James isn't so enthusiastic about chicken for dinner -- unless it's fried. But he found plenty to like in these long cooked potatoes and silky sauce. I'm gonna look more closely at those Williams Sonoma pages from now on.

Pork. Peas, Potatoes

I love peas. When spring markets offer baskets of fresh garden peas I try to use them, and often, while they are in season.
Way back in the freezer was a lonely package of pork stew meat. Sometimes in the winter I'll make a stew with pears or winter squash. Though there is still a chill in the air most evenings those wintery dishes feel out of step with our bright spring days and the lonely pound package pushed further and further back in the freezer. We needed something simple and fresh.
I set out to create a kind of French farmers stew (at least the version from my imagination) with a light broth and bright tasty vegetables. I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper and lightly dredged each piece in flour.  One chopped onion and two chopped carrots cooked in hot olive on the stove and when they were softened and just a bit golden I added in the meat and allowed it to brown on all sides. With the meat browned I spilled in about 3/4 cup of white wine, deglazed the pan and let it cook down until reduced -- just about 5 minutes. Next I stirred in some flavor -- 1TB of tomato paste, about 2tsp chopped rosemary, 1 TB fresh thyme, and a pinch (maybe 2 tsp) of chopped fresh sage.  If I'd found some parsley in the fridge or the garden I'd have added in a couple TB too. A pile of potatoes peeled and cut in nice chunky cubes went in next followed by about 5 cups of chicken stock. The stew came to a boil and then simmered for about 40 minutes until the meat and potatoes are tender. Just before serving I added in plenty of fresh shelled peas and let the pot simmer for about 4 minutes more.
In the end we had a spring stew. Not too heavy. Not too thick. Just right with crusty bread for dinner.

Crock Pot Pot Luck

It's hard to complain about a Rick Bayless recipe, especially a crock pot ready one. With friends coming over last night and the house to clean before, a tidy slow cooker recipe would help the house stay clean and make time for all my chores. Our friends decided to bring beans and salad. I decided to round out the menu with cilantro rice (easily steamed in the rice cooker and then tossed -- right in the cooker -- with a blender pureed mix of lime juice (2TB), cilantro (1/2 cup), olive oil (1 TB) and garlic -- 2 cloves), guacamole, and some version of crock pot tacos.
Searching through my files and various internet sites I came across a Rick Bayless recipe for Tinga, a meaty Mexican stew, that the Chicago chef cooks in a crock pot -- Eureka! Rick browns his meat first but I found several versions (here's one) of the recipe -- all with rave reviews -- that simply layer the ingredients and turn the slow cooker to high. Sold.
The resulting stew had an unbeatable smoky, spicy flavor just right for warm corn tortillas, pickled red onions (a real flavor explosion smoky stew and sweet pickles), and a sprinkle of fresh cheese.
A big hit and super easy -- this recipe is a keeper!

Chicken And Dumplings

There may be no dinner more old fashioned than chicken and dumplings. Basically its's a thick soup or heavy gravy coating tender stock poached chicken and sometimes vegetables with -- hopefully -- fluffy airy dumplings floating on top. And yet among fans the chicken and dumplings controversy rages. Square cut or drop dumplings, boned chicken or whole pieces, serve the vegetables or just the clear thickened sauce.
I like vegetables so I leave them in, and sometimes add some peas at the end. I generally prefer meat on the bone so I like to leave the pieces whole. James prefers boned. I favor drop dumplings to save rolling out the dough and making more dishes to wash.
To make this nostalgic dish brown seasoned, dredged chicken parts in oil and butter. Remove the chicken and add in chopped carrots, celery and onion. Sauté the vegetables in the hot fat. Return the chicken to the pot along with 5 cups of hot water. Allow the chicken to simmer for about 45 minutes. Once again remove the chicken. Mix together about 3 TB flour and 1/4 cup milk, add in a bit of the hot chicken stock and after a good whisk add the flour mixture to the simmering stock and vegetables. After a few minutes the sauce -- your future gravy -- will thicken. At this point add the chicken back in -- boned and skinned if you like and bring the sauce to a boil.
For the dumplings -- really the best part of this recipe, mix together 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder and about 1/2 tsp salt. Add in 3/4 cup of milk, 2 TB melted butter and a good sized handful of minced parsley. Mix just enough to bring the dough together. Like muffins or quick breads, mix too much and your dumplings will be heavy and tough.
Drop the dumpling dough by heaping teaspoons onto the boiled sauce and quickly cover the pot. Reduce the heat to keep the liquid at a simmer and allow the dumplings to steam for 15 - 18 minutes until cooked through and fluffy. Don't open the pot or the steam will escape and again you risk heavy dumplings. After the dumplings are cooked carefully stir in frozen peas and allow them to heat through in the simmering (uncovered) sauce.
It takes a little effort but the homey appeal and old fashioned deliciousness is worth a little time to preserve a dish from our history. Make chicken and dumplings at home, connect with our country's past.

