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Pot Roast

Posted in Beef, Comfort food, Main course, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2011| 7 Comments »

Pot Roast

Fall has finally arrived and the temperatures here in Virginia are so much more comfortable. We have gotten quite a bit of rain lately, which I love,  and with the gloomy dark skies comes a desire for comfort food. And Pot Roast is just that. Inhaling the sweet aroma while the roast is cooking and tasting the delicious fall-apart meat and tender veggies…it’s a little piece of heaven!

Ingredients:

4-5 lbs beef chuck roast, tied

Kosher salt and black pepper

Flour

Olive oil

5 carrots, chopped

1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 large leek, white and light green parts chopped

1 large potato, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

 1 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock, homemade prefered

28 oz whole plum tomatoes in puree

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat beef dry with a paper towel, Season the roast all over with 1 tbsp salt and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Dredge the roast in flour and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the roast and brown all sides, each side should take about 4-5 minutes. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to Dutch oven and add carrots, onions, celery, leeks, potatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp Kosher salt and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes until tender but not browned. Add wine and bring to a simmer, Add chicken stock, 2 tsp Kosher salt, 1 tsp pepper. Break up whole plum tomatoes a little and add the remaining 28 oz can of tomato juices.  Put the roast back into the pot and bring to a simmer. Cut thyme and rosemary into small pieces, place on a small piece of cheese cloth, close cheese cloth ends into a bundle and tie closed with butchers string. Place herb bundle into pot and submerge into liquids. Cover Dutch oven with lid and place into oven. Cook in oven for 2 1/2 hours until meat is tender or about 160 degrees internally. Note: turn the heat in the oven down to 250 degrees after about 1 hour of cooking.

Remove the meat to a cutting board. Remove herb bundle and discard. If needed, skim off fat from the sauce. Place half the sauce into a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer on the stove top.

Place 2 tbsp flour and butter in a small dish and work them together using a fork. Stir into sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for proper seasoning.

Remove string from roast and slice the meat. Place on serving platter and pour some of sauce over. Serve warm and enjoy!

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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Lasagna With Sausage And Spinach

Posted in Comfort food, Italien, Main course, pasta, tagged , , on June 13, 2011| 5 Comments »

Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my son’s all-time favorite dishes, mine as well. But then again, I’ll eat any type of pasta, anytime. The thing about Lasagna is that it’s a time-consuming dish, so lately when I make it, I make two dishes and freeze one. You want to make sure you freeze the assembled Lasagna before it is baked. Then just thaw it in the refrigerator for a day before baking.

What I really like about Anne Burrell’s recipe is how the Basil is mixed in with the Ricotta cheese which gives it a wonderful flavor. In my opinion, the greatest thing about Lasagna is how versatile it is. You can make it a hundred different ways by substitute whatever type of vegetables and/or meats your heart desires. I don’t really think that I have made the same Lasagna twice because it is always a little different. A very helpful tip that Anne Burrell also gave on her show was to layer the lasagna noodles in a criss-cross fashion to help prevent the lasagna from gliding apart once it’s cut and to let it cool down for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting into. Fifteen minutes are an eternity when your hungry and it’s Lasagna your waiting for.

Ricotta Cheese with Basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Sausage and Spinach

 

Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano

 

Home-made Marinara

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs sweet Italian sausage

12 oz mushrooms, sliced

a pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 oz fresh baby spinach

2 cups ricotta cheese

8-10 basil leaves, chopped

1 egg

2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

your favorite home-made marinara sauce

16 oz package lasagna noodles

1 lb grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 7 minutes, drain and lay flat on a baking sheet, set aside.

Break apart Italian sausage and brown in pan, set aside. Add sliced mushrooms and crushed red pepper flakes to pan, season with salt and cook until soft. Add garlic and spinach and cook just until spinach is wilting. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, basil, egg and 1/2 the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix to combine and season with salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish add a couple of ladles of marinara sauce and spread evenly. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles over sauce. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles in the opposite direction and top with sauce, 1/3 of mushroom mixture, mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Repeat these layers until all ingredients are used up and the pan is full. Make sure that the top layer consist of marinara sauce topped with cheese.

