Main Courses Archives - Harvest to Table

Vegetable Stew Made Simply

Stephen Albert — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 05:38:07 +0000

Vegetable stew

Here is an easy to make vegetable stew that you can cook up any time of the year. The combination of vegetables in this stew can vary with the season and harvest.

Choose two or three vegetables from the longer-cooking list and two or three from the shorter cooking list. If you want to add greens, add them in the last five minutes.

Vegetable Stew

Author Steve Albert

Ingredients

Longer-cooking: carrots, potatoes or sweet potatoes, winter squash, white radish, turnips, onions, eggplants.
Shorter-cooking: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, summer squash, red or green pepper, tomato, zucchini, scallions or green onions, mushrooms.

Instructions

Wash the vegetables.
Cut them into large chunks or sections—quarters or sixths; mushrooms can be sliced, halved, or left whole.
Make enough pieces so that everybody will get some of everything.
Place the longer cooking vegetables into the bottom of a lightly oiled baking dish.
Add heated water or stock to the vegetables so that they are about half covered.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Bake the longer-cooking vegetables covered at 350°F (177°C) for about 30 minutes then add the shorter cooking vegetables and cook another 15 to 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are fork tender.
Baste several times during baking. (If the dish is uncovered baste often).
If you are adding beet greens or spinach to the stew, add them for the last five minutes of cooking.
At the end of cooking, the water or stock can be drained off and made into gravy using it for the liquid in a brown sauce.
Check seasoning–add parsley or thyme if you like–and serve.

Notes

If the dish is cooked on the top of the stove, it will take 5 to 10 minutes less cooking time and more water may be needed.
An alternative to the start of this process is to sauté the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes before putting them into the baking dish—this will evenly coat the pieces with oil.

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Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Stephen Albert — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:31:13 +0000

The kebab or shish kebab originated in the Mediterranean. The kebab is a marinated meat, poultry, shellfish, firm fish, and vegetables or fruits threaded on a skewer and grilled or broiled.

This recipe works with any medium-dark meat—chicken things, cubed turkey, pork, and even fish such as salmon or swordfish.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Author Steve Albert

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1 to 1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs or skinned chicken breasts, rinsed and pat dry with paper towels
Minced zest and juice of 1 lime or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or peanut oil or other oil or 1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced cilantro leaves, plus a bit more for garnish
¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter or peanut sauce
Salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add-on Ingredients

15 to 20 cherry tomatoes
15 to 20 quarter slices fresh pineapple
4 or 5 small white onions, sliced
2 bunches green onions, root ends trimmed; grill separately.
1 pound of asparagus; grill separately.
6 to 10 small yellow or red peppers, habanero, sweet banana, Hungarian; grill separately.

Instructions

Cut the chicken or other meat into 1- to 1½-inch cubes. Mix the chicken with all other ingredients in a large bowl or a re-sealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours. Soak wood skewers in cold water at least 30 minutes before using.
Start a charcoal or wood fie or preheat gas grill or broiler; the fire should be moderately hot (about 450°; you can hold your hand 5 inches above the cooking grate only 4 to 5 seconds).
Remove the chicken from the marinade and boil the marinade for 1 minute reducing it to a sauce.
Thread the meat and add-ons such as cherry tomatoes, onion slices, and pineapple slices onto skewers and lay the skewers on the grill (cover if using gas). Grill or broil about 4 inches from the heat source. Cook until meat is browned and cooked through, basting with the sauce, and turning every 2 or 3 minutes. Grill a piece or two of meat separately; cut in half to see if meat is cooked through. Grilling time about 8 to 12 minutes.
Transfer to a platter, garnish, and serve hot.

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Basic Meatballs with Seasonal Flavor

Stephen Albert — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:00:16 +0000

To make the best meatballs keep two things in mind: (1) choose the best meat you can find—for example, prepare beef meatballs with grass-fed beef that is naturally lean and full and rich in flavor, and (2) use a light hand; shape meatballs that are light and airy not kneaded or compacted.

To make 4 to 6 servings of meatballs—that is 25 to 30 walnut-size meatballs, you will need about 3 pounds of meat—try a combination of two or three meats such as 1 or 1½ pounds each of beef or veal or pork or lamb or sweet Italian sausage (with the casings removed) or substitute ground turkey or chicken for the meat.