Nothing Pretty About Stew

Not exactly a photogenic dinner dish. But this chicken stew, flavored with bacon and white wine, was just what today's early winter weather demanded -- and simple. I started with chopped carrots, onion, celery and plenty of thick chunks of double smoked bacon sautéing in hot olive oil. I added in the chicken (I used bone in leg and thighs)  to brown a bit and then tossed in about 2 cups of white wine, around a pound of diced tomatoes (I used yellow ones from our garden), 4 sprigs of thyme and brought everything up to a boil. The stew simmered for about an hour and a half until the meat was tender. I took the chicken off the bone and returned it to the pot along with a good quantity of cut up potatoes and shredded kale. After about 10 minutes I added in fresh green beans cut into about 2 inch pieces and let everything simmer together until the potatoes and vegetables were cooked through. Nothing much to look at but warm and tasty and right to eat by the fire.

Autumn Pork Stew

There is nothing pretty about stew. The humble appearance more than hints at it's country favorites origins. Stew is place to hide cheaper, tough cuts of meat that benefit from slow cooking. Stew famously stretches when there are more mouths than the budget easily covers and it makes use of storage vegetables that maybe aren't as pretty as they once were. In short -- stew is as perfect at the harvest as it is a winter dish enhancing a variety of flavors with the magic of a long simmer.
All that being said. I love stew. It feels warm and comforting and truly homemade.
This past summer our neighbor and friend had a birthday pig roast. We ended up with a freezer bag of savory, long cooked pork. Tasty, but that bag takes up a lot of room in our -- I suspect -- less than standard size freezer. I started out to turn those leftovers into savory stew.
First I sautéed a chopped onion, chopped celery, 2 cloves of garlic, sage, fresh rosemary, 2 bay leaves and chopped bacon in a combination of butter and olive oil. When the vegetables softened a bit I added in the chopped pork (not for long since it was already cooked) and a good sized splash of white wine. When the wine cooked down I added in 3 cups of chicken broth, 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed, 2 tart apples cored and cubed, and thick wedges of potato. After simmering for about 15 minutes  the vegetables were almost tender but the broth seemed a little thin so I combined about 1/2 TB of corn starch with 2 TB of milk and mixed that into the bubbling stew ( I could have mixed some flour in with the early sauté). After a short boil to allow the cornstarch to thicken James' glistening harvest stew was ready to serve with plenty of bread to sop up the flavorful, shiny thick sauce.

Beef and Guinness Stew

When I make James' Christmas gingerbread I generally have a bit of Guinness left over, waiting in the fridge for a new recipe. This year I shopped in a hurry so I had more left than usual and had to come up with a worthy dish to use it up. I settled on a hearty beef and Guinness stew with parsnips instead of carrots. We had beautiful fresh parsnips in the fridge and it's still 13 miles to the store. Based on a recipe from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Fenniger I tossed the beef in oil and then flour seasoned with S&P and cayenne. The meat is seared in a hot skillet and moved to an oven proof dutch oven. In the same skillet, with the heat turned down, I left two chopped onions, 2 sliced cloves of garlic, and 2 TB of tomato paste mixed with 4 TB of water to simmer in the covered saucepan while I added peeled, chopped parsnips and several sprigs of thyme to the dutch oven. Next I added the onion mixture to the pot and set the skillet back on the stove with about 3/4 cup Guinness poured in. When the liquid came to a boil in the frying pan I scraped up all of the browned bits left from searing the meat and poured that along with another 3/4 cup of Guinness into the dutch oven. The stew baked in a 350º oven for about 3 hours until the meat was fall apart tender.

About 15 minutes before the stew was ready I mixed up some thyme dumplings with 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, plenty of chopped thyme leaves, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 TB melted butter, and 1/2 cup of milk. I dropped the dumplings by TBs onto the simmering stew, covered the pot and returned the dish to the oven for 15 minutes. Beef, beer, parsnips and thyme -- good for what ails ya'.