Place dish on baking sheet, cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking time to brown the top. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Lasagna

Source: adapted from Anne Burrell

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Chicken Pot Pie

Posted in Chicken, Comfort food, Main course, Pie, tagged , , , on March 28, 2011| 9 Comments »

Chicken Pot Pie in ramekin

Chicken Pot Pie is a regular visitor at our house especially during the winter months when you need some warm comfort food. However, I have been known to serve piping hot pot pie  in the middle of summer if the mood strikes. Recently we’ve had some nice warm spring days here in Virginia but then it turned cold again (they even threatened us with snow) and so the mood was set for a wonderful warm Chicken Pot Pie.

In this post I wanted to share two different versions of my Pot Pie. They are both equally good, one is just quicker than the other. I like to use either Cilantro or Thyme but you can use whatever is your favorite herb. Sometimes I make it as a 2 crust pie, sometimes in ramekins with a top crust, which is what I did in this recipe.

Here’s a little interesting Pot Pie trivia for you. Did you know that the crust in pot pie was typically not eaten but placed there to keep the taste of the iron pot away from the food. “ONE CRUST OR TWO?” Leslie Land, Los Angeles Times, September 24, 1992 (p. H11)

Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients

Ingredients:

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 tablespoon dry sherry

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen carrots

4-5 sprigs fresh Thyme or Cilantro

Pepperidge Farm puff pastry

1 egg, for glazing pie crust

Quick version sauce:

1 – 2  cans Cream of Chicken with Herbs (10 3/4 oz cans)

Homemade version sauce:

5 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup flour

chicken stock

Chicken Pot Pie filling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

Clean chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Season chicken with salt, pepper. Spray pan with cooking spray and lightly brown chicken, remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add chicken back into pan and then add sherry and simmer for 1 minute.

For quick version sauce: add cans of Cream of Chicken with Herbs, peas, carrots and Thyme. Simmer covered 10-15 minutes.

For homemade version sauce: in small saucepan melt butter, then add flour and whisk until combined, simmer 1-2 minutes to remove flour taste. Add chicken stock while whisking until desired consistency. Add sauce to onions in pan. Then add peas, carrots, Thyme and simmer covered 10-15 minutes.

Add chicken filling to ramekins. Unfold puff pastry and cut out circles 1 inch bigger than ramekin size. Cover filled ramekins with circles of dough. Beat egg with fork and brush onto dough to give a nice golden finish. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If dough is browning too fast cover loosely with foil. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Chicken Pot Pie made as a 2 crust pie

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Tortellini Soup

Posted in Comfort food, Italien, Lunch, Main course, Quick and Easy, Soup, tagged , , , , , on March 7, 2011| 5 Comments »

Tortellini Soup

I was searching high and low for something to make for dinner when I came across this recipe. It’s a wonderful Tortellini soup that is so quick and easy to make, perfect for when you get home from work and you’re too tired to make anything that requires any complex thinking. The ingredients are simple and you probably already have most of them on hand. I used a three cheese tortellini which brought a wonderful subtle cheese flavor into the soup but any type of tortellini would do great. An added bonus is that the soup also is perfect for left-over lunch the next day 🙂 

Ingredients:

olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices

4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock

9 oz. tortellini

3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed

salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesano reggiano, grated for serving

Directions:

In a large pot heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in dried oregano and diced tomatoes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions. When tortellini is cooked, add baby spinach and remove from heat. Once the spinach has wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, serve warm with grated Parmesano reggiano cheese. Enjoy.

