Dinner – Page 11 – First Look, Then Cook

Tamale Pie

Published on December 16, 2009December 16, 2009 by Dawn3 Comments

Every so often life gets a little out of control. Ok, maybe a little more than every so often – but especially around the holidays. This time of year we try to do everything – and it gets a little overwhelming. I am trying to keep my head above the water – but it is not easy. This recipe makes life just a little easier though when you are looking to feed a large group of people. Most of the tamale pies or tamale casseroles that I see out there seem to have a cornbread crust – which is fine sometimes, but I like the more traditional corn flavor that is not sweet. This is why I love this recipe – the topping is polenta – the texture and taste is perfect with the filling. It is as close as a real tamale without all the work. If you don’t eat beef, you can make this with ground turkey or ground chicken and it will taste just as good.

Ingredients

1 cup polenta
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb. leanest ground beef
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes in thick puree
2 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the polenta topping: In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the polenta with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, bell peppers, and garlic, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in seasonings, tomatoes, and corn and simmer about 5 minutes.

In a 9×13 inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray or oil, place meat and vegetable mixture. Spread polenta topping over the mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered, until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

For a printer-friendly recipe, please click here: Tamale Pie

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

Published on December 5, 2009December 5, 2009 by Dawn4 Comments

I am a huge fan of Posole – which is a Mexican stew make with pork and hominy, often served on Christmas Eve. If you have not had hominy before, it is dried and puffed kernels of white corn. They make a great addition to stews because they are hearty like beans, and have a wonderful corn flavor. I found this recipe in Cooking Light and only made a couple of changes. If you don’t have ancho chile powder, it is fine to use regular chile powder. This is definitely one of the healthiest versions I have made, with no compromise on flavor. There is no need to cook this stew for hours, it comes together very quickly. I must say though, the best Posole has been frozen and then reheated – so make some extra and freeze it, you will very happy with the results. This stew is perfect with cornbread – and also delicious over polenta.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cups chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 small can of diced green chiles
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pork from pan; set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Return pork to pan. Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, chile peppers, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

Chicken Pot Pies with Root Vegetables and Cheddar Biscuit Crust

Published on November 22, 2009November 24, 2009 by Dawn2 Comments

There is something about eating your dinner out of an individual ramekin that makes me happy. Maybe it’s because I don’t like to share, or because it is perfect portion control, but whatever it is, I love it. Last year I had a chicken pot pie recipe challenge – this is when I decide to try a bunch of different recipes of basically the same thing – and decide which is best to put in my special notebook. Fortunately I have some friends that happen to love chicken pot pies, maybe even more than me. Over the course of a few weeks, I made a handful of recipes – some with a biscuit topping, some with a pie crust on top, and even one with filo dough. All were acceptable, but this one rose to the top. The cheddar biscuit had a perfect amount of flavor and tenderness to soak up the chicken gravy – and the top crusted perfectly to give a little crunch. This time around I had a lot of root vegetables in the refrigerator so I went that route – but really anything would be great. You could also easily substitute turkey to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers (which the original recipe called for).

I found this recipe in Gourmet, and only modified it slightly for the root vegetables and protein. I used 10 10-12 oz. ramekins, but you can easily make this in one dish and just put mounds of biscuits on top of the filling.

Ingredients

For filling:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup celery root, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large parsnip (peeled), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
4 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For biscuit crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk

Preparation

Make filling:
Cook onion, carrots, celery, celery root, parsnip, fennel and thyme in butter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch-wide shallow pot (3- to 4-quart), covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in stock (3 1/2 cups), scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat over low heat just before topping with biscuit crust.

Make biscuit crust and bake pie:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheeses and toss to coat. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms.

Spoon filling into 10 10-12 oz ramekins. Drop biscuit dough onto filling.

Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

For a printer-friendly recipe, click here: Chicken Pot Pies with Root Vegetable and Cheddar Biscuit Crust

Chicken Curry

Published on November 6, 2009 by Dawn2 Comments

I love curry – I love the way the flavors meld together and create a comforting spicy stew that you eat with rice. I also love how simple it is to make a delicious flavorful dish that is easy enough to make after you have been at work all day. Like many of the dinners I make, you can use what you have in the refrigerator, and it will taste great. I found this recipe in Cooking Light by Danielle Stephenson. Because I didn’t have sweet potatoes in the house, I used russet potatoes instead – it was delicious. If you like a curry with some serious kick, use the Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chiles from Trader Joes. Using just a can of regular diced tomatoes will give you a milder curry.