To the meat add about a cup of country bread or cold cooked rice or potatoes. Use fresh or dried herbs and seasonal vegetables–such as green peppers or mushrooms–with the season. From there, add a creamy sauce in the chilly time of the year; choose a tomato sauce in the warm time of the year.

Basic Meatballs with Seasonal Flavor

Author Steve Albert

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound ground grass-fed beef
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
Alternatives: 8 pork sausages, about ½ pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed ; snip the sausages apart squeeze out the meat into meatballs; a second alternative: replace the meat with ground chicken or turkey.
1 cup torn pieces of day-old country style bread, crusts removed or whole-wheat bread crumbs, or 1 cup cold cooked rice or potatoes
½ cup milk or cream
1 small onion, peeled, and minced, about ¼ cup (in season add chopped green pepper; if you like substitute spring onions or shallots or the white part of leeks chopped for the onion)
5 tablespoons olive oil (or butter if you like), divided
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and pounded to a paste with a pinch of salt (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled) and/or a few sprigs of fresh marjoram, thyme, rosemary, or mint. If you use lamb, season the meat with ground cumin and coriander.
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pinch of cayenne pepper (or substitute allspice or cinnamon)
1 large egg lightly beaten
¼ cup grated Parmesan or feta cheese (optional)

Sauce ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water
1 cup cream or half-and-half (optional)

Instructions

Soak the bread crumbs in milk until all of the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes. (You can substitute cold cooked rice or potatoes for the bread—but you will not have to soak the rice or potatoes in milk.) Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread and set the bread aside in a large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl.
Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat and cook onion stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In the large mixing bowl, mix well the cooked onion, 3 pounds meat, the milk-soaked bread crumbs (or cold cooked rice or potatoes), egg, garlic, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and herbs or spices; use a wooden spoon or your fingers. Loosely shape—don’t knead–the mixture into 1-inch-round balls.
In the same skillet, over medium-high heat add 3 more tablespoons olive oil then cook the meatballs a few at a time turning them with a spoon until well browned on all sides.( To make sure the heat and your mix and seasonings are just as you like, cook up just one meatball in advance and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the meatball seems dry add a little milk.)
As the meatballs brown, remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Adjust the heat so that the fat does not burn. When all meatballs are browned, pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. (To check if the meatballs are indeed cooked through, insert an instant-read thermometer in to the center of a meatball; it should read 160°F.)
Baking alternative: If you prefer, you can bake the meatballs—cooking them all at once–in a 450°F oven; place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until just cooked through, about 6 minutes. (You can stretch out the baking time by setting the oven at 375°F, and bake 20 to 30 minutes.)
Remove the meatballs to a platter and cover to keep warm until the sauce is ready.
Creamy Sauce: Prepare the sauce in the skillet or better yet a separate pan. To prepare the sauce, use about two tablespoons of fat from the skillet or baking pan and add 1 tablespoon of flour; stir the flour and fat over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, stirring as it cooks. Add 1 cup of chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or water and cook on, stirring, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes or a tad longer. Stir in the cream and reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring until the sauce thickens and is smooth and golden brown.
Cooked mushrooms can be added to the sauce: Before beginning the sauce, cook sliced mushrooms in the meatballs drippings over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Then mix them in the finished sauce.
Tomato Sauce: In the summer try a garden-fresh tomato sauce, in place of the creamy sauce: Prepare the tomato sauce in a separate pan. Pour in a dash or two of olive oil, add 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced, add a small bunch of basil (or other oregano or thyme) finely chopped, add 1½ pounds of plum tomatoes (about 10 plum tomatoes)—skin removed and cored, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper; bring to simmer; break up tomatoes with a spoon and add a swish of balsamic vinegar for sweetness. Let simmer until it tastes great, not long.

Notes

Pour the sauce over the meatballs, garnish, and serve.

To serve meatballs as a hors d’oeuvre, make the meatballs smaller and when they come out of the skillet hot roll them in grated Parmesan cheese.

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Seasonal Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

Stephen Albert — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:00:17 +0000

Here is a recipe for fresh vegetable lasagna—for all seasons. I am going to give you—in one recipe—the options to make this hearty and tasty dish in cool weather—using butternut squash or kale or spinach or a combination of these—or in warm weather—using bell peppers or eggplant or Swiss chard. As well, you likely will think of vegetables growing in your fall-winter or spring-summer vegetable garden that might easily stand in for some of the veggies I use here.

