Category Archives: MAIN DISH RECIPES

OVEN BRAISED KOREAN BEEF

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In the past, Mr. C. and I have gone together with his sister Katie and her husband Rick to share a half beef. And I have absolutely no trouble using up the ground beef, tender steaks, or various other choice bits. But then I am left with chuck steak, rump roasts, arm roasts, chuck roasts, and heel of round. Some of which I have no idea how they should be prepared. Except for one thing that each of these cuts have in common. They are not tender cuts of beef. They are going to need special attention and fussing over to help them achieve greatness. So that equates to a whole lot of braising action that’s going to have to happen at Chez Carr within the next few months. So standby for more recipes of this ilk to come your way.

So armed with the knowledge that I would need to do something noteworthy to the meat to make it palatable, I asked Mr. C. to pull a couple of packages of chuck steak from the freezer, while I went on line to research recipes.

Now I’m a sucker for anything with soy sauce as an ingredient. So I searched under beef and soy sauce and found this recipe on the damndelicious.net site. I messed a bit with Chungahs recipe, mainly because her recipe was designed to be cooked in an Instant Pot. I prefer the more intense flavored braise that happens when meats are left to their own devices in a Dutch oven. So I adapted the recipe to my own personal preferences. Plus I really appreciate the way braising meat flavors the air in my kitchen while it’s bubbling and tenderizing away in the oven. (As with soy sauce, I’m also a sucker for good cooking smells wafting through the house.) 

Anyway, I made this recipe and we both enjoyed it very much. And aside from browning the meat, this was a quick and easy main dish to put together. Then serving it with steamed brown rice and Sunomono, well there was very little prep time involved for this dinner. And sometimes I really appreciate the less time the better in my kitchen. I think getting older is having that effect on me. Although there are still days when all I really want to do is play in the kitchen. Perhaps it’s just that some days preparing food seems more like work; other days it seems a lot like play. I think that happens to most of us who spend any time in our kitchen. At least most of the time cooking still feels more like play than work. So I guess for now at least, you can count on new recipes coming your way via my kitchen.

As always, stay safe, and please respect yourself and those around you by wearing a mask when in public. Also, remember to cut people some slack during this rough time. You haven’t walked in anyone else’s shoes, and many people are wearing multiple pairs of shoes right now. As parent, teacher, spouse, cook, wage earner, shopper, gardener, etc. etc.

So please remain stalwart in all your dealings with others. Compassion, understanding, and empathy never go out of style. Neither does good food. So get cooking. If nothing else it will keep you busy. And busy hands are happy hands. Or so the old adage goes. Peace and love to all.

1 c. beef broth

1 c. water

½ c. reduced sodium soy sauce

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. sesame oil

1 T. rice vinegar

1 tsp. Sriracha, or more to taste

1 tsp. granulated onion  

1/8 tsp. white pepper or freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. vegetable oil

2 lb. beef chuck roast or other tough cut of meat (bones, fat, and grizzle removed as much as possible), cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. freshly grated ginger

2 tsp. corn starch

sesame seeds

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk the beef broth, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Sriracha, granulated onion, and white pepper together.

Heat oil in a covered Dutch oven. Add the meat cubes and fry until brown. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for one minute.

Pour the sauce over the meat, cover, and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1½-2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. (Check after an hour to make sure there is enough liquid. If not, add a bit more water or beef broth.) Meanwhile mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup water. Set aside.

When the meat is tender, remove from oven and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook over medium heat on your cooktop until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning. 

Serve garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. Great with steamed brown rice and Sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad) or a lovely roasted veggie. 

CREAMY CHICKEN CHILI

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I don’t know what the weather is like in your part of the world right now, but here on Camano Island its misty moisty and fluctuating around 65 degrees. Not offshore misty, but rather rainy misty. And not really cold, but not warm either. So to my thinking, it’s still soup and chili weather. So I thought about it for a while yesterday morning and decided to serve chili last evening for dinner.