Source: originally from The Well-Fed Newlyweds via Annie’s Eats

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Beef in Paprika Sauce

Posted in Beef, Comfort food, Main course, Stew, tagged , , , , on February 21, 2011| 11 Comments »

Beef in Paprika

The nice thing about living in Virginia is that Spring comes early and fall stays late. Our winter is short and yes we did get a fair amount of snow this year but the snow melted away within a couple of days. And so now that Spring is slowly approaching (we have already had a couple of wonderful warm days in the 70’s 🙂 yes we are lucky indeed) but before Spring really takes a hold on us I think we can squeeze in one more dish of what I consider a comfort food. This is a wonderful beef stew with a mild and sweet paprika flavor, onions, tomatoes and tender mushrooms. It becomes even more delicious when served with a slightly perfumed Jasmine rice…my all-time favorite rice. So before the tiny buds burst into brilliant green and we all start sneezing again there is still time for one more hardy meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs cubed beef

1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon salt

olive oil for browning

1 onion, diced

6 large mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoon sour cream

water and cornstarch

Directions:

Trim off excess fat and cut beef cubes into bite size pieces. Season meat with paprika and salt. Place beef cubes in hot pan and brown, careful not to crowd the pan. You may have to brown meat in batches. Once meat is browned remove to a plate and set aside.

Add onions to pan and cook until translucent, then move onions to outer edge of pan and add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms until they just start to soften. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chicken stock and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and let simmer for 1/2 to 1 hour. Add sour cream and stir. Mix cold water and cornstarch in a cup to make a slurry and add into simmering beef stew in small increments until desired thickened consistency. Serve over Jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Beef in Paprika

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Winter Minestrone Soup….with Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Comfort food, Main course, Soup, tagged , , , , , , on January 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

Winter Minestrone with Chicken

Chicken does not belong in a good Minestrone soup! yes I know this. But it does add a little more bulk and flavor of course. Besides, I had some left over chicken that was begging me to be put to good use. So the chicken is totally optional here. Leave it out and you’ll have a wonderful Winter Minestrone soup….without the chicken. And this soup really is wonderful. It’s packed full of flavor from all the vegetables and pancetta. And if you have a left-over piece of Parmesan rind, please don’t throw it out, but instead toss it into the soup. Trust me, it brings this soup to a whole new level.

Winter Minestrone

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 fresh rosemary sprig

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

28 ounces chicken stock (recommend homemade but can use store-bought)

1 ounce piece Parmesan cheese rind (if you have it on hand)

1 pound fresh baby spinach, lightly chopped if you desire

2 cups shredded pre-cooked chicken (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, pancetta and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and rosemary sprig. Simmer until tomatoes starts to break down, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 3/4 cup of the beans with 1/4 cup of the chicken stock in a food processor or blender until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining chicken stock and Parmesan rind to the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer until the potatoes pieces are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the whole beans, baby spinach, pre-cooked chicken and parsley. Heat through until the spinach is wilting and the chicken is brought up to temperature. Remove the Parmesan rind and rosemary stem. Enjoy hot.

Winter Minestrone Soup with Chicken

Source: adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

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Chili

Posted in Beef, Comfort food, Main course, tagged , , , on December 31, 2010| 13 Comments »

Winter Wonderland

We actually had a white Christmas this year, as a matter of fact, we had record snow falls here in Virginia. It may not have been as much snow as some of our more Northern neighbors got, but for Virginia this amount of snow has been very unusual. It started snowing on the evening of Christmas Day and continued on through 1st Christmas Day. I ♥ snow and of course I had to go out and explore it. It was beautiful and magical and the air was cold and refreshing. I must say that I enjoyed every moment of it.

Chili

Chili is such a great comfort food, perfect for when it’s cold outside. It’s quick and easy to put together and then just let it simmer away on the stove. I prefer to make my Chili one day in advance to allow the flavors to really come together. Of course, you can adjust the seasoning to your liking. I don’t make my Chili too spicy but if you like it hot, then by all means, add more Chipotle in Adobo sauce. Not only does this ingredient bring heat but it also brings a wonderful flavor as well. By the way, this Chili freezes very well making it an easy grab and go dinner. Enjoy!

Wizards made by jganvil

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)

plus 2 cans water (14.5 ounces)

1 can pinto beans, rinsed (16 ounces)

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed (16 ounces)

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle in Adobo sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large heavy cooking pot, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium, add the chopped onion and green pepper, continue to cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste and mix well. Add diced tomatoes, water, beans, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 2-3 hours. Remove from heat and let it cool for a little for 15 minutes. Place in storage containers and refrigerate. Serve Chili the following day or freeze for later.

