Hearth Side Cooking ... Corned Beef and Cabbage

There isn't much going on in the gardens right now (although I am starting to plan my spring planting : ) so I thought I'd share my latest adventure with hearth side cooking.  I put a corned beef brisket in a 4 quart Dutch oven and dry roasted it for an hour, turning the pot several times so that the side closest to the fire wouldn't burn (I use welder's gloves to handle the hot Dutch oven).

After an hour I added a cup of water, let the beef cook for another half hour and then added the vegetables.

I let it cook for another half hour, keeping the fire fairly small ...

One end of the meat did get a little overdone, but  all in all, I'd say this was a successful experiment ...

Enjoy!

Updated:

I thought I'd show you what the fireplace looks like in case you were thinking that you need some kind of massive open hearth to cook this way ... it's actually quite small ...

...and here's FitzGyver installing our "Green" fireplace insert ....

Enjoy!

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire ...

Score the chestnut shells using a serrated knife ...

Place in lightly salted water and bring to a boil ...

...remove from heat, drain and roast in a dutch oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes ... or ...

... in your hearth ....

... carefully remove pot from heat (wear welder's gloves if cooking on a hearth) ...cover pot and allow chestnuts to steam for 15 minutes ... allow them to cool enough so that you can handle them ...... peel and ...

Enjoy!

It's A Cold And Rainy Afternoon ... Chicken and Dumplings!

Recipe and directions to follow ... : )

Enjoy!

 Updated:
The reason I posted the pic above yesterday was that I was feeling pretty darned pleased with myself.  I DID cook the chicken and dumpling in a cast iron skillet in my fireplace!

For those who have asked, here's the recipe.  You'll have to wait until I make it again for a photo of the finished dish.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Stew:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken broth, preferably homemade
1 cup diced red potatoes
1 mixed herb blob
2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used Chanterelles this time)
2 cups cooked chicken meat, coarsely chopped

Saute the onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil in a heavy pan until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.  Add the broth, the potatoes and the herb blob and cook over medium high heat  until the potatoes are done, about 15 minutes.  Mix the butter and flour together to form a paste (a beurre manie) and stir it into the broth mixture to thicken the stew.  Add the chicken and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

For the Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter or shortening
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Cut in butter (or shortening) with a fork or a pastry blender. Add the water and the parsley and stir until it just sticks together.

Drop large spoonfuls of the dumpling mix onto the top of the hot chicken stew.  Cover the pot and cook for about 30 minutes over medium heat until the dumplings are cooked through.

For the fireplace version:  Get a good bed of coals going in the fireplace.  Set 2 fire bricks into the coals (carefully!  I wore welder's gloves while doing this) about 8 inches apart.  Use a heavy cast iron pot or covered skillet. I did the step of sauteing the vegetables on  my stove top, added the broth and potatoes and placed the covered skillet on the fire bricks for about 20 minutes. I removed the skillet from the hearth (again, wearing welder's gloves), stirred in the rest of the stew ingredients and replaced the skillet on in the fireplace for about 10 more minutes.  I removed the skillet (don't forget the welder's gloves) and then built the fire up again and let it die down until I had another good bed of coals and then added the dumpling mix and returned the skillet to the hearth for about 30 minutes.  The dumplings actually browned a little bit and were perfect!

Enjoy!

Harvest Monday ... and Warm Quinoa Salad

I'm joining other bloggers over at Daphne's Dandelions as we share our weekly harvests...it's fun to see what others are harvesting and what they are cooking up with it...check it out!


I'm going to have to ask for a ruling from Daphne to see whether this constitutes a valid "harvest"  ...

I did use my garden trowel to dig up the worms I used for bait  ... and then dragged the worms behind my paddle boat on the lake right in front of my house (how's that for "local" ? : )


The rest of the menu did include some spinach ...

...that I used in the "Warm Curried Quinoa Salad" ...

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cups cooked red quinoa
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cashews
1 tsp curry powder
2 cups fresh spinach


Place the oil in a pan over medium-high heat; add the onion and cook briefly.  Add the next 5 ingredients and stir to combine the ingredients.  Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low and cook for about 10 minutes.  Place 1 cup of spinach on each plate and put the warm quinoa mixture on top.


Enjoy!

Harvest Monday ... And "Fusion" Thai ...

I've had some nice harvests of greens this week; lettuce, kale and chard, and Asian greens...

This is one of my favorite Chinese Cabbages, Tender Gold from Territorial Seed.  Look how big it has gotten!  This is from seed that I started in January and transplanted to a hoop covered bed in February.