Here I have chosen wide whole-wheat lasagna noodles for their nutty flavor, but you can use any lasagna noodle–plain and spinach noodles are two others I like.

This recipe has a ricotta filling and gives you additional cheese options. Just to review our cheeses: ricotta is sweet and creamy; Parmesan is sweet, nutty, and grainy; Asiago can be a tad bitter, Gruyère is deep, nutty, and full flavored; and mozzarella will be mild and usually sweet.

Lasagna is what I call a “project” food. It takes a bit of time to get lasagna put together, and that’s not counting the time you’ll need to make your own white or tomato sauce. You’ll want to set aside 1½ to 2 hours to make this recipe. But the good news is you can chill the assembled dish overnight or wrap it in plastic and freeze it for up to a month before baking.

I almost always think of lasagna on a day that is too cold or too wet to go out in the garden

Seasonal Vegetable Lasagna

Author Steve Albert

Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

3 to 5 quarts of water
½ to 1 pound of lasagna noodles, whole-wheat, spinach, or plain
8 to 11 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow or red onion, diced or sliced
2 or 3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 carrot, sliced into thin rounds (optional)
¾ pound mushrooms, sliced
1-3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano or 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme or oregano, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In cool weather you can use: 1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into ½ – inch cubes (6 cups) and ½ to 1 pound Tuscan or Lacinato kale or spinach (or you can substitute chard, escarole, or rocket)
In warm weather you can use: 1 eggplant, thin sliced into rounds, and 1 green or red bell pepper, or ½ pound Swiss chard
1 egg
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (if you are including eggplant)
1½ cups white sauce, Béchamel sauce (in the cool season) or 2 cups simple herbed tomato sauce (in the warm season), the sauce is divided
2 cups grated cheese, about 5 ounces, divided; use fresh Parmesan, mozzarella, Asiago, or Gruyère (more or less depending on how much ricotta cheese you use)
1 pound of ricotta cheese (more or less depending on how much grated cheese you use), divided
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Roll out the lasagna noodles into 5- to 6-inch long sheets. Place 3 to 4 quarts of water in a large pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil then bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook until the noodles are just tender–al dente, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain the pan and rinse the pasta under cold water so that it stops cooking and the sheets do not stick together, drain again; set the noodles out on a clean dish towel so they will be flat when you are ready to use them. (If there is no room to lay them flat, set the pasta in a bowl and use 1 tablespoon of olive oil to lightly coat the sheet so that they do not stick to one another.)
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook the onion until it is soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. (In summer you can add red or green bell pepper cored, seeded, and cut into julienne.) Remove half the onion and set aside to add to the ricotta filling later.
Add finely diced celery or finely sliced carrot rounds (or a combination of these) to the cooking onions along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Sauté over high heat for another couple of minutes, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the celery (or carrot) is tender and the flavors are combined.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and celery and carrots from the skillet and set aside. Add another 1 tablespoon olive oil and reheat the pan and sauté mushrooms for a minute or two then add minced garlic, parsley, thyme or oregano and pinch or two of salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 3 minutes or so longer. Add the mushrooms to the onion/celery/carrot mixture, and check the seasoning. Set aside.
In the cool weather time of the year, remove and discard the center ribs from ½ to 1 pound of kale or spinach leaves then boil until soft or sauté in 1 teaspoon olive oil until just wilted, about 4 to 6 minutes, add 1 garlic clove peeled and chopped fine and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Drain and let cool then squeeze as much water from the leaves as possible and chop fine then set aside. (Use the kale or spinach later as one of the vegetable layers.)
Also in the cool weather time of year, you can peel and cut 1 butternut squash into ½-inch cubes, toss with olive oil to coat, add thyme to season, and bake until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes at 375°F, then mash with a fork until smooth then set aside. (Use the squash later as one of the vegetable layers.)
In the warm weather time of the year, slice 1 eggplant into ¼-inch-thick rounds, sprinkle with salt and let drain in a colander for 1 hour. Then sprinkle the eggplant with flour and sauté the slices on both sides in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned then set aside. (Use the eggplant later as one of the vegetable layers.)
Mix the ricotta with the reserved onion or kale or spinach or chard, and season with salt and pepper to taste then mix in 1 egg. Set aside. (In the summer, you can mix pesto into the ricotta cheese if you like.)
Prepare the white sauce (in cool weather) or an herbed tomato sauce (in warm weather).
Assemble the lasagna in a large baking dish (10- by 12-inches or 9- by 13-inches is about right and 3 inches deep). The assembly is essentially a process of layering: sauce, noodles, sauce, vegetables, cheese, noodles, sauce, vegetables, and cheese—until the dish is nearly full.
Begin by lightly coating the baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter).
Ladle ½ cup of white sauce or tomato sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.
Arrange one layer of noodles over the sauce; be sure to trim the noodles to fit the dish. Coat the layer of noodles with a few spoonful’s of sauce.
Add half of the prepared vegetables you have chosen (celery and carrots, mushrooms, kale or spinach or squash or eggplant or Swiss chard) across the noodles and top with ricotta filling and/or grated cheese, spread evenly.
16. Now add the second layer of noodles (run this layer of noodles in the opposite direction of the first layer). Again coat the noodles with a few spoonful’s of sauce. Add another layer of vegetables and top with ricotta filling and/or grated cheese.
Arrange the final layer of noodles on top (again running the opposite direction of the noodles below), and pour ¾ of the remaining sauce over the noodles; be sure the last layer of noodles is well moistened.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking for another 10 minutes—making sure the noodles are still moist. If you like, sprinkle the top with more grated cheese, then bake about another 10 minutes until the dish is bubbling and golden brown.
Take the dish from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for 5 to 10 minutes in a warm spot before slicing. Cut the lasagna into squares and serve with additional grated cheese and remaining sauce. Garnish with parsley if you like.