Now just because I wanted chili for dinner, didn’t mean that I wouldn’t appreciate a new take on an old favorite. And one type of chili I had never made before was a chili containing chicken rather than beef or pork. I like chicken. I’ve got chicken in the freezer. So chicken chili it is! Only one problem. I don’t quite know where to begin. So to the internet I proceeded.

And based on the white chicken chili recipe I found on the cookingclassy.com site (with my own adaptations of course), I prepared this really delicious and comforting dish for supper last evening. It was easy to prepare, contained ingredients I had on hand, and was basically a one dish meal. I like one dish meals. But I decided to fancy up the meal a bit, so I made a small plate of nachos to go with the chili. Simple really. Just a layer of tortilla chips, a bit of both sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and a smattering of pickled jalapeño. Bake for 4-5 minutes in a 400 degree oven, and Bob’s your uncle! (And no, I don’t usually use mozzarella cheese in either chili or on nachos. But I didn’t have any Monterey Jack, so I used what I had on hand.)

So if you too would like to serve chili for dinner some evening, but a chili that’s a bit different, give this recipe a try. Want more heat? Add some fresh jalapeño. Don’t have any cannellini beans on hand, use canned chili beans in a sauce like I did last evening. Don’t like beans, leave them out. Don’t like chicken, leave it out too. Wouldn’t matter. The chili would still be delicious.

In any event, stay happy, stay healthy, and keep trying new recipes. I think one of the reasons I am weathering this coronavirus pandemic with all of its ramifications as well as I am, is because I get to try out new recipes, write about my triumphs, and share them with you. You simply don’t know how much it means to me to be able to include you in my life in this very simple way. Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

¾-1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized chunks

seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ c. diced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 c. chicken broth

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

¾ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. ground coriander

pinch cayenne pepper

1 c. cooked cannellini beans or 1 can beans of choice  

1 c. corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)

2 oz. (¼ pkg.) cream cheese

1 c. grated mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or other melty white cheese

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp. fresh lime juice, or more to taste

tortilla chips

sliced avocado

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the chicken. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook the chicken just until it’s done. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic; cook for one minute.

Add the chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the beans, corn, and cooked chicken. Bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, green onions, and lime juice. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls with tortilla chips and avocado passed at table.

Note: If you have leftover chicken, by all means use it in this dish. Add it along with the beans and corn as instructed in the recipe.   

   

LEFTOVER SALMON PATTIES

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Since we are not drifting into our local grocery stores on Camano Island and in Stanwood with any regularity or alacrity right now, I asked Mr. C. to pick up a double portion of fresh salmon when he made our last grocery run. Dutifully performed, I prepared all of the salmon he brought home using my tried and true, can’t get much easier, lazy cooks method for rendering salmon (or any firm-flesh seafood) beautifully tender and succulent. (Recipe below.)

I had a hankering for both salmon fillets and for salmon patties. So Wednesday night I served pan fried salmon, coleslaw, and leftover Oven Roasted Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes with Fresh Sage Leaves. (Recipe on site)

Last night I used the remaining cooked salmon to prepare salmon patties, and served them with the leftover coleslaw from the night before, and a baked sweet potato split between us. (See a pattern here with leftovers? Believe me, this is not the norm in our kitchen.) Anyway, I found the recipe for these salmon patties on the Natasha’s Kitchen site. (Terrific food site BTW) Although I already have a great recipe (Salmon Cakes) on this site, it just looked like too much work yesterday afternoon. Plus I always like to try new recipes.

We both really enjoyed the salmon patties. They were perfectly seasoned and not at all dry. Also in their favor was the fact that they had been easy to form and stayed together very well while they were being cooked. (Doesn’t always happen when making patties – of any kind!) And because these patties were so delicious, and they had been so easy to prepare, I highly recommend treating your family to a salmon pattie dinner in the very near future. Now all I have to do is figure out what to serve with my leftover salmon patties. And the beat goes on…..

As always, stay safe, stay connected, and stay happy. Peace and love to all.