I'm joining other bloggers over at Daphne's Dandelions as we share our weekly harvests...it's fun to see what others are harvesting and what they are cooking up with it...check it out! 


I harvested the big hod full of Asian vegetables for a Thai "Fusion" Dinner that I made for friends last night ("Fusion" meaning that I use ingredients that I have on hand, not all necessarily true "Thai").  The menu was "Thai Style" Egg Rolls with Crab, Scallop and Shrimp Filling, Sweet and Spicy Thai Chili Sauce, Thai Chili Sauce with Lime and Garlic, Thai Style Crab Fried Rice (I posted this recipe on April 4), Clam-Coconut Soup, Seafood Saffron Curry with Jasmine Rice, and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Pineapple and Crystallized Ginger Sauce for dessert.

Here is a close up of the Crab Fried Rice and Egg Rolls...

I thought I would share the recipes for the Egg Rolls and Dipping Sauces today...

Spicy Thai Chili Sauce
1 cup Mae Ploy Sweet Chilli Sauce (available in the Asian food section of many grocery stores)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Combine Chilli Sauce and vinegar in a small bowl and then whisk in the oil a little at a time.

Thai Chili Sauce with Lime and Garlic
Juice of 3 limes
4 to 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
4 to 5 chopped fresh Thai chilies (or 7-8 pickled Thai chilies ... I used the ones in my fridge from last season)
2-3 more Thai chilies for garnish

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and allow to sit  at room temperature for an hour or more (the longer it sits, the hotter it gets!).  Strain the sauce into a small serving bowl and discard the solids.  Add a few more finely chopped Thai chilies to the sauce for garnish.


"Thai Style" Egg Rolls with Crab, Scallop and Shrimp Filling
1 1/2 cups finely chopped Asian Vegetables (whatever is in season; I used Joi Choi, Chinese cabbage and Tatsoi)
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped bean sprouts
1/4 cup cooked crab (I use Dungeness)
1/4 cup chopped fresh (or frozen and thawed) scallops
1/4 cup chopped fresh (or frozen and thawed) shrimp meat
2 tbsp Thai Chili Sauce with Lime and Garlic
10 to 12 egg roll wrappers

canola or peanut oil for deep frying

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Place a spoonful of the filling in the center of a wrapper and roll up (here's a link to a You Tube video that shows how to roll up the filling in the wrapper).  Heat oil in large, heavy pot or wok and deep fry until golden brown.  Serve immediately with dipping sauces on the side.

Enjoy!

Harvest Monday...and Oyster Stew

There's still not much to talk about harvest wise...but I did cut a few herbs and pull some potatoes from storage for our Friday night Oyster Stew...

 Ingredients:

1 8-ounce container fresh, shucked oysters, drained (reserve the liquid) and cut into bite size pieces ( I use half of one of the 16 ounce containers of extra small Pacific Oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farm...yes, I know I mention them a lot...what can I say?  We are so lucky to have such an incredible resource for fresh shellfish practically in our backyard!!)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1  tablespoon  hot water

1/4  teaspoon  saffron threads, crushed

2 slices uncured bacon (I like Nielsen Ranch)

1  teaspoon  butter

1/2  cup  coarsely chopped onion

1/2  cup  coarsely chopped celery

1 cup diced potatoes

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 small sprig fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2  cups  half and half

freshly ground black pepper

ground red pepper

  

Place the chicken broth and potatoes in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender...set aside.

Combine water and saffron in small bowl... set aside.

Cook bacon in a heavy pot until crisp. Remove bacon, crumble... set aside.

Add the butter to the bacon fat in the pot and melt over medium heat. Add the onion,celery, rosemary and thyme and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the herb sprigs. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Strain the potatoes from the chicken broth and set aside. Add the oyster liquid, saffron and water, chicken broth and the half and half, stirring with a whisk.  Cook until thick (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently.   Add the potatoes, the crumbled bacon and the oysters. Season well with freshly ground black pepper. Cook about 3 minutes, until the edges of the oysters begin to curl.  Serve in a wide bowl and garnish with ground red pepper.  Serve with fresh, hot bread.  Serves 4

Enjoy!

Deb

Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic Polenta...

This is a great fall/winter recipe...I'm hoping that next year most of the veggies will come from what I preserve out of my garden....

Ingredients:

For the Lamb Shanks:
2 lamb shanks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 garlic cloves,minced
1 cup white wine ( I use Barefoot Chardonnay)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups fresh or canned diced peeled tomatoes
A sprig of fresh rosemary
A handful of fresh parsley
1 fresh (or dried) bay leaf
grated peel of one lemon


For the Polenta:
butter
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup coarsely ground cornmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
6 tbsp grated, good quality Parmesan cheese


In a large heavy pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown lamb shanks  in oil and transfer to a plate.  Lower heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until onions are translucent.  Add remaining ingredients to pot and stir.  Return lamb shanks to pot, bring to a simmer and cover.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lamb is "fall off the bone" tender...about 2 hours.

