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Category Archives: One Pot Meals

Split From the Cold with Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup has always been one of my favorites and one that does not get made too often, at least in my house anyway. traditionally it was always made with a ham bone to get the flavor from, which we never really have around this house very much. Secondly, Michelle has never been a big fan of pea soup, so I had stayed away from trying to make it. Recently she said I should give it a try since she knows how much I like it and she might feel differently about it now. Since I still did not have a ham bone to make it with, I went hunting for alternatives. I saw a lot of recipe that simply used bacon or ham steak as a replacement, but I wanted a bit more flavor than that. I immediately thought of ham hocks, but my local store did not have any. However, they did have some smoked pork necks and this seemed like it would work well enough so I gave it a try.

Split Pea Soup

2 smoked ham hocks or pork necks, each about 3/4 pound
1 1/2 cups green split peas, rinsed and picked over
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cups water or chicken stock

Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Add the ham hocks or pork necks and simmer for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. Pick over the split peas and discard any misshapen peas and stones. Rinse the peas and drain.

In a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and carrot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the ham hocks, split peas and the 8 cups of water or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the peas are soft, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat. Remove the ham hocks and let them stand until they are cool enough to handle. Let the soup cool slightly.

Using a blender and working in batches, puree the soup on high-speed until smooth, about 2 minutes for each batch. Return the puree to a clean soup pot. Alternatively, process the soup with an immersible blender in the pot. Thin the soup with more stock, if needed. Place the soup over medium heat and reheat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper.

While the soup is heating, remove the meat from the ham hocks and discard the skin and bones. Cut the meat into small pieces and add to the soup. Stir to heat through.

To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve.

I think the pork necks worked out really well and gave the soup a nice, smoky flavor that I really enjoyed. The soup thickened up nicely and tasted wonderful and there was just enough left over for me to have some for lunch today. It went really well with the Filipino sweet rolls that I made to go with them, but you could just as easily make some croutons to top the soup with also. As you can tell from the picture, I like to put a lot of pepper in my soup :).

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I still have a backlog of items from the holidays to share so I’ll be sharing more of those over the next few days. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

3 Comments

Posted by MikeG on January 4, 2014 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews

Tags: pea soup, pea soup recipe, split pea soup

While Shepherd’s Watch By Night, They Eat Shepherd’s Pie

26 Dec

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. We had a great day filled with lots of love and laughs and plenty of good food, which I will be getting to over the next few days or so. It was a packed meal with lots of great recipes that I have to share. in the meantime, I do have a recipe to share that I made just before the holidays. I had some lamb that I had used to make a meal early in the week and decided to grind it up to make some shepherd’s pie, one of our favorite meals. I actually made this one right in my trusty cast-iron skillet to make things even easier. This recipe is from Cook’s Country and was very easy to make.

Shepherd’s Pie

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped fine

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped fine

2 pounds ground beef or lamb

Salt and pepper

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup beer

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

1 cup frozen peas

Topping:

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

Table salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup heavy cream, warmed

Ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

For the filling, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is foaming. Add the onion and the carrots and cook until they are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the meat, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add the flour and the tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.

Add the heavy cream and cook until it spatters, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, beer, soy sauce and thyme leaves and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick but still saucy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the frozen peas, adjust the seasonings to taste and transfer the mixture to a broiler safe 2-quart casserole dish.

For the topping, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring the potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and water to cover the potatoes to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan and mash the potatoes with the butter and heavy ream until they are smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the potatoes over the filling, using a spatula to smooth out the top. Brush the topping with the beaten egg and drag a fork across the top to make ridges. Bake until the filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Just a couple of quick things about this recipe. If you prefer to use ground beef instead of lamb, it is easy to substitute. For the beer in this recipe, I used a basic lager (Samuel Adams in fact) but I think any mild beer would work well here or even a nonalcoholic beer if you prefer. The flour and cream mixed with the beer and soy sauce and tomato paste make for a nice, thick filling with great flavor. The topping is really just a basic mashed potatoes recipe, so if you have any leftover mashed potatoes you could also use them instead. In the past, I have also made a layer of mashed turnip or rutabaga to really add another layer of flavor. This one is a favorite around our house and I make this a few times a year.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another great recipe. I have quite a backlog of recipes to share now, so there are some great things ahead, including a roast lamb, roasted prime rib roast with vegetables and chimichurri sauce, melted potatoes, green bean casserole,French onion soup,, Swedish meatballs, homemade pizza rolls,baked beans,skillet pizza and more. I also got some new kitchen toys for Christmas to add to my arsenal and some new plans for the blog for the coming year, so keep checking back to see what is next. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 26, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, Lamb, One Pot Meals