3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 T. unsalted butter, divided

¾ c. finely minced onion

½ c. finely diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (or combination)   

2 lg. eggs

3 T. mayonnaise

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. minced fresh parsley

1 c. Panko bread crumbs    

¾ -1 lb. cooked salmon, flaked

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large fry pan. Add the diced onion and bell pepper. Sauté until the veggies are softened. Remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, mayo, Worcestershire sauce, granulated garlic, seasoned salt, pepper, and parsley together in a mixing bowl.

Add the cooled veggies (don’t wash the pan), along with the Panko bread crumbs, and salmon to the egg mixture. Stir well to combine ingredients.

Using a large ice cream scoop, place formed patties on a wax paper lined platter or baking sheet. Press down slightly to flatten the patties. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours before cooking.   

Heat another tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in the saved fry pan over medium heat. Add the salmon patties and sauté 3½ to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and hot. (If salmon patties brown too quickly, reduce heat.) Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Add remaining olive oil and butter as required. Serve hot with your favorite tartar sauce or mayonnaise.

PAN FRIED SALMON FILLETS WITH LEMON AND CAPERS

1-1½ lb. salmon fillets, bones removed and at room temperature  

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 T. unsalted butter

1 tsp. lemon zest

3 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

3 T. capers, drained

Lightly sprinkle the flesh side of each piece of salmon with salt and pepper.      

Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers.

Place the salmon fillets, skin side up in pan. Cook over medium heat until slightly brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish with a spatula, and cook just until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees at the thickest part of the salmon. Remove from heat, and pour the pan juices, including capers, over each piece of fish. Serve immediately. Or as in this recipe, allow the salmon to cool, then refrigerate until ready to assemble the salmon patties.

  

CREAMY PESTO, SPINACH, AND LEFTOVER CHICKEN PASTA

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The other evening I was hungry for pasta. Mr. C. had just been to our local grocery store and brought home a bag of living potted basil and I still had some leftover chicken from the roasted chicken I had fixed a couple nights before. (Search Brined Oven Roasted Whole Chicken if you want to read about the chicken I used in this recipe.) So I thought to myself, a pasta dish with pesto and cooked chicken might just make for a pretty darn good meal. So to my computer I scurried in search of the perfect pasta recipe.

Based on a recipe I found on the budgetbytes.com site, I fashioned this dish to accommodate the ingredients I not only had on hand, but I knew we would both enjoy. But I over-achieved. The pasta was very flavorful, but a bit too rich for our older metabolisms. So the recipe you find below is the result of the cut-backs I made in behalf of all of our digestive tracts!

I reduced the amount of pesto I used originally (pesto is actually very rich), substituted whole milk for heavy cream, and said good-by to any sign of cream cheese in the mixture. I also decided that next time I served this pasta dish, there would be no extra Parmesan on the table. Simply not necessary. (The girl can learn!)

Now that I have dissed this dish to the point where you have probably decided it will never grace your dining table, let me tell you how good it is. Seriously, we really liked the flavor, it was fairly simple to prepare, and a very good way to use up leftover chicken. The first iteration was simply too rich for our older tummies. So don’t be afraid. If you love pesto, perfectly cooked pasta, and chicken – you are going to love this dish. Scouts honor!

Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy, and always remember these sage words from Tom Lehrer. “Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.”  So play on dear readers, play on!

¾ c. mashed down fresh basil, plus more for garnish

½ c. finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 lg. garlic clove, minced, divided

4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

¼ c. finely chopped onion

½ c. chicken broth

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 c. whole milk

2 lightly packed c. chopped fresh spinach

8 oz. penne pasta cooked al dente (save some of the water)

1-2 c. bite sized pieces of cooked chicken breasts or thighs

For the pesto: Combine the basil, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, half of the minced garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. Whirl until the basil is chopped. (You don’t want to make a paste.) Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large fry pan. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the remaining minced garlic; cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth and cook until the pan is almost dry. Add the salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, milk, and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the remaining ¼ cup of grated Parmesan and stir until combined.

Add the spinach, al dente pasta, and cooked chicken. Cook until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is hot. If the sauce appears dry, add a bit of the pasta cooking water. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Note: as always – don’t cook your pasta ahead of time. Pasta is absolutely at its very best when you have cooked it just until al dente, transferred it directly to the sauce with a slotted spoon, and taken big bites of it within a few short minutes. You just gotta trust me on this.

