Week 10: Lamb Stew a la Marshall Field's

Plan about 3.5 hours to make this, but it is incredibly easy and very tasty. Another dish with company over...and the company has survived to tell the tale! However, no photos this week. While I was getting the meat ready, a child of mine decided that was the perfect time to clean the fish tank...and spilled some of the yucky fish tank water all over the counter. Fortunately none of it got on the meat...but it prompted a mommy-meltdown, which is best remedied with wine. And Amen this recipe calls for wine so I had an open bottle and kept cooking!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 pounds cubed lamb meat for stewing
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups beef broth, plus more if needed.
1/2 cup dry red wine (three cheers for this ingredient!)
6 carrots, sliced into coins
2 cups pearl onions, or 8 small onions, peeled and halved
2 cups frozen peas

In a shallow bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, and flour. Add the lamb cubes and toss well. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the lamb cubes in batches and cook, turning, for 10 to 12 minutes, until browned on all sides. Add the garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, broth, and wine. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender, adding more broth if needed.

Add the carrots and onions, season with a littel salt and pepper, if needed, and continue cooking, covered for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the peas and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve in individual crocks.

My notes:

1. The lamb meat I got from the butcher was not in cubes, but rather in squares about 1-inch square, and only 1/4-inch thick. Coating all of that with the flour took some time (aside from the fish tank incident). I had 3 1-lb packages, so I'd coat a pound, then brown it while I coated the next pound. It sort of worked, but I ended up needing more oil for the browning.
2. I used more like one and a half bay leaves. It seemed like a more appropriate amount.
3. I used a syrah for the wine...drank the rest between me and the company. maybe THAT's why it tasted good?!
4. The broth...one small can was just the right amount. It measured to be more like 1 3/4 cups, but I ended up needing it.
5. Pearl onions...found them in the freezer section. I let them thaw during the two hours the meat was cooking.
6. I used 7 carrots instead of 6 just because it seemed like a lot of meat.

This would be an easy one to modify the vegetables, etc. But cooked as is, it was superb!

Week 9: Sour Cream-Cranberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt (not kosher salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 scant cups fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-cup, fluted, nonstick Bundt pan with nonstick spray.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the flour, wheat germ, salt and baking powder and mix until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the cranberries.

In a separate bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon and toss to mix well.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle on teh nut mixture. Cover with the remaining batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until firm and golden brown on top. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate to unmold.

My notes:
I chose this with the intention of taking it to a Sunday noon potluck. It didn't make it with me, and it wasn't worthy of any pictures. That aside, the taste was wonderful!

• I only had salted butter, so I used that and simply cut out the salt the recipe calls for.
• I know it's not cranberry season so I used dried cranberries instead. I found a source that said you can use 3/4 dried cranberries to 1 cup fresh cranberries. It is best to let the dried cranberries soak in warm water for 1/2 hour before using them, so that's what I did.

Really, I followed the recipe. The problem came when I turned it upside down. It didn't come out in this lovely Bundt pan shape. It fell out in about 3 huge pieces, and 15 smaller pieces. Your guess is as good as mine as to why - maybe I didn't spray enough non-stick spray, maybe the dried cranberries really weren't an acceptable substitute, anything. But it didn't matter. The girls loved this, especially warm from the oven. So I'd make it again, but maybe I'll wait until cranberry season to see if that was the problem.

Week 8: Chicken Breasts with Tomato-Basil Sauce

This is another quick and easy recipe. The girls liked the flavor, but didn't like the chunks of tomato in the sauce. Someday they'll expand their horizons!

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and freshly ground balck pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

16 grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Preparation

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess.

Combine the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the shallot and garlic to the hot pan. Saute for 1 minute, then add the vinegar to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat. Stirring constantly, add the basil, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the butter is incorporated into the sauce.

Place a chicken breast on each plate and pour the sauce over. Serve at once.

I made one substitute to this...I couldn't find a shallot at the grocery store (user error on my part...I didn't know what it was until I got home and looked it up). So I used 1/8 of a red onion minced instead. It took me about 20 minutes to prepare this and serve it with a salad and mashed potatoes, as recommended by the chef in the cookbook.