Tags: Cook's Country shepherd's pie, mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes recipe, one dish meal, shepherd's pie

A Slow Cooked Meal Before the Holidays – Cuban Pork Shoulder with Beans and Rice

23 Dec

Okay, I needed room in my freezer to get things ready for all of our Christmas stuff late last week, so I knew it was time to make that pork shoulder that had been resting in the freezer. We had just had pulled pork on my birthday, so I set out to make something a little different with it this time and since I have been so busy with work and the holidays, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make use of the slow cooker and just do everything in there. I came across this recipe at My Recipes for a Cuban pork shoulder with beans and rice that fit the bill perfectly, so I gave it a try.

Cuban Pork Shoulder with Beans and Rice

2 3/4 cups chicken broth

1 cup fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)

1 medium orange, quartered

1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 (2 1/2-pound) bone-in pork shoulder, trimmed

1 pound dried black beans

2 1/4 cups chopped onion, divided

10 garlic cloves, crushed and divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano, divided

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups chopped tomato

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

2 2/3 cup hot cooked white rice

1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the chicken stock, orange juice, cilantro stems and orange quarters in a blender. Process until the mixture is smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard any solids. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the pork shoulder with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the pork to the drippings in the skillet. Brown the pork on all sides, cooking for about 8 minutes. Add the pork shoulder to the slow cooker. Pour the uncooked black beans around the pork in the slow cooker.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of the onions and 6 of the garlic cloves. Saute the mixture for 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the oregano, the paprika, the cumin, and the crushed red pepper to the pan and saute for about 1 minute. Add the orange mixture and the bay leaf to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring and scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits. Pout the onion mixture over the pork. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 8 hours or until the pork is very tender and the beans are done. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred the meat, and discard the bones. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the beans in the slow cooker.

Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, the remaining 1/4 cup of onion, the tomato and the jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Chop the remaining 4 garlic cloves and stir them into the tomato mixture. Spoon 1/3 cup of the hot rice onto each of 8 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup of the bean mixture, about 3 ounces of the shredded pork and 3 1/2 tablespoons of the salsa. Garnish with the remaining oregano and the chopped cilantro.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe. Since tomatoes are not so great around here this time of year, I omitted the salsa completely from the recipe. I think the dish was fine without anyway, but it would make a nice addition if you have some good tomatoes. Also, the original recipe recommends that you use the whole orange, skin and all, in the blender. Personally, I thought it would be too bitter and peeled the orange. You still get good orange flavor. I do have to say the beans and the mixture they were in is delicious, but they get a lot of heat from the red pepper flakes, so next time I might cut back on that, but if you like the heat, then it would be perfect for you. The pork was done perfectly and had great flavor and since it was in the slow cooker, it is basically a one dish meal (except for the rice) and clean up was really easy. I would make this one again since it is so easy to do.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I will try to get one on tomorrow early for Christmas Eve and then I have to prepare for Christmas day cooking. I’ll be sure to post recipes and pictures from that. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 23, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pork, Slow Cooker Meals

Tags: Cuban pork shoulder, Cuban pork shoulder slow cooker, Cuban pork shoulder with beans and rice, My Recipes, pork shoulder in the slow cooker

A Cold Day Calls for a Good Soup – Classic Tomato Soup

14 Dec

We are well into the winter weather here in New York, especially over the last few weeks where it has been quite cold. Today we are getting slammed with a lot of snow, but last night was pretty darn chilly as well. The best way to combat the cold weather? Make some soup for dinner. That is what I decided to do last night and I wanted to try to keep things simple. I am a big fan of tomato soup and I found this very simple recipe from Saveur to make a tomato soup in under 45 minutes and it will have great flavor. You don’t even need a lot of ingredients for this one.