About 45 minutes before the lamb is done, start the polenta:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a medium sized baking dish.  Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan.  Gradually add the cornmeal, whisking until smooth with each addition.  Reduce heat to low and cook until cornmeal is soft and mixture is creamy, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in 4 tbsp of the Parmesan cheese.  Transfer to the buttered dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  Bake until polenta is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

When lamb shanks are tender , remove them to a plate and tent with foil.  Turn up the heat and and boil the juices in the pot until thickened.  Spoon some polenta onto a serving plate or bowl, add a lamb shank and spoon pan juices and cooked vegetables over.  Garnish with more fresh parsley if desired.

Serves 2 ( with leftovers if the lamb shanks are as big as the ones I've been getting recently at QFC :)

Enjoy!

Deb

Pumpkins!

I thought it was time to show you what I did with the lovely sugar pie pumpkins
I bought at the produce stand....

First I cut the pumpkins in half and scooped out the seeds...

I placed them on a baking sheet, covered them with foil and baked at 350 degrees for one hour. After they cooled I scooped the pumpkin away from the skin.

Here are our ingredients....

Place the following dry ingredients in a large bowl:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 In another bowl place and mix well with a fork:

1 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup softened butter

2 large eggs

Add the moist ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moist.  Spoon batter into a loaf pan that has been coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack and allow to cool (if you can wait that long...I can't :)

And what about all the rest of the pumpkin you cooked?......

 

It freezes well...and you have more for making more bread...

Enjoy!

Deb

Leek, Potato and Sausage Soup...

Let's take a look at our ingredients...

There's 2 more of the Aidell's Chicken and Apple Sausages and the rest of the chanterelle from the pizza I made 2 nights before, the last of some spinach from Olympia Local Foods (a little past its prime now), two leeks from the $1.00 a bag shelf at the produce stand, potatoes from my garden, the chicken broth I made in the last post, some ground cumin and a little bit of cream.  So, by using bits and pieces of things left in the fridge and freezer I'm making a quick, light meal for two with very little cost (add another sausage, another cup and a half of broth and another potato in the soup and serve with a half of a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and you would have a full meal for four).  But it isn't serendipity that those bits and pieces are there...as I made the original meals I deliberately set aside small portions, knowing that I wanted to make this soup...I call this using "planned overs" instead of "leftovers".

So...on to the soup.  Chop and rinse the white part of two leeks.  Saute the leeks in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until it is soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add 1/4 tsp ground cumin and cook for one minute more.  Add 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice) and the sausages (cut into 1/4 inch slices).  Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender.  Add the mushrooms (chopped), a couple hands full of spinach and one tablespoon heavy cream.  Heat for a minute or two and serve with a crusty roll.

You can make this soup without the chanterelle mushrooms and it is very good...but with the mushrooms it is great!

Enjoy!


Deb

My Pasta Sauce Recipe....

My mother made great pasta sauce!  She simmered it all day and the aromas coming from the kitchen were heavenly.  I used to make it the way she did, but one time when I was in a hurry I used a sauce from a jar and found that with just a little tweaking it was as good (or better) than my old version.  So here. as promised, is the updated recipe for my pasta sauce....

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 quart Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce ( or 1 jar Classico Mushroom and Olive Pasta Sauce)
One cup good red wine
3/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
Chopped fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, parsley)
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper to taste

 Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium high.  Add onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add sauces, wine, herbs, olives and pepper to taste.  Add meatballs from previous recipe and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and serve with pasta sauce.  Grate good Parmesiano Reggiano cheese over pasta before serving.

Enjoy!

 Deb

Deb's Pasta and Meatballs...

 

I love Italian food!  And I especially love meatballs...this is my favorite recipe...the procedure is a little different, but it makes the best tasting, tenderest meatballs ever!

Ingredients:
a loaf of day old French bread, crust removed and torn into chunks
a pound of lean ground beef
some good red wine
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil, rosemary and parsley, finely chopped
2 fresh, organic eggs
ground pepper (about 1/2 tsp)

Soak the dry French bread in red wine until completely saturated, about 10 minutes...

Wring excess wine out of bread (bread should be very moist, but not dripping wet)...

Place ground beef and wine soaked bread in a large bowl (there should be about equal volumes of bread and meat)...