BRINED OVEN ROASTED WHOLE CHICKEN

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Several weeks ago, I read that there might be a shortage of chickens coming down the pike. So I decided to be proactive and order a “couple” whole chickens, some boneless skinless breasts, and some boneless skinless thighs from a local custom meat packer. Great, no problem. I ordered, Mr. C. picked up the order, and we tucked our newly purchased provisions safely into our freezer. Feeling terribly smug for being so on top of things, I conveniently forgot about the whole chickens until the day before yesterday. (I hardly ever bake a whole chicken, so I don’t usually buy whole chickens. But for some unknown reason, I must have felt that in so doing so, I was being especially well organized pre-planning for every eventuality.) And I was right! However, the eventuality turned out to be that I would completely forget about these whole birds until my memory was jogged by looking at a piece of paper.

You see, Mr. C., being the well-organized person that he is, actually keeps a list of the contents of our freezer. And there on the list under the heading “Chicken” appeared the words Whole Chickens – 4. Four?!?! What in the heck had I been thinking when I placed my order? A mini Armageddon was imminent? Chickens everywhere would be escaping their confines and running amuck in the suburbs? What?? I could understand me ordering 1 whole chicken. Maybe even two. But four? Crazy! Anyway, I decided after checking the list that perhaps I’d better get on the stick and actually use one of the chickens I had so zealously ordered. So that’s just what I did.

Now I am a great fan of brining or salt (dry) brining whole turkeys. And I had read that brining chickens also insured succulent meat. So off I went to research recipes. And this brining recipe that I found on the dinneratthezoo.com site is absolutely perfect. The chicken skin browned beautifully and was super delicious, and the meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful. Everything anyone could ask for in a baked chicken. (Tonight some of the chicken breast meat is going to be featured in a chicken Caesar salad. Yum. I can hardly wait!)

So next time you want to bake a whole chicken, give this recipe a try. It does require that you start the process the day before you plan to eat the bird. But it’s worth the effort. And because we enjoyed the chicken so much last evening, I am truly glad I have 3 more whole birdies in my freezer. So maybe I wasn’t so crazy after all. Only time will tell.

So as always, stay safe, stay sane, and make a difference. I leave you with this quote from Maya Angelou:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

I know why the caged bird sings.

Nothing will work unless you do.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

Brining the Chicken:

8 c. water

½ c. kosher salt (do not use table salt)

¼ c. honey

3 dried bay leaves

5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped   

1 T. whole black or multi-colored peppercorns

3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 T. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried

2 lemons sliced

3-4 lb. whole chicken (as much fat removed as possible)

Place the water, salt, honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and lemon slices in a large nonreactive pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the salt has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Add the chicken to the cooled brine. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged. Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Baking the Chicken:

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

freshly ground black pepper

Four hours before roasting, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Place the brined bird on a small rimmed baking sheet and return to the refrigerator to air-dry, uncovered, for about 3 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees at this time.

Slather the chicken with the melted butter and generously season inside and out with pepper. Place the chicken on a rack set inside a low sided roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.  Roast on the middle rack for about 70-80 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh meat (away from the bone) registers 170 degrees. Note: After about 30 minutes, check to see if the skin is getting too brown. If so, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

When the chicken is done, remove from oven and let chicken sit, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for at least 15 minutes before carving.

  

SHRIMP FRIED RICE

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I always exceed when I make rice. In others words, I always make too much. For me it’s kind of like turkey dressing. If a little bit is good, a whole lot is better. So as with dressing, I always have leftover rice. You’d think after all these years I would have learned the meaning of restraint. But when it comes time to fill my rice cooker with raw rice and water, that’s just what I do. I start with the best of intentions, a small amount of rice and the appropriate amount of water. But it never looks like enough, so I add more rice and more water. Every single time! I’m not proud of this culinary quirk, but never-the-less, it is a fact of life. And earlier this week, I really went crazy and fixed way, way too much rice. Anyway, the upshot is that I had lots of left over rice smirking at me every time I opened the fridge door. So what to do, what to do?