Classic Tomato Soup

2 slices bacon cut into thin matchsticks

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 small carrot, halved and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes, well drained

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, lightly crushed

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Render the bacon over medium heat in a 3-quart saucepan until it is crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set it aside, reserving the rendered fat in the saucepan.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the butter. Saute the onion and carrot for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are very soft and beginning to caramelize, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring it frequently. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture, mix well and continue cooking for another minute. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Add the diced tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and garlic and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the soup from the heat. Add the heavy cream and puree the soup with an immersion blender until it is smooth. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and serve the soup garnished with the crisped bacon.

It is very simple to put together and gives you a nice, smooth, creamy texture. This tomato soup is better than any that you will pour out of a can and takes no effort at all. You can even make it completely vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and just adding an extra 1/2 tablespoon of butter instead. You can serve this just by itself or with a nice side salad or even some sandwiches. A lot of people love the grilled cheese and tomato soup combination. For me personally, I love a nice tuna salad sandwich or chicken salad sandwich to go along with it. You could even make some of your own croutons to sprinkle on the soup as well, or try some homemade bread.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. We’re making cookies today for the holidays, so I’ll have some cookie recipes to share this week. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day, stay warm and dry and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 14, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews

Tags: classic tomato soup, Saveur classic tomato soup recipe, Saveur magazine, tomato soup

Simple, One Dish Italian Dinners, Part 1 – Lasagna

13 Dec

Okay, anyone who knows me personally know I don’t eat pasta or cheese, but that does not mean I won’t make it for someone else to enjoy. Michelle and Sean both really like lasagna, and since we had Sean’s birthday meal not that long ago, he decided that he wanted to have some lasagna for his dinner. For me, this needs to be as simple of a recipe as it can be, and Cook’s Illustrated gave me just that in their cookbook with a straightforward meat lasagna with not a lot of ingredients that was easy to make.

Meat Lasagna

Tomato Meat Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

Cheese Filling:

14 ounces (1 3/4 cups) ricotta cheese

2 1/2 ounces (1 1/4 cups) Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (4 cups)

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the ground beef, salt, and pepper, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and only rendered fat remains, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and the diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and cook until the flavors meld, about 3 minutes. Set the sauce aside.

For the cheese filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the basil, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce evenly over the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in a single layer on top of the meat sauce. Spread each noodle evenly with 3 tablespoons of the ricotta cheese mixture and sprinkle the entire layer with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce over the top. Repeat the layering of the noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and the meat sauce 2 more times. For the final layer, arrange the remaining 3 noodles on top and cover the top completely with the remaining meat sauce.. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese then sprinkle it with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake until the cheese is spotty brown and the edges are just bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Cool the lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.

It was much easier to make this way using the no-boil noodles, but if you prefer to make your own noodles then you should go right ahead. I know everyone has their own family lasagna recipe, but if you are making your own for the first time and need one to start with then this one is pretty good to use because it is easy to follow and gives you good results. you can serve this with a simple side salad and some homemade garlic bread and you are good to go for the night. I know we’ll be making it again since Sean and Michelle love it so much.

That’s all I have for today.Check back next time for another recipe and see what comes along. I still have lots to choose from. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 13, 2013 in Beef, Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Uncategorized

Tags: cook's illustrated, Cook's Illustrated lasagna recipe, lasagna recipe, meat lasagna

I Promise, My Last Turkey Recipe for a While – Turkey Pot Pie with Stuffing Crust

06 Dec

You have my word that this will be the last turkey recipe I post for a while. We are working on a lot of other things right now, trying to get Christmas organized, the tree up, Sean’s birthday and it seems like and endless amount of other things but I will get to some new recipes next week, I promise. Anyway, this is a new recipe and was one I had never tried before that makes good use of cooked turkey or chicken. I got this recipe from Cook’s Country and it is for a very simple turkey pot pie with a stuffing crust.

