Recipes Collection: pot

Showing posts with label pot. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Chicken Pot Pie and Plum Raspberry Jelly

I was inspired by a recipe for a Lighter Chicken Pot Pie on The Bite Me Kitchen Blog. I cant remember the last time I made I made Chicken Pot Pie, but I do remember the first time I had it. My dad worked for a US company and often went to California and Arizona on business. The first time he was able to take my Mum with him was in 1975 when I was 16, it had been arranged for me to go to Belgium to visit friends there for my holiday and my older sister was working during vacation from university. When Mum returned she brought with her an American Cookbook and this was one of the recipes she made from it that we all loved and became a familty favourite.

I decided to make it yesterday, because of a mix up over whether my MIL needed any supper on Friday, I thought she didnt and apparently she did! So I used one of the chicken breasts that I had planned to have on Saturday, this left me with less chicken so I used the idea from The Bite Me Kitchen of bulking it up with lots of veg. I didnt however, go for a pastry topping, but the biscuits as per the original recipe.

I have actually got my own copy of the book Mum brought back from the states (I bought it in 1979 when I first went to California), but it was jammed in behind the new kitchen units, so I just made a basic unsweetened scone recipe. OMG it was good though, the biscuits were soft and deliciously buttery (that would be the butter lol!) and the chicken and veg were sweet and tender in their luscious gravy.

When the kitchen is finished Ill dig out the book and post the recipe but it is really just chicken, onions, carrots and peas thickened with flour and sauced up with chicken stock, then the biscuit/scones on top.

I had some plums left over from last weeks plum crumble and they needed used up. I poached them with some sugar and cinnamon then added a raspberry jelly (jello), topped up to 1 pint with orange juice and let it set. Served with Greek Yogurt (sorry Vegboxboy - no cream again!)

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Classic Beef Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables

We went “lean” on Fat Tuesday? Yes, it’s Fat Tuesday, but instead of rich and decadent, today’s clip is lean and clean; a classic beef pot roast, slowly braised with aromatic winter veggies. As I say in the clip, this dish “makes itself.” A nice hunk of chuck, a few seasonings, some veggies and a few hours is all it takes to make something so satisfying and heart warming.

Most of these recipes have you flour the meat first, and then sear it, but I think my method works much better. You’ll see me make a quick roux in the pot before we braise. This allows me to really brown the roast well, without worrying about burning the flour.

Of course you can vary the vegetables that we add for the last hour of cooking, but I hope you don’t leave out the parsnip. It really gives the dish an important aromatic layer of flavor. I didn’t add potatoes (since I wanted to save the carbs for the bread I used to soak up the juice!), but they are a standard addition to this dish in most recipes.

Be careful when selecting your pot roast. You are looking for a boneless, 3 pound beef “Chuck” pot roast. Check a few packages, as some can have larger chucks of fat than others. By the way, hey Butchers, stop putting the price sticker over that big chuck of fat to hide it! I hate that. Anyway, hopefully you have a nice butcher who will make sure you get the perfect cut for this great dish.

3 pound boneless beef “chuck” pot roast
2 tbl olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bay leave
3 cloves garlic
3-4 springs fresh thyme and rosemary (2 tsp of dried if you can’t find fresh)
2 tbl flour
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 yellow onion
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
3 stacks celery

Monday, February 17, 2014

Bison and Mushroom Pot Roast

From as far back as I could remember, the American bison has always held for me a certain mythical quality. The Lakota peoples of the Great Plains called them "tatanka," an animal that weighed a ton and roamed our vast prairies in the millions. American Indian tribes depended on these animals not only for food, clothing, shelter and tools, but for spiritual inspiration as well.

They are so important to our history that the bisons near extinction the 1800s changed America forever. With their disappearance left a whole way of life and an ending of an era, especially for the American Indians of the Western Plains. When I look upon a bison, I remember this chilling history.

* * *

Last November, Cousin Pete in Nebraska sent us home with a beautiful piece of roast. Im not exactly sure where Pete got it, but the way I hear it, it had to do with a couple bison, months of broken fences, a fed up farmer and a gun. The rest... is food.

From what we could tell, it was probably a piece of blade. Since it was too big for steak and not exactly grill friendly, Rick and I thought the best thing to do was to braise it. Braising is when you cook a large piece of meat in a covered Dutch oven, or similar vessel, with an acidic liquid.

The Dutch oven should be tightly shut, allowing the liquid and juices to fall back onto the meat as it cooks. The best way to describe braising is that its low, slow and moist.

We cant say that weve perfected the art just yet. The Dutch ovens we own tend to allow steam to escape, so we always end up with a lot less liquid than what we started out. This can cause many problems, including dried out meat, uneven cooking, and in worse cases, burning. This is especially dangerous if youre braising wild game, which doesnt have the great marbling and fat that commonly braised meats such as beef and pork would have. To compensate, check your meat every hour to see if you need to add more water, broth or wine. You want enough liquid to cover 2/3 of the roast. I think with wild game, it helps to also flip the meat every hour. Some people do this. Others dont. Try it and see what works best for you. You can also create a better seal by lining the lid with foil.

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3.5 hours
Ingredients:
- 4-5 lb. bison roast
- 4 tbs. butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbs. canola oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp. thyme
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 cups of dry red wine
- 3 medium carrots, cut in half lengthwise, and into fourths
- 2 small russet potatoes (or equivalent), peeled and diced
- 2 packages of Baby Bella mushrooms
- salt and pepper, to taste
- crusty bread, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dab bison roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over roast, to taste.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tbs. of butter over high heat. Sear all sides of bison roast for a nice brown crust. Be patient.

Once browned, remove bison and set aside.

2. Lower heat to medium. Add 2 tbs. of canola oil. Add onion with a pinch of salt. Cook onion for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Stir frequently.

Add chopped garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Next, add 1 1/2 cups wine. Scrape bottom of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

4. Return bison to Dutch oven with the onion and wine. Add tomatoes and 2 cups of beef broth.

Add 1/4 tsp. of thyme and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Then cover tightly and bake in a 350 degree oven for 3 hours. Flip meat after every hour. Check if pot needs more liquid. Bison should be covered 2/3 way.

5. During the last 45 minutes, add chopped carrots and potatoes.

6. During the last fifteen minutes, heat 2 tbs. of butter over medium-high heat in a pan. Sauté Baby Bella mushrooms until cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Stir often. Set aside.

7. Once bison is tender, remove it from the Dutch oven. Shred roast into bite-sized pieces with forks.

Meat should be fall off the bone tender.

8. Discard bay leaf. Return shredded meat to pan, along with sautéd mushrooms and any juices.

Adjust seasonings. Serve with crusty bread, like French. Enjoy!!! This makes a fantastic winter dish.