And I knew I couldn’t just throw the rice away. (Tempting, but I just couldn’t do it.) So OK, I could have frozen it. But that means packaging it up and taking it downstairs to our freezer. But as is often the case, I’d probably just end up throwing it away anyway next time I cleaned the freezer! (I am nothing if not predictable.)

So, instead I decided to make fried rice. And what a yummy dish this turned out to be. Full of veggies, tender shrimp, and beautifully flavored rice. And it was a one dish meal. And believe me, I am just fine with one dish meals, thank you very much!

Now I could have used all kinds of different veggies in this dish. But I just used what I happened to have on hand. But by all means, let your inner vegetable lover go wild. The secret is in the sauce anyway, regardless of what other ingredients you choose to incorporate. And should you prefer to use chicken, pork, or beef instead of shrimp, knock yourself out. Just don’t overcook the meat. With chicken just cook it until it’s done, then immediately take it out of the pan. With pork and beef, cook until a bit of pink is still showing, then remove from pan. If you have leftover cooked meat, add it at the very end as you would the cooked shrimp in this recipe.

So next time you have leftover rice, or plan ahead to have cooked rice on hand for fried rice, give this recipe a try. It truly is yummy. And very easy to prepare.

And as a side note, I do plan to get better at fixing the right amount of rice for the meal I have planned. But until I get it right, you will likely find another recipe or two that uses cooked rice sometime in the future. I may have a few redeeming qualities, but moderation in all things is not one of them.

As always, virtual hugs from Chez Carr. And peace and love to all.

4 T. Tamari or soy sauce

2 tsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. mirin (can use sherry or Shaoxing)

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. oyster sauce

1 tsp. + 2 T. vegetable oil, divided

1 can water chestnuts, cut into small pieces

1 T. sesame oil

1 lb. lg. raw shrimp, peeled and cut in half

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 carrot, grated

½ c. chopped onion

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

¾ c. very thinly sliced green cabbage   

6-8 button or cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger

3 eggs

3-4 c. cooked white or brown rice 

4-5 green onions, sliced into thin diagonals

½ c. frozen petite peas

½ c. sliced pea pods or pea shoots

1/3 c. slivered almonds

Combine the Tamari, fish sauce, mirin, sugar, oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add the cut up water chestnuts. Then set aside.  

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok. Add the shrimp. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté the shrimp only until they’re done. (Shrimp are perfectly cooked when the exterior is pink and the flesh is slightly opaque and a little “white” in color.) Avoid overcooking. With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp to a small container. Set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon veggie oil and the sesame oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the carrot, onion, celery, cabbage, and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables begin to soften and start to brown, stirring often. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute.

Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Add the eggs to the other side, and scramble while they cook. When set, remove the eggs to the same container with the shrimp.

Add the rice, breaking it up as it heats. Then stir in the green onions, frozen peas, and pea pods. Drizzle on the soy sauce mixture (complete with water chestnut pieces); stir well to coat the rice. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and the scrambled eggs. Cook just until the shrimp is heated through. Stir in the slivered almonds and serve immediately.

   

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND CANNELLINI BEAN CHILI

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It all started with me wanting to try out a recipe for sourdough cornbread. (And I know, sourdough and I appear to be joined at the hip these days. But I love everything sourdough, so why not a sourdough cornbread? After all, many cornbread recipes include buttermilk. Which is also sour. So logic dictates that sourdough cornbread should be delicious. And BTW – it is! Recipe to follow in the next couple of days.)

Anyway, I wanted to try out my recipe for sourdough cornbread yesterday so that I could serve it last evening. So I got to thinking about what to serve with the cornbread? Mr. C. and I love chili. We also love Italian food. So why not a chili that smacks of Italy, with a bit of Southwestern flavor thrown in for good measure. (And authenticity.)

So yesterday, I went on line looking for a chili recipe containing Italian sausage and cannellini beans. And there it was on the reneeskitchenadventures.com site. Of course I messed with the recipe, but I am pleased to give credit to Renee for the bones of this delightful dish.