Turkey Pot Pie with Stuffing Crust

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken or turkey broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen vegetables, thawed, or leftover vegetables

4 cups shredded cooked turkey

3 cups prepared stuffing or leftover stuffing

1 egg, lightly beaten

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and the celery until they are soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken or turkey broth and the cream and simmer until the mixture is thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the frozen or leftover vegetables and the turkey and cook until the mixture is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the stuffing and the egg in a large bowl. Place the stuffing mixture between pieces of parchment paper and roll it into an 11-inch circle. Remove the top layer of the parchment paper and cut the stuffing into 6 wedges. Arrange the wedges evenly over the filling and bake until the stuffing is golden and crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Instead of cutting the wedges, which seemed like some unnecessary work to me, I just spread the stuffing on top of the turkey mixture and baked it this way. I really liked the way it all came out and it made great use of all of the leftovers we had from our turkey meal. If you don’t have any leftover stuffing, you can easily just use some boxed stuffing for this recipe and make it the same way. I used all kinds of leftover vegetables in this one, like peas, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Everything thickened up really nicely and it made for a great one pot meal that was done quickly.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. we’ll be trying some new things out this weekend, including some cupcakes, a cake, baked ziti and more so I will lots of recipes to post to go along with those I haven’t gotten to yet. until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 6, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Leftovers, One Pot Meals, Poultry, Turkey

Tags: Cook's Country, holiday leftovers, turkey pot pie, turkey pot pie with stuffing crust, using leftovers to make pot pie

How About Some Turkey Soup?

05 Dec

I know, I know, we are all sick of turkey recipes at this point and everyone is busy thinking about Christmas cookies and your Christmas meal at this point. However, I still have a couple of recipes leftover of things I made with turkey so I thought I would put them out here. These recipes are for a very simple turkey stock that I made and then I used most of that stock to make a wonderful turkey soup from some of the leftovers we had of turkey. You could easily substitute some chicken for the turkey in the soup or the stock and get good results from both. First, the turkey stock.

Turkey Stock

1 leftover turkey carcass from a 10 to 15-pound turkey, including the neck, wing and leg bones

4 or 5 onions, quartered

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 large celery ribs, cut into chunks

2 cups white wine

2 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Kosher salt

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a sturdy knife or your hands, cut or tear the turkey carcass into large pieces. Arrange the pieces in a single layer in a roasting pan and roast until the pieces are brown and sizzling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pieces from the oven and transfer them to a stockpot. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the empty roasting pan and place it over medium heat. Saute them briefly, just to loosen the crusty turkey bits in the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to the oven and cook until the vegetables are browned around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it back over medium heat. Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes.

Add the wine-vegetable mixture to the stockpot with the turkey pieces. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns and stir. Add 6 quarts of water and place the pot over medium-high heat just until the mixture comes to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, skim any foam floating on the top and simmer, skimming as needed, for about 3 hours. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and taste. If the stock tastes too watery, keep simmering until the stock is flavorful. Taste for salt again and add more if needed.

Strain the stock through a sieve into a large container or containers. Discard all the solids. Let the stock cool slightly and the refrigerate or freeze it.

It’s a simple method that takes some time but gets maximum turkey flavor out of the carcass and what is left over. You get a wonderful roasted flavor into the stock that gives it a great addition. I froze some and used some for this soup recipe from Michael Chiarello.

Turkey Soup

8 cups turkey stock

3 cups diced turkey meat, white and dark meat

1 carrot, peeled and minced

1 celery stalk, minced

1 onion, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups leftover cooked vegetables (Brussels sprout, sweet potatoes, green beans)

1 tablespoon chopped sage

In a large soup pot, heat the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Allow it to brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the minced carrots, celery and onions. Sweat the vegetables over medium-low heat until softened, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Dice the leftover vegetables. Add the sage to the soup pot along with the turkey stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring the stock to a simmer. When the pot is simmering, add the Brussels sprouts, green beans and diced turkey meat to the soup. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer. Add the sweet potatoes to the center of the soup and gently push them down. Turn the heat off and cover the pot. Allow the soup to sit and steam, about 5 to 7 minutes. let the soup simmer for 5 more minutes before serving.