Simmering Chili

Iron Wizards are made by Artist Blacksmith Joseph Gentile. To see more of his ironwork go to jganvil.com

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted in Chicken, Comfort food, Soup, tagged , , on December 17, 2010| 5 Comments »

Chicken Noodle Soup

Tis the season…for soup. Ahhh good old Chicken Noodle soup. Feeling cold and in need of some comfort food? this soup ought to pick you right up. I get a little excited when it comes to soup and after having made so many sweet cookies and desserts lately, it is time for something savory. It’s warm, delicious, an easy dinner or a soothing lunch. It’s loaded with vegetables and it is not at all difficult to make. I would really like to recommend that you make this soup with homemade Chicken Stock which will intensify the flavors and give you an amazing soup. In this particular soup recipe I used rutabaga, but if it’s not available to you, just use parsnip or turnip. I hope it will keep you nice and warm.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 medium rutabaga, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch slices

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

2 quarts chicken stock

4-8 ounces dried wide egg noodles, as you prefer

1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken

Salt and pepper to taste

small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Place olive oil in soup pot over medium heat and add onion, garlic, carrots, rutabaga, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add noodles and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and heat through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Source: adapted from Tyler Florence

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Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Posted in Appetizers, Comfort food, Lunch, Main course, Soup, tagged , , , , , on September 13, 2010| 17 Comments »

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

If you read my blog on a regular basis you’ll know that I am a bit of a tomato freak. So it makes sense that tomato soup is one of my favorite types of soup. In my humble opinion, there is nothing more soothing than a bowl of warm and slightly peppery tomato soup served with a slice of fresh bread. Yum!

This time I chose to make it a smooth textured soup but if you would like it a little more coarse, use canned diced tomatoes instead of whole canned tomatoes. And only blend the roasted tomato chunks and then pass them through a sieve. This will give you more chunks but without skin and seeds from the roasted tomatoes.

Also I should mention, that this recipe makes quite a few portions and if your family or friends are not too keen on tomato soup, no worry, because this soup freezes really well. I like to divide it into smaller serving sizes, freeze and defrost as needed for a quick-lunch. I hope you enjoy this wonderful Roasted Tomato Basil Soup.

Delicious roasted tomatoes

 Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)

5 garlic cloves, minced

a pinch red pepper flakes

1 (28 ounce) canned whole San Marzano tomatoes

4 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 quart chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut tomatoes into halves. Toss together tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread tomatoes out onto a foil covered baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, saute onions, garlic and red pepper flakes with 2 tablespoon olive oil until onions start to brown. Place the roasted tomatoes and canned tomatoes in a blender, food mill or a food processor and blend until smooth. Press tomatoes through a sieve to remove skin and seeds, make sure to scrape all the thick good stuff off the bottom of the sieve.  Add the tomatoes, basil, thyme, chicken stock and juices from baking sheet to the skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Taste to see if more salt or pepper is needed. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Tomato and Basil, a match made in heaven

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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Butter Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Comfort food, Main course, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2010| 15 Comments »

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken

This is an absolutely delicious chicken dish; I just can’t stress that enough. Truly, this is one of my favorites. You can make it with or without the whipping cream or you can use half and half instead, I have made it either ways and it’s equally delicious. This dish is also great to make ahead of time, as a matter of fact, the flavors are more intense the following day. Try serving this with Jasmine Rice if you can find it at your local grocery store.  Also, I cut back on the amount of butter. Come to think of it, should we still call this Butter Chicken then?

Ingredients:

4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

5 Garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground Coriander

1/4 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Cardamom

1 whole Lime, juiced

1 whole Onion, diced

2 tablespoon Butter

2 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 can (14.5 oz) Tomato Sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes

a pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 cup Whipping Cream

1 bunch chopped Cilantro, to taste

Serve with Jasmine Rice

Directions:

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and place in a large zip lock bag or bowl. Add first 8 ingredients to the chicken and mix it up well. Marinate 12-24 hours in refrigerator.

Saute onion in butter and olive oil until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook 8-10 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add whipping cream and cilantro just before serving over Jasmine Rice.

Source: The Pioneer Woman, originally posted on Tasty Kitchen by lillieknits

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