Now, who knew Italian and Southwestern flavors would mix so well? But OMG, this was one of the best pots of chili I have ever produced, much less tasted. And ever so easy to prepare. But Italian seasoning and diced green chilies in the same recipe? Radical to say the least. But isn’t that fun! And what cooking should be all about! Coaxing the best out of every single ingredient you use. Sometimes it feels like magic to me. How a smattering of this and a dash of that can make such a difference to the final product. Of course there is one combination of ingredients I know I will never prepare. But none the less, it’s fun to imagine. For your reading pleasure: The well-known incantation of the Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

As always dear friends and far-flung readers – stay safe, stay inspired, stay positive, and keep smiling. (Even if no one can tell you’re smiling under your mask!) Oh – and make this chili. It’s really great!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage (I use sweet Italian sausage from our IGA on Camano Island)

1 med. onion, chopped

1½ c. diced bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, green – or a combination)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, opt.

freshly ground black pepper

14 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

4 oz. can diced green chilies

2½ c. vegetable stock  

2 c. cooked cannellini beans*

Heat the olive oil in a large, covered Dutch oven. Add the meat, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Remove the cooked sausage and set aside.  

Add the onion and peppers to the Dutch oven. Cook until the onion begin to soften. Add the garlic; cook for one minute.

Stir in the cumin, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, oregano, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper.    

Add the canned tomatoes with juices, green chilies, and vegetable stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a good hour.

Just before ready to serve, add the reserved meat and the cooked cannellini beans and bring back to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls. Pass the extra virgin olive oil. A small drizzle on top of the soup tastes mighty fine. And corn bread is perfect on the side.

Note: And while I know you are wondering why I don’t just leave the cooked Italian sausage in the pot the whole time, I believe my reasoning not to do so is sound. Unlike ground beef, which is inherently fairly uninspired tasting, Italian sausage is replete with flavor. (The spices bring a lot of the flavor to the mix.) If you leave the cooked sausage in the broth for too long, all that yummy concentrated flavor will be leached away. Yes the flavor will still be in the saucy part. But it’s really nice to bite into a piece of Italian sausage that still tastes like Italian sausage!    

*You can use canned cannellini beans, but I prefer to cook the beans myself. And no, you don’t have to soak the beans overnight or cook them in an instant pot. When I’m in a hurry, I simply wash the dried beans, place them in a covered pot, add lots of water, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the beans gently simmer until they are tender. I check the pot every 30 minutes or so. When the beans are getting close to being done, I add salt to the water.

When the beans are finished cooking, I take the pot off heat and just let the beans sit in the water until I’m ready to add them to the chili.

(I realize my way of cooking beans goes against convention. Soak the beans the night before, etc. But most of the time, I am not efficient enough to know the day before what I am going to serve for dinner the next evening. That takes planning. I just happen to take a much more relaxed approach to the whole undertaking.)  

SHRIMP, GREEN BEAN, AND MUSHROOM STIR FRY

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While I was face timing with daughter Paula the other night (I think “face timing” is the right term for her being able to see every wrinkle on my face and me being able to see how beautiful she is), she told me about a great shrimp and green bean dish she had prepared for dinner that evening. It sounded just like the kind of dish that Mr. C. and I would also enjoy. Easy to prepare, containing ingredients I almost always have on hand, and easy to prepare. (Oh wait, I already said that, but it bears repeating.) So of course I asked for the recipe. Being a good, dutiful daughter, she gladly acquiesced. So I served this dish last evening with steamed rice. And there was much rejoicing at the Carr dinner table over my decision to give this delightful dish a try.