It is a quick and easy way to make good use of turkey meal leftovers or any chicken meal leftovers. it’s a simple soup that you can put together for a weeknight meal that will taste great and it makes for even better lunches the next day or two. I also added some frozen peas to the mix just to round everything out.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on December 5, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Leftovers, One Pot Meals, Soups & Stews, Turkey

Tags: Michael Chiarello, roasted turkey stock, turkey soup, turkey soup with leftovers, turkey stock, turkey stock recipe

A Side Dish for the Kids (and Adults Too) – Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

26 Nov

Let me preface this post by saying I do not like macaroni and cheese. I don’t eat pasta, I don’t eat cheese, so this dish really does nothing for me personally. That being said, it’s always a great idea to have something on the table that you know little ones are going to eat up, and macaroni and cheese always seems to be one of those dishes no matter what the occasion. Why not give the kids something special and offer this one up for them? Also, most adults I know love the stuff as well, so the big batch that this recipe makes might actually be just the answer you need for everyone and you may not even have that much left. According to Alton Brown, this is the most downloaded recipe of all-time at Food Network, so we had to give it a try to see what it was all about.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni

1 tablespoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon powdered mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 bay leaf

3 cups whole milk

1 egg

12 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pepper

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. For the pasta, In a 4-quart pot, cover the macaroni and salt with 1 inch of cold water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. When the pasta comes to a boil, begin testing it for doneness. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking.

For the cheese sauce, while the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Once the butter stops bubbling, whisk in the flour and cook until the mixture is pale blonde, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the mustard, paprika, onion and bay leaf and whisk to combine. Add the milk, whisking continually for 7 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat and discard the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add a few ounces of the milk mixture to the egg and whisk it to combine. Add another few ounces of the milk mixture to the egg and thoroughly combine. Then add the egg mixture back to the milk mixture and whisk vigorously. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and season well with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour it into a 4-quart casserole dish. Top the macaroni with the remaining cheese. Toss the breadcrumbs with the melted to butter to coat the crumbs. Sprinkle the macaroni with the breadcrumb mixture in an even layer.

Bake the macaroni and cheese for 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

As I said, I don’t like it, so I didn’t try it. That task was left to my macaroni and cheese experts, Michelle and Sean, who both adore the meal. They both liked the added texture you got from the breadcrumbs and both really enjoyed the cheese sauce. Their only critique is that they felt the onion was a little too overpowering in the dish. I think for the next go round on this one, we’ll be leaving the onion out of the equation all together. If you like the flavor yourself, and I am sure many people do, by all means leave it in. I think it’s a great idea to have this on your Thanksgiving menu so it gives something a little different to eat for everyone and maybe appeals to the finicky kids who may not eat anything else. It’s certainly worth a try.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I do have one more stuffing recipe to share and then some ideas for leftovers, including a turkey pot pie and some turkey soup. I already made about 12 cups of stock from the turkeys I have used over the past week or so, so there are plenty of soup options. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 26, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, Holidays, One Pot Meals, Pasta, Vegetarian

Tags: Alton Brown, Alton Brown macaroni and cheese, baked macaroni and cheese, food network, macaroni and cheese, macaroni and cheese recipe, Thanksgiving side dish

A Little Break From Thanksgiving For a Pork Chop Casserole

20 Nov

I am taking a little break today from all the holiday recipe ideas I have been making and posting to write about the entrée I made this past weekend for dinner. I had just received the latest issue of Cook’s Country magazine a few days ago and they always have such great recipe ideas in there that I end up using many of them in our daily cooking. This is true of the pork chop casserole I made on Sunday. Pork chops are not something I would normally consider as a great idea for a casserole dish, but this recipe made them perfectly and it tasted amazing.