Week 7: Canadian Cheese Soup

It's March and somehow I'm only in week 7 with this. Oh well! Some of these have had more than one recipe with it, so I'll consider it all good.

I'm not sure why we chose soup to do this week. Maybe it was the Canada vs. USA hockey game at the Olympics that made this one stand out. And sometimes, soup is just the right thing for dinner. Plus, this looked easy. I was ready for an easier recipe this time. I forgot to take pictures. But it is just soup...nothing fancy to see about it :)

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unslated butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
3 cups chicken broth
2 pounds aged sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, sitrring for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Sprinkle the flour and paprika over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer, whisking occasionally, for 10 minutes, until thickened. Decrease the heat to low and whisk in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is completely melted and incorporated. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve hot.

This was good and easy. The one mistake I made was going a little cheap on the cheese, I think. The end result was a little chunky. Had I been willing to spend the $30 for the really good sharp cheddar cheese, I think this would have been avoided. But we bought cheaper bricks and my daughter had a good time shredding while I did the rest of the work.

Week 6: Roasted Pork with Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I had no clue what I was getting into with this one, but it turns out to be one of my favorites so far...ranks up there with the meatloaf! But you have to make all of this together. The flavors are wonderful! I even had company over to help eat this (had to...look at the size of the roast!) and got the same rating. Actually, the company's note on this is that it is good fall flavors, almost an alternative Thanksgiving meal. Served with a malbec wine, we were happy campers with this one!

Pork Preparation
1 gallon water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup ground black pepper
1 (8-rib) pork loin rack, bones frenched
1/4 cup garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a very large bowl or cooler, combine the water, sugar, salt, and pepper and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Completely submerge the pork in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 36 hours.
I used a cooler I have that fit the pork loin perfectly. And since it is February, I just left in the garage. I prepped this Friday night, and cooked it Saturday night.

Preheat the over to 275 degrees F. Combine the garlic, rosemary, parsley, and olive oil in a food processor and blend to a paste. Remove the pork from the brine and gently pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and rub the garlic-herb past all over the pork. Place the pork, bone side up, on a rack fitted over a roasting pan. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and roast an additional 20 minutes, until the pork reaches 145 degrees F. Remove from teh oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving into individual chops.
I don't own a food processor, so the best I could do was use my blender to make the 'paste'. So mine was a chunky paste, but it still covered the pork and worked out okay. I also don't have a roasting pan big enough for this, so the butcher told me to take a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan and put the cooling rack in there, and put the pork loin on that, bone side down. It worked for me :)

Apple-Cranberry Chutney
1/2 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 cup apple cinder vinegar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Braeburn applies, peeled and diced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup thinly sliced dried apricots

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then decrease the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occassionally for 30 minutes, until thick. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Serve the chutney warm or allow to cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
This was a little work, but was well worth it. The taste with this and a little of the pork in the same bite...nummy!

Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of well-salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain the sweet potatoes and return to the pan. Add the butter, syrup, salt, and pepper and mash ith a potatoe masher or heavy wire whisk until smooth. Taste adn adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.
The easiest part of the meal and very, very tasty! I'll admit...I've never purchased sweet potatoes in my life, so I had no idea how to pick or what to pick. I finally asked the little old lady who seemed to know what she was picking. She directed me to use yams instead of the sweet potatoes. She said they have better color and better flavor. So I used 3 yams with this recipe. No leftovers of this part!

Place a pork chop on each plate and serve with the chutney and sweet potatoes.

Week 5: Individual Apple Strudels

Sorry for the delay...the rest of life took over for week or so there!

Anyone who knows me knows I have a sweet tooth, so I just couldn't stay away from the dessert recipes any longer. I learned a bit on this one...I'll say that! There are pieces to this, so I'll put the ingredients, then the directions for each of the pieces. Read through the whole thing before you do this and you'll see how it comes together.



Streusel Topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix together with a fork until crumbly.

Ironic...the part that goes on last is the first thing in the recipe!


The Fruity Part
3 1/2 cups peeled sliced Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, butter, cinnamon stick, water, and nutmeg in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the apples are softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the walnuts. Allow to cool to room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.


I did it again...typed this out and just realized I missed putting in the walnuts. Really, I have them in the cupboard ready to go, JUST for this recipe! Oh well. I used Craisins for the cranberries and opted for the cooking followed by leaving it in the refrigerator overnight. That part was just fine.