Happy New Year . . . A Little Late

Another year, another pot of black eyed peas to welcome the calendar change. For 2012 I went crock pot lazy and allowed a spicy black eyed bean and sausage stew to bubble along all day. Into the pot went a coarsely chopped onion, jalapenos, crushed red peppers, garlic, a smoked ham hock (left over from a whole Jamon Serrano), fresh black eyed peas, seared spicy Italian sausage, parsley, chicken broth and canned tomatoes. I left it on low all day and when dinner came around served James' spicy stew (no hot sauce needed) over rice. Happy New Year.

It Grows On Trees

From our new bedroom window I can see our apple tree brimming with big, red and yellow apples. Now James will happily eat an apple a day of sweet crisp apples like Fuji or Pink Lady. Though their variety is as of yet unidentified these are certainly cooking apples. Not too sweet and a bit mealy at this point I am trying to come up with recipes to make use of our bounty (aside from tossing them to the happy cows that graze along our fence). So far I've made apple cake, apple sauce, and I'm looking at a New Year's morning with apple muffins or apple pancakes. But for now there is an ever growing bag of apples waiting for me.

Tonight I opted for a savory dish. If pork chops and apple sauce are a famous combination, I pondered, why not pork stew with apples. I just happened to have port stew meat in the freezer. AFter a very quick internet search I happened along on a "harvest" stew and based on dinner on this recipe.

I started with hot oil in a pan and browned the pork. Next I added in chopped onions and garlic, crushed red peppers, shopped rosemary, fresh thyme, and plenty of chopped sage. When the onions were softened I added in chicken broth, brought the whole pot up to a boil and then let the meat simmer for about 20 minutes, covered. Next I added in cubed butternut squash, apples and potatoes and again let the pot simmer, this time uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

In the end we had a warm, cozy stew that was a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy and just right for a foggy cool winter day.

Pork Potatoes Paprika

It seems my recent trip to Hungary did have some lasting effect, at least culinarily. While trying to decide on a warming, stew dinner dish I kept drifting back to a Goulash recipe I had saved from the LA Times recipe request column. Now I am certainly no expert but I did indulge in a few bowls of goulash while across the pond. In contrast to this recipe from the Blue Jam Cafe in Los Angeles, which the reader swore was the most authentic he had eaten, the goulash I sampled in Hungary was a red-brothed light soup with tender bits of pork served alongside delicious buttery spaetzle. My version, following the restaurant's recipe was thick, full of pork and potatoes, and delicately flavored with caraway and paprika, Hungary's favorite spice. Just the thing for a cool fall night.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

A little extra time seemed like a good reason to make dinner in advance and this stew is happy to wait in the fridge, and a good way to use a few kumquats from our tree. I browned the chicken (4 thighs) on both sides in olive oil and set it aside, and then sautéed a chopped onion in the same pan. When the onions was soft I added in chopped butternut squash (about 3/4 lb) and cooked for a couple minutes longer and seasoned the mixture with cumin (1/4 tsp), cinnamon (1/4 tsp), and saffron (a pinch). I poured in a good cup of chicken broth and brought everything to a boil. The chicken went back into the pot along with 2 ounces each of pitted prunes and kumquats seeded and quartered lengthwise and 1 heavy TB of honey. Everything simmered in the covered pot until the chicken and squash were cooked through -- about 30 minutes. When it was time to serve I just cooked up some couscous and heated up our sweet and spicy stew.

Make-ahead magic.

Sort Of Goulash

Leftover steak in the fridge. A little while bubbling in a stove top sauce and it's our weeknight goulash. After perusing a Wolfgang Puck recipe I started to improvise. I sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil and added in good quantities each of caraway seeds, thyme, and marjoram with a pinch of sugar and let the onions caramelize over medium heat. I deglazed the pan with balsamic vinegar, added chicken broth, tomato paste, and both hot and sweet paprika. I gave that a stir around, added the steak (cut in to cubes) and a cube of butter, covered the pan and let my stew simmer over low heat for about an hour until the flavors had mellowed and the steak was tender. I finished the goulash with a bit of milk stirred into the sauce. James had his goulash over buttered noodles and never even suspected he had seen it once before.

Diet Friendly Veggie Stew

I can hardly call this cooking.

When I got home from the farmer's market today I set to chopping. Carrots, celery, onions, parsnips, turnips went into my big stew pot with fresh thyme, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, tomato paste, a splash of white wine and a large can of chopped tomatoes. I brought that mixture up to a boil and simmered until the veggies were just tender. Next I stirred in a chopped head (small) of napa cabbage, cooked garbanzo beans, and frozen peas and simmered until the cabbage was cooked. For James I'll sprinkle on a bit of tangy cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. For me, a shower of chopped basil.

