Tag: stew

Hearty chicken stew with potatoes over Couscous

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IMG_2549.jpgI love making one pot meals as you may have noticed from my previous posts and also hearty stews are so comforting.  They are easy to make and soul satisfying to me.

This is a chicken stew I made in a rich tomato sauce with potatoes

Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and sear on high heat till the chicken is golden brown.  I throw in some fresh thyme while this is happening – you can use rosemary, oregano or almost any herb of your choice.

 

Because I am lazy or very smart – you decide – I make some room at the side of the pan and add a couple of table spoons of flour.  I brown this for a few minutes until the flour is brown and cooked through.  You might have to add a little oil to make sure this happens well.

 

Next, I add a cup or two of wine – red in this case since that’s what I was drinking.  You can add white wine and or stock – even water works, I tell ya.

I also like to add tomato paste along with the flour for a deep rich color but I didn’t have any handy.  The stew still came out well.

And if you get anything from my recipes – just know that they are suggestions and not the gospel – once you master some techniques, you can experiment.  Don’t sweat or worse, not cook just because you don’t have one ingredient.

 

IMG_2535.jpgSticking with the lazy or genius theme. I throw in a chopped onion or two and they will cook down just like you sauteed them in the beginning.  At this time I like to add some more thyme and more salt and pepper.

 

Now for 6-8-10 cloves of garlic, crushed and a can of whole, peeled tomatoes, smushed up.  Yes, that’s a word 🙂

IMG_2545After the garlic and tomatoes, I covered and simmered the chicken for about 30 minutes and then add the potatoes – cooking for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes and chicken is cooked through.

Next, taste the sauce for salt and adjust to taste.

Sometimes, I will add a few tbs. of wine which I don’t cook out – this gives the stew a unique flavor.  Also a couple tbs. of vinegar can be nice in rounding out the flavors.

Serve this in one of many ways – as is with crusty bread, or over rice, pasta, couscous.

I like to make enough t so that I can eat it for a few days in different ways.

I hope you try this and other stews – they basically cook themselves and you get to look like the star in your kitchen.

Until I cook again!

Corn and Seafood Stew

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I found the last of the summer corn and decided to make a stew with seafood for dinner.

Corn is the great American vegetable – there are hundreds of ways of making it (ok tens of ways) – this stew is easy and o so good.

4- 6 ears of corn, husked

1 cup chorizo sliced ( optional)

use bacon if you like – the pork provides a great depth of flavor to the broth

2 cups prosecco, white wine or broth

1 lb. mussels

1 lb. little neck clams

(use as much or as little seafood as you like)

6 new potatoes, cut into quarters

1 cup hatch chili paste

(I am lucky to have a friend in New Mexico who supplies me with hatch chilies that I freeze and make a paste in the blender with water to use in different dishes – if you can’t find those chilies, roast any of your favorite chilies like jalapenos, serranos and or poblanos)

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of a lemon

cayenne pepper to taste

2 tbs oil

Heat a casserole with the oil.  Brown the chorizo till caramelized.  Add the chili paste, potatoes and corn.    Season with salt and pepper – be aware that the chorizo is salty – add more later if need be

Cook for about 15 minutes or till the potatoes are soft.

Sprinkle with cayenne if using and add the prosecco.  When it comes to a boil add the clams and mussels.

Cover and cook till the shell fish is just open.

Squeeze lemon juice – taste for seasoning and serve hot with crusty bread.

Enjoy.

Until I eat again!

Oxtail Stew in Red Wine and Thyme

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I mentioned yesterday that in the summer time I like to either quick meals that take under 20 minutes or dishes that can just simmer on the stove while I can relax in an air conditioned room.

This is one of those dishes – it is simple, you can make a large pot and eat it a couple of times or else you can freeze it for a day when you don’t want to be in the kitchen at all.

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Oxtail cut into pieces 2 inches or so thick

3 heaping table spoons tomato paste

2 tbs. olive oil

sprigs or thyme or rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups chicken or beef stock (use water if you like)

1 cup red wine

1 head of garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbs. white vinegar or lemon juice

potatoes or other root vegetables like turnip, parsnip, carrots, etc

2 tbs. flour for thickening

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In a hot skillet, heat the oil and add the salt and peppered ox tail along with sprigs of thyme or rosemary.  Sear on high heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the seared ox tail to a plate and add the flour and tomato paste – add another tbs of oil if it is too try.  Stir well till the flour and paste are incorporated well and let out the oil and is a glistening red color.

Add the cup of wine to deglaze, the garlic cloves and the broth or water.

Bring liquid to a boil and add the oxtail and any accumulated juices into the pan.  Bring back to a boil and then simmer, covered for about two, two and a half hours or so.

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Add potatoes and any other vegetables you are using and cook another half hour to an hour till the meat is falling off the bone.

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A lot of fat will be rendered.  Either skim it off with a ladle or if eating the next day, put in refrigerator overnight and the layer of fat will set and then you can easily remove it.

Now taste for seasoning and add the vinegar or lemon juice.  Stir well and add some chopped parsley for garnish.

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Serve with a crusty baguette, over pasta, couscous or rice.

Substitute the oxtail with shanks, osso bucco or almost any stew meat

Enjoy.

Until I cook again!