Now to tell you the truth, I had been a bit concerned about the combination of green beans and shrimp in a dish. Green beans and mushrooms, no problem. But shrimp and green beans together? Can’t say I’d ever tasted these two lovely ingredients sharing equal prominence in the same dish before. Then I went on line. There are an abundance of fantastic recipes for shrimp and green bean dishes out there. Which rock had I been hiding under all these years? Because after preparing this recipe, I tasted for myself that shrimp and green beans are indeed a great combination! And what better way to use these two fabulous ingredients than in a delicious and easy to prepare stir fry! (There’s that “easy to prepare” statement again. Must be true if I’ve bothered to mention it THREE TIMES in this post!) Anyway…………

Now you too have a great new dish with which to dazzle and delight your family. And don’t we all need a little “dazzle and delight” right now. I don’t know what it’s doing outside where you live, but here on Camano Island it’s Juneuary in full bloom. Foggy (I can’t even see the water, much less the mountains), rainy (actually pouring would be a better descriptor), and chilly. And yes I have lived in Western Washington long enough to know that June is often rainy (and cold). But that still doesn’t make it OK in my book. Bring on the summer sunshine and warmth of August darn it!

But aside from the weather, the inhabitants of Chez Carr are still doing well in spite of the extraordinary circumstances which we are currently experiencing. (The Coronavirus threat still alive and well, hostile reactions to peaceful protests, fake news, and political leaders for whom the words compassion and humanity appear to be totally foreign concepts.) But through all of this we have steadfastly remained sane (not easy in today’s world) and committed to each other and to the well-being of those around us.

So as always – please think love rather than hate, display strength rather than weakness, and please, please reflect empathy rather than condemnation. Love and peace to all.

water

1½ tsp. granulated sugar, divided

2 T. vegetable oil, divided

1 lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. large raw shrimp

5 tsp. sesame oil, divided

½ med. onion, chopped

8-10 mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T. minced fresh ginger

1 T. oyster sauce

1 T. soy sauce

2 T. mirin (can sub dry sherry or sweet Marsala wine in a pinch)

2 tsp. corn starch

Bring a pan of water to a boil. (Just enough water to cover the beans.) Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and the green beans to the boiling water. Cook the beans for 4 minutes, remove from heat, then pour into a colander. Rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking process) and set aside.

Whisk the salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil together in a medium sized bowl. Add the shrimp and stir to make sure every bit of each shrimp is coated with the mixture.

In a large fry pan or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and cook just until done. Do not overcook. Using a slotted utensil, remove the cooked shrimp to a small container and set aside. Add another 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil to the pan, along with the onion and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are softened and the mushrooms start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for one minute.

While the onion and mushrooms are cooking, whisk the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin, 2 remaining teaspoons of sesame oil, and corn starch together.

After the garlic and ginger have cooked for one minute, add the cooked green beans and the cooked shrimp. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and stir until all of the veggies and shrimp are covered with the sauce and the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve immediately. Great with steamed rice on the side.

        

BAKED CHICKEN WITH SOUR CREAM AND MUSHROOMS

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OK, before you get all hot and bothered about the can of cream of mushroom (c. of m.) soup used in this recipe, let me just say that I stopped buying cream of mushroom soup by the case after my kids were all out of the house. But as a working mother, c. of m. soup really came in handy. And to this day, I always have at least one can in my pantry. Why you ask, when it’s so easy to build a white sauce? Well, in case you are new to reading my blog, you know that on occasion I welcome a little help as much as the next cook. And of more importance, some of my favorite recipes, like this decades old standby, are perfect as written. So who am I to choose culinary purity over recipe integrity?

And yes I understand there are unpronounceable ingredients in canned c. of m. soup. But I probably only use c. of m. soup a couple times a year. So don’t bother writing me defending your choice to never use this scary ingredient laden product. I understand your position. But I’m going to pigheadedly ignore the facts and stick to my guns on this one. (Hey – if our political leaders can ignore facts, and crazy people can bear arms, I feel it’s acceptable for me to defend my use of c. of m. soup on a very sporadic basis!)

Anyway, now that I have explained myself, I can get back to telling you about this great dish. It’s really easy to prepare. And it tastes like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours. And it’s comfort food to the max. And it’s company worthy. (When it’s once again safe and sane to entertain guests, that is!) So now’s the time to make this delightful chicken dish in preparation for serving it to guests in (hopefully) the near future.