Add the rest of the ingredients...

And mix well....

Form into small meatballs...an ice cream scoop helps make uniform sized balls...

Bake at 350 degrees  for 30 minutes...

Makes about 2 dozen meatballs...


Enjoy!

Deb

Deb's Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Forget that it is August 7th...this is Washington and the weather will do what it wants...and today it wants to be cool and rainy...perfect for taking leftover roasted chicken and potatoes and making  quick, easy chicken pot pies.

The first step is to make a nice chicken broth (you can use canned, but it never tastes as good and they almost always have too much salt added...and why spend the extra money when you already have the chicken bones?).  Remove the meat from the bones of the roast chicken.  Place the bones in a stock pot with whatever veggies you have on hand...today I used a couple ribs of celery, a cut up carrot or two, a sprig of fresh rosemary and one of parsley and the ends and outer skin of a yellow onion (saved the rest of the onion for the pot pies).  Cover the bones and vegetables with cold water, about one quart, and heat on medium until it just comes to a slow simmer...turn the heat down to low and simmer for an hour or so.  Pour the broth through a colander into a large bowl and discard the bones and vegetables (actually my dogs get the veggies...they love them!).  Return the broth to the pot and add the skimmed pan drippings from last night's roast chicken.  Heat on medium until the drippings melt and combine smoothly with the broth, about 5 minutes or so. Strain the broth again through a fine sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth.  There will probably be enough broth for the pot pies and some to freeze for another time.

For the filling to make 2 pot pies:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup cooked chicken meat
1 cup cooked sliced carrot
1 cup cooked diced potatoes (I used leftovers from the roast chicken meal)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan...add the onion and garlic and saute briefly...add the mushrooms and cook for 3 or 4 minutes...add the flour and stir until the flour and oil form a light roux.  Add the chicken broth, stirring constantly until a light gravy forms.  Add the vegetables and chicken...salt and pepper to taste...keep warm over a low burner.

For the crust:
1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
cold water
one beaten egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the flour salt and shortening in a bowl and cut through with a fork until crumbs form.  Add enough water to form a soft dough.  Roll dough out and cut out circles large enough to cover serving bowls. Place dough circles on cookie sheet and brush dough with egg wash.  Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

Place a portion of the filling in a serving bowl and top with a baked crust circle...Enjoy!

Hint: Use leftover pot roast and beef broth to make a beef version of the pot pies.....

An Abundance of Kale...

This year I planted many greens and vegetables that I had never eaten before and that has brought a whole new set of challenges...learning how to prepare them....I posted a note on Facebook asking for kale recipes and received many suggestions (thanks, everyone : ).  I asked for soups and stews because the weather has turned cold and cloudy and I wanted some comfort food...I tweaked a couple of recipes and came up with this...

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup 

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1”pieces

2 links Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 12 ounce can  white beans, rinsed and drained

Small sprig fresh rosemary

1 bay leaf

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

2 quarts chicken stock (preferably homemade from free range chickens)

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Break up the sausage with a spatula, and cook and stir until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Remove the sausage to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Stir the onion and garlic into the sausage drippings, cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add  chicken stock, rosemary, bay leaf and pepper flakes and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the sausage, potatoes, beans and kale and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add tomato and simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve garnished with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Deb

Foccacia with Warm Goat Cheese in Marinara Sauce....

I do love gardening in my raised beds! I'm at a point where I'm planning easy, healthy meals around what is ready to eat from the garden...I have a lot of lettuce ready so last night I made Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and Foccacia with Warm Goat Cheese in Marinara Sauce...and I thought I would share the recipe for the foccacia...

 Ingredients: pizza dough, marinara/pasta sauce purchased or preferably homemade, sliced Kalamata olives, sea salt, olive oil, fresh basil and goat cheese....

Heat oven with a pizza stone to 450 degrees...spread cornmeal on a pizza peel...roll dough out fairly thick and put onto peel...top with olive oil, a little sea salt and the olives...slide onto the pizza stone and bake for 10 to 12 minutes...until golden brown.

While the foccacia is baking spread some marinara sauce in the bottom of an oven proof dish...add thick slices of goat cheese...when the foccacia is done remove it from the oven and allow to cool a bit...put the sauce and cheese in the oven and bake until the cheese is warm and soft and the sauce starts to bubble...about 5 minutes.

 Top the cheese with chopped fresh basil and spread cheese and sauce over wedges of the warm foccacia...Enjoy!!

Oh, one more thing...don't turn your back on it, not even for a minute!!...at least not if my husband, Mike, is around...

I'll make a bigger one next time!

Enjoy!

Deb