Ingredients

2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 vertically sliced onion
1 1/2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (1/2 inch) cubed peeled potato
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 T fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red-pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potatoes and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf. Serves 7.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Chicken Curry

Roasted Pork with Fennel

Published on October 26, 2009 by Dawn1 Comment

In my opinion, fennel is the most underrated vegetable there is. I discovered fennel a few years ago, and have been hooked ever since. It is contagious too – I remember telling a good friend of mine about the roasted fennel I made, so she made it one night. She was hooked, and couldn’t get enough of it. Yes, it is on the more expensive side, but so well worth it – especially when roasted with pork. This is one of my favorite recipes from Gourmet – even though it only came out about 9 months ago, I have made it at least a few times. The crushed fennel seed rub on the pork really knocks it out of the park. I have adapted the recipe slightly for temperature and cooking time.

Ingredients

1 tsp fennel seeds (or better yet, ground fennel)
1 lb. pork tenderloin
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, reserving fronds
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 C dry white wine
1/2 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 with rack in middle.

Crush fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle if you feel like your arms need a good work-out. If you are lucky enough to have a mini-cuisinart, use this to grind the seeds – also, a coffee grinder would work as well – just don’t plan on grinding coffee in it afterwards. If you can find ground fennel seeds in the store – you just won the jack-pot.

Pat pork dry, then sprinkle with crushed fennel seeds and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cut fennel bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges.

Heat oil in a 12-inch oven-proof heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown pork on all sides, about 6 minutes total, then transfer to a plate. Sauté garlic and fennel wedges in skillet until fennel is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then stir in broth and butter. Put pork on top of fennel and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145 to 150°F, about 25 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer skillet to stove top (handle will be hot) and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice and 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds. Thinly slice pork and serve over fennel with sauce.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Roasted Pork with Fennel

Garden-Rice Casserole

Published on October 19, 2009 by Dawn8 Comments

It was the last big harvest of the year – and I ended up with too many vegetables in the refrigerator. In combination with our CSA market basket, we were overflowing. When this happens, there is really only one thing to make – Garden-Rice Casserole. This recipe is yours to customize any way you want – I never make it the same way twice, because it always depends on the vegetables I have on hand. If you don’t have something I list below, just substitute it for something you do have – there are really no bad combinations. You could add shredded chicken to this, cooked ground turkey, the sky is the limit! If anyone makes this, do me a favor and comment on your substitutions. Hopefully you will think this is as foolproof as I do.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green or red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 zucchini, shredded with skins on
2 cups carrots, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 T fresh dill, chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus 2 T
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add chopped onion and peppers and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add shredded carrots, zucchini and salt and cook until soft, about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and cool.

In a separate bowl, mix together dill, rice, cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and bread crumbs. Add cooled vegetables and mix carefully. Add beaten eggs just until combined.

Spread mixture into a glass baking dish covered in cooking spray – I use a 10×10 square, but an 8 1/2 x11 would work as well. Sprinkle the remaining 2 T of parmesan cheese over the top. Bake until bubbly for 30-45 minutes. Broil for the last couple minutes until nicely browned on top.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Garden rice casserole

Beef Stew

Published on October 10, 2009October 15, 2009 by Dawn4 Comments

Beef Stew

This week I lost a close friend. It faithfully followed me around the country, and showed up in my mailbox every month for almost 20 years. I would flip through the pages looking at the beautiful pictures, imagining that I would make everything every month. Ok, well that never happened, but I did manage to create quite a notebook filled with my favorite Gourmet recipes over the years. When Ruth Reichtl took over as Editor for the magazine, I couldn’t have been more pleased – I read most of her books, and looked forward to reading her columns each month.

November will be the last issue for the magazine, and I am still in denial. I know that when December comes, I will be expecting the issue with the delicious cookies on the cover. I will just have to go to my notebook and find my favorites. Over the next few weeks look for recipes on my blog in honor of Gourmet – I may even pull out some of my all-time favorites.

This is my mother’s recipe for Beef Stew. This is a perfect meal for a cool fall day. This recipe is a little different from a typical Beef Stew recipe in that it is made with chicken stock and white wine, as opposed to beef stock and red wine. This gives the stew a lighter and sweeter flavor, making it perfect for the fall. As with most stews – it is even better leftover.