Ugh. The bean diet goes on.

Chicken Stew

Something warm and comforting for a rainy day. Something Easy.

I browned some chicken breast in olive oil and set them aside. I added cubed potatoes,bell peppers, celery, onion and two minced cloves of garlic to the skillet along with a couple chopped strips of bacon and let them sauté until just barely browned. I tossed in a few TBs of flour and stirred for a few minutes to lose the flour taste and then poured in about 3/4 cup of white wine and let that cook down for about 3 minutes. Then I added in a few cups of stock, a bay leaf and a couple sprigs of thyme, returned the chicken to the pot and let the stew simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, added the kernels from two ears of corn, recovered the pot and cooked 5 minutes more until the chicken ( I cut the breasts in half) was cooked through.

As a last touch I stirred just a bit of milk into the sauce before serving.

Something warm for a rainy day.

Turkey Picadillo

Pretty much anywhere you travel in the Spanish speaking world you'll find some version of the usually ground, but sometime chopped meat concoction known most often as Picadillo. The warm spices and gentle sweetness whisper of the Moors who most food historians believe brought these types of dishes with them to the European continent. From Spain these flavors traveled the globe and along the way melded with the local cuisine and now you can find Picadillos with olives, raisins, sweet onions, tomatoes, and even bits of ham. Eaten with rice or folded into dough, Picadillo is an easy disguise for leftovers and a quick weeknight super.

For my version I sauteed four chopped onions in olive oil and butter until just beginning to soften and added several cups of chopped turkey meat, chili powder, a pinch of ground cloves, about a half tsp of cinnamon, and a dash of mace. After stirring in the spices in went one large can of diced tomatoes, one cup of water, 3/4 cup of raisins, 2 TB of tomato paste, some brown sugar to taste, and a heavy 1/4 cup of cider vinegar. I left all the ingredients to simmer, covered, for 5 minutes and then for five minutes more, uncovered, to thicken slightly. With a little salt and pepper our homestyle version of Picadillo was ready for dinner over saffron rice. I've already wrapped the remaining stew in empanada dough (ready to bake bundles waiting in the freezer)for another night. James will never recognize those leftovers.

New Mexico Style

Carne Adovada. A dish little seen outside of it's Land of enchantment home isn't the Mexican or Southwest or even Tex Mex foods it may bring to mind. It is New Mexico; The home of roasted green chiles, sweet bischochitos, and this red chili marinated pork dish served at home, in diners, and on high end tables across the state.

Barely known even in nearby states Carne Adovada is served for every meal -- topped with a lightly fried egg, wrapped in lettuce leaves or as a chili soup in a bowl with tortillas or fry bread on the side. For this simple make ahead dinner I made a chili sauce in the blender. I whirred together 2 cups of water, 6 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 1 TB salt, 1 tsp oregano, 3 1/2 TBs New Mexico chili powder and 1/3 tsp cumin until smooth and let the cubed pork (about 2 1/4 lbs of pork shoulder cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes) marinate in the sauce overnight. In the morning I put everything in the trust crock pot and let the stew simmer on low for 10 hours.

For our less than fiery hot palettes I broke with tradition a bit and served the spicy stew over white rice with creamy avocado and a sprinkle of salty, dry cotija cheese.

Irish Beef Stew

When the weather turns cold and rainy -- even here in LA -- there is nothing like a warm stew to brighten spirits. And, it's a super simple, perfect make-ahead meal.

I dredged the chopped chuck in flour and quickly seared the pieces in a mix of butter and oil. As the pieces browned I layered them in a dutch oven in which I had already sauteed a handful of cloves of chopped garlic. Then I added in a bottle of Guinness, 1 cup of red wine, a dollop of tomato paste, a good pinch of thyme, a sprinkle of worcestershire sauce and about 6 cups of beef broth and brought the pot to a boil. I let the mixture simmer over low heat for an hour, covered.

Meanwhile I sauteed carrots, chopped onions, and baby potatoes in butter until just golden. When the stew had cooked for an hour I added in the vegetables and allowed the pot to simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables were tender and flavorful. As a last step I stirred in a bag of thawed frozen peas and the stew was ready to serve or wait in the fridge for another dinner.

Made on the weekend, even better during the week.