Pork Chop Casserole

4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Salt and pepper

4 (8 to 10-ounce) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1-inch thick, bones removed, trimmed

1 head green cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 onion, halved and sliced thin

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Process the white bread, Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor until coarsely ground, about 8 pulses. Set the mixture aside. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until they are well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a cutting board, halve them crosswise, and place them in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

Add the cabbage, carrots, onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the now-empty Dutch oven and cook, covered, until the cabbage is wilted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook the vegetables until the onion is browned and the moisture from the pan has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, thyme and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sage and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and the cream, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until it is thickened, about 1 minute. Pour the cabbage mixture over the pork chops and cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake until the pork chops are tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, and continue to cook the casserole until the top is browned, about 15 minutes. Top the casserole with the bread crumb mixture and continue to bake the casserole until it is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the casserole cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I know it may seem silly to use blade pork chops with the bone and then remove the bone, but there is a reason for it. The blade chops generally have more fat than the other chops you see in the stores, and these most often have the bone in them. More fat not only means more flavorful meat in this case but it is also less likely to dry out while cooking in this method. I loved the flavor the casserole had with the mix of the pork and the cabbage and the bread crumb topping added just the right amount of crunch without there being too much of it. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and I’ll be making this one again. I served this with the winter squash bowls and some roasted balsamic potatoes to round out the meal.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I have a couple of breads I have tried recently that might be good for Thanksgiving coming up – some french bread and some focaccia rolls. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on November 20, 2013 in Cooking, Dinner, One Pot Meals, Pork

Tags: blade pork chops, cabbage, Cook's Country, Cook's Country pork chop casserole recipe, pork chop casserole, pork chop casserole recipe, pork chops

A Chinese Takeout Classic at Home – Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts

31 Oct

Let’s face, we all love the convenience and taste of most Chinese takeout. There is nothing quite like getting an egg roll, some fried rice and one of a dozen or so classic Chinese takeout meals to make things easy and tasty on a weeknight or weekend. I admit we get Chinese takeout about once a month now, mainly because I have found that anything that we really like I can make at home and have it cost a lot less and often times taste better and fresher.I had come across this recipe in the New York Times a while back for a classic Chinese menu meal of Gong Bao chicken with peanuts. This one is so easy to make and only takes a few minutes of your time and you can have a meal that tastes better than your favorite takeout.

Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts

For the Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 garlic cloves

1-inch section of fresh ginger, peeled

5 scallions, white parts only

4-6 dried chiles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

For the Marinade:

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon dry sherry or dry vermouth

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon chicken stock or water

Cut the chicken as evenly as possible into half-inch strips, then cut the strips into small cubes. Place the chicken in a small bowl. Add all of the marinade ingredients and 1 tablespoon of water to the bowl with the chicken. Mix well and set the bowl aside.

Peel and thinly slice the garlic and the ginger. Chop the scallions into chunks as long as the chicken cubes so they match in diameter. Snip the chiles in half or into sections, discarding the seeds.

In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until the chiles are darkening but not burned. Remove the skillet from the heat if necessary to prevent the pan from overheating.

Quickly add the chicken and stir-fry it over high heat, stirring frequently. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic and scallions and continue to stir-fry everything until the garlic and ginger are fragrant and the chicken is just cooked through, about 2 or 3 minutes. You can test one of the larger pieces of chicken to be sure it is done.

Give the sauce a stir and add it to the ingredients in the skillet, continuing to stir and toss the mixture. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir into the mixture and remove the skillet from the heat. Serve.

There are a few things about this dish. First, if you can’t find Sichuan pepper (and it may not be readily available), there is a Sichuan oil that you can get instead to use. It doesn’t add any heat to the dish but has a lemony flavor to it. you can always omit it from the dish if you can’t locate anything else. The peppercorns are often used in Chinese five spice powder. The same goes for the dried chiles. My family does not like things very hot, so I simply went with red bell peppers and added some chili oil for a little bit of heat. One thing you do need in this dish is the peanuts. Michelle and I both agreed the peanuts made the dish. They add great crunch and flavor. You can buy already roasted peanuts in the store or you can roast your own in a 250 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Just watch them closely because they can burn pretty easily. I stir-fried some green beans, mushrooms and carrots in a separate skillet so we had some vegetable with the meal and also served it with white rice. I loved the flavor of the sauce and marinade and the peanuts really gave a lot to the dish.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for some more recipes. I had hoped to get some Halloween stuff together, but it just didn’t happen with other things going on around here, so maybe next time. however, I did make some homemade peanut butter cups which I will share next time. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal and have a happy Halloween!