Ingredients

2-1/2 lbs. chuck shoulder roast, cut into 1-1/2” cubes, trimmed well
S & P TT (I use kosher salt and freshly ground peppercorns)
½ C All Purpose flour
3 T vegetable oil
2 C sweet onions, cut into 1” cubes
2 C carrots, cut into 1” lengths
12 baby red potatoes, cut in half
2 T tomato paste
2 C white wine (I use a mild wine like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc)
2 C low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson but strong homemade broth would be better)
3 tsp fresh thyme

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325-350 degrees.

Salt and Pepper the beef. Place flour in plastic bag and add the seasoned beef. Shake bag to coat the beef. Remove beef, shaking off excess flour, and place beef on a plate.

Preheat a large, heavy dutch oven on top of stove on medium-high heat. Add oil and when shimmering, add beef. Do not crowd beef. Brown beef well on all sides and remove to a plate, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Repeat this process with the remainder of the beef, removing beef to the plate when finished. Add more oil if necessary. Be careful not to let the browned bits on the bottom of the pot burn, regulating the burner as necessary. When the all of the beef is finished browning, pour off all but 2 T oil.

Add onions and carrots to dutch oven. Salt and pepper the onions and carrots. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Remember; do not let browned bits burn on bottom of pan. Add the tomato paste to the onions and carrots and stir to coat. Add wine to dutch oven, bringing to a boil, stirring and scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the dutch oven. Reduce the wine by one half. Add the chicken stock to the dutch oven and stir. Add beef and the potatoes to the dutch oven and stir to combine. Liquid should come up to a few inches below the level of the beef and vegetables. Bring the stew to a boil.

Cover dutch oven tightly and place onto the middle rack of the preheated oven and cook gently for about 2 hours or until the beef is very tender. Remove beef stew to a cooling rack, correct seasonings, and add the fresh thyme, gently stirring. Let the beef stew cool, uncovered for an hour on the counter, then refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to serve, remove the beef stew from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about ½ hour. Gently reheat beef stew in a preheated 350 degree oven until heated through, about 45 minutes. You can keep beef stew in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Some say that it is better left-over.

Serves 4

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here: Beef Stew

Turkey Chili

Published on September 22, 2009October 13, 2009 by Dawn1 Comment

chili

I had no intention of putting this recipe into the blog. I tolerate chili – but I certainly don’t crave it. Every once in a while though, I read a recipe that has a “special” ingredient in it – so different, that I just have to make the recipe to see what it tastes like – even if I am not a big fan of the overall concept. This is one of those recipes.

This recipe is adapted from the Cincinnati Turkey Chili recipe printed in Cooking Light. The “special” ingredient was chocolate. The thought of chocolate and turkey with beans is not at all apealing to me – but sounds very much like a mole sauce. I had to see what it was all about – and let me tell you, it is genius. It added a richness that paired beautifully with the other flavors – the sweet green peppers, walla walla onions, cinnamon – every bite was delicious. Try it for yourself.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
8 ounces lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups sweet onion, divided
1 cup chopped green bell pepper or mild sweet pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through allspice); cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Top with remaining 1/2 cup onion and cheese.

Serves 4

For a printer friendly recipe, click here: Turkey Chili

Chicken Burritos

Published on September 18, 2009October 13, 2009 by Dawn1 Comment

burritos

In Colorado when you go to a Mexican restaurant, they ask you if you want Green, Red or Christmas. They are talking about the chile sauce that smothers the burritos. I adapted this recipe from the Chicken Burritos Grande recipe in Gourmet and put a green chile sauce on top. With the red chile sauce oozing out of the burritos mixing with the green chile sauce on top – it was a perfect christmas combo.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1 medium onion chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 large (burrito-size) flour tortillas
4 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese blend, divided
1 14-oz can green chile enchilada sauce

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and toss just until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, and chipotle powder, stir 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer sauce until slightly thickened and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Coarsely shred chicken and add to sauce. Simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Stir cilantro into filling. Place tortillas in the oven for 5 minutes wrapped in foil to soften. Place 1 tortillas on work surface. Now the next section all depends on how big your tortillas are… Sprinkle some grated cheese down the center of tortilla, leaving a 2-inch plain border at the top and bottom. Add filling (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup). Fold over into a burrito and transfer to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the burritos, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered until heated through and cheese melts, around 15 minutes.

Now…if you were like me and used smaller tortillas, then you will have a lot of filling left over. So, for leftovers the next night – cook some rice, put it in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish, put the filling on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Put in a 350F oven until the cheese is melted, and the filling is nice and warm.