As always – stay safe, stay positive, and who knows? Maybe someday food scientists will discover that disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are actually good for us!  

And sorry about no picture. Some days I just space out on parts of my duty as keeper of the blog. I blame it on my age.

8 pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless thighs or halved breasts)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sour cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. chicken broth or water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8-10 sliced button or cremini mushrooms

paprika (Hungarian sweet paprika is best for this dish)

Place chicken in a shallow, lightly buttered baking dish. Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, chicken broth, and soup together. Stir in the mushrooms.

Pour evenly over the chicken. Sauce should coat and almost cover the pieces. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 90 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done and the top is lightly browned.

Great served with Simple Baked Rice Pilaf (recipe on site) and a steamed green veggie. A nice chilled Semillon is also perfect with this meal.

CHICKEN STEW WITH SOURDOUGH HERB DUMPLINGS

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Yesterday morning I awoke feeling overwhelmed by conditions around our nation. None of which I or most of my fellow Americans have absolutely any control.  Coronavirus is still alive and well. Social injustice protests (which I whole heartily support BTW), even peaceful demonstrations, were still being met in a military fashion by fellow Americans. Radical opportunists were still making things worse by displaying guns and using threatening gestures to stir up even more dissent. Even though I’m sure the only thing most of these rough guys really cared about was getting to play the second amendment big old white guy with gun card. And worst of all, our nation’s leaders still more concerned with aggrandizing their personally perceived accomplishments, rather than leading our country from a position of true concern and humanity.  

And then here I am, almost 76 years old, blessed with everything I need to live a wonderful, fulfilling rest of my life. And yet, I couldn’t seem to reconcile my happiness with the hurt, unfairness, and hate that has been shown to others simply because of skin color, sexual persuasion, faith affiliation, economic disparity, or any of the other myriad differences that keep people apart. I felt simply at a loss as to how to proceed.   

So based on my mind set yesterday, I decided to prepare comfort food for our dinner last evening. And believe it or not, it helped. There is just something about chicken soup/stew that makes things, if not actually better, just a little more tolerable.   

So if you too could use some comfort, let me recommend this recipe. The stew is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. The dumplings are light and airy and perfectly seasoned.

So as always – stay safe, wear a mask when appropriate, and let your example of goodness speak for itself. And in case you were wondering – I feel better today. Some days are just easier than others.

Stew:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. butter

4-5 (1½ – 2 lbs.) large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into small bite sized chunks   

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 tsp. granulated garlic  

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf  

1 T. dried parsley

1 T. chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon

3½ c. water

1 c. whole milk (low fat or 2% is fine)

1/3 c. flour

chopped fresh parsley, opt.

In a large covered pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 6-7 minutes or until the veggies begin to soften and brown.

Stir in the granulated garlic, poultry seasoning, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir in the Better Than Bullion and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pot, and allow stew to simmer for about 30 minutes to combine flavors. Meanwhile prepare the dumpling batter.

After the stew has simmered for 30 minutes or so, add the cooked chicken along with any accumulated juices. Taste and adjust seasoning.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour. Slowly add the milk/flour mixture to the pot, stirring to combine all the ingredients. Bring mixture to a low boil and cook for a minute or two or until the stew thickens up a bit. 

Using an ice cream scoop (you want the balls of dough to be about golf ball size), drop the dumpling balls on top of the simmering stew, about ¼-inch apart. If you aren’t already cooking the stew at the lowest temperature on your stove burner, do so now. Cover and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, about 15 minutes. (Don’t even think about peeking at the dumplings before the 15 minutes are up. After that you may take a gander. The dumplings should feel dry to the touch when they are done. If in doubt, run a toothpick through one. If it comes out clean, the dumplings are perfect.)

Serve the stew piping hot topped with dumplings and garnished with fresh parsley. This is a one dish dinner. At least it is in our house! 

Dumplings:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sourdough starter

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1 T. minced dried onions

1 T. dried parsley  

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper together. Add the sourdough starter, oil, egg, dried onions, and dried parsley. Stir until well combined. Let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes or until the stew is ready for the dumplings to be added.