Other Ingredients
2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water



Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut each of the puff pastry sheets into 4 equal squares (reserve 2 squares for other use). Using your hands, stretch the squares about 1/2 inch larger in each direction. Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the pastry squares with the egg wash. Place 1/2 cup of the apple filling in the middle of each square. Fold the corners over partway to make a hexagonal pastry, covering part of the filling but leaving most of it exposed. Press down lightly. Brush the folded0over corners with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Springle 1 tablespoon of the topping over the filling.


Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the pastries to the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between them. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve warm.


Look Kirsten! A picture! So this is how mine looked before I put them in the oven. I thought I was clever and started with the pastry sheets right on the parchment paper. Then, when I was done, I just slid the baking sheet under the parchment paper and was ready to go!


I folded the corners WAY over and found out they unfold on their own while baking, so fold away!

• There is plenty of topping to put more than 1 tablespoon on each strudel. You'll see.


• I should have cleaned any extras off the parchment paper. They burned and stole some of the better aroma from the room.


• Those 2 extra squares...do something separate with them. I thought I'd fill them with a little sugar and cinnamon, fold them over, all that good stuff...um...no. Don't do it. I'm lucky I didn't set off the smoke detector again with that experiment!

When all was said and done, this is what the better of mine looked like: The 30 minutes was a hair too long for my oven, but with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, it didn't matter much.

Week 4: Marinated Salmon

This was a really easy one, especially when you do it my way and leave a few things out :) This is meant to be an Indian dish when prepared according to the recipe. I went without the tandoor spice, but still feel like it was a good meal - a little different, but in a good way. This is better than the roasted garlic chicken, I'm sure of that!

Marinade Ingredients
2 cups yougurt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tandoori spice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
4 (6-ounce) salmon filets

Preparation
Combine the yogurt, honey, lemon juice, tandoori spice, and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Place the salmon in a shallow baking dish and pour the marinade over, turning to coat evenly. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Preheat a gas grill to high or prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill Remove the salmon from the marinade and dry with paper towels. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray. Place the salmon on the grill rack and cook, turning once, for about 4 minutes on each side, to desired doneness.

My Notes:
I learned just how much I really am in Central Minnesota on this one. Tandoori spice is an Indian spice, not to be found in any major grocery store in my town. So I skipped it! I was able to find Tandoori paste, but I couldn't figure out how much of that to use whent he recipe called for the spice. Oh well.

Instead of 4 filets (which we would never eat all at once) I made the marinade and only had one larger filet in it. Still worked!

Also, it's winter here and my grill is under about a foot of snow. I broiled this instead. The marinade made this incredibly moist, even after broiling. I'm sure it would have been absolutely awesome if I had grilled it!

The cookbook recommends serving this salmon with an eggplant mash and drizzled with a pomegranate vinaigrette. The eggplant mash I managed to make (see below), but not the vinaigrette. It calls for pomegranate molasses, another item I could NOT find in a store in this town. I skipped this part completely, and instead experimented. I had some raspberry vinaigrette dressing, so I drizzled that on the salmon and eggplant mash instead. I thought it was pretty darned good!

The eggplant mash is easy to make and has a nicely different taste to it. The girls each took one bite and said no thanks. But I liked it. To each his own! So here's that part:

Eggplant Mash
3 small Italian eggplants
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the eggplant in a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes, until soft on the inside. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Scoop out the pulp onto a cutting board and chop well. Place a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Whent eh oil is hot, add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the eggplant and cook until the mixture is a chunky mash. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

My Notes:
Okay, I'll admit it...I had NO idea how to roast an eggplant, so I did a little research. Turns out the eggplant is actually a very large berry. Who knew! I cut the top off (like that of a strawberry), then cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. I put some foil on a cookie sheet and sprayed it with no-stick spray, then put the eggplant halves meat side down onto the foil. They could have been done at closer to 35 minutes instead of 45, but they weren't over done at that point.

Once I let it cool, it was easy to scoop out the meat and chop. I took my Pampered Chef chopper to it just a couple times then put it in the pan. I cooked the mash while the salmon was broiling. It worked out pretty well!