Notes

You can freeze lasagna for up to 1 month wrapped in plastic. Bake it frozen about 1¼ hours before serving.
If you have assembled the lasagna the day before and refrigerated, be sure to take it out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking.

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Succulent Roast Chicken–Many Flavor Options

Stephen Albert — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:00:21 +0000

Truly flavorful roast chicken is in the seasoning—seasoning that is allowed to infuse the meat for at least 3 and even better 8-, 24-, or 48- hours before cooking. Here, I give you several options for seasoning a chicken before roasting—that means you can come back to roast chicken over and over, changing up the flavor each time.

Lemon zest, orange halves and juice, garlic, rosemary or thyme, and simply salt are seasonings that will make for delicious roast chicken (choose one or a flavor match, if you like). Set vegetables under the bird—potatoes, carrots, and celery are good choices–and you can prepare a whole meal in one pot.

A roasting chicken—also called a roaster—can be either a young cockerel (rooster) or hen, about 12 weeks old. Always choose an organic free-range chicken if available; these birds are raised on organic grain without antibiotics or hormones and are allowed to move about unimpeded (not shoulder-to-shoulder in a cage)—all of which means they will be stress free, and, yes, that means tastier.

Chicken is rich in protein and all the essential amino acids you need—and also B group vitamins and iron, and copper and selenium.

My recipe will require just over an hour of prep time and cooking; add to that, the time you allow for seasoning and infusing flavor prior to cooking.

Oh, and the rule of thumb for roasting a chicken is: 20 minutes up (breast side up), 20 minutes down, plus 10-20 minutes up again.

Succulent Roast Chicken

Author Steve Albert

Yield 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 (4 to 5 pound) roasting chicken
1 tablespoon coarse or kosher salt

Seasoning options (choose one of these to go with the salt above):

Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium Meyer or regular Eureka lemons
3-4 fresh sprigs of thyme, savory, or rosemary, or 2 bay leaves (or a combination of these)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 oranges cut in halves and juice
1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided or 3 tablespoons of butter
1 pound shallots

For sauce:

½- to ¾-cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
⅓-cup dry white wine (optional)

Instructions

Rinse the chicken under cool water then pat it dry with a damp cloth inside and out.
Choose your flavoring option then proceed to season the interior of the bird; you can rub cavity with a half lemon or a half orange; or you can rub it with a large pat of butter or olive oil then sprinkle lightly with salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper; or you can rub it with garlic; or you can add herbs to the cavity; or you can do a combine salt with one of these seasonings.
Next season the exterior of the bird: gently loosen the skin above the breast and thighs and work the seasoning under the skin: for example, combine 1½ teaspoons to1 tablespoon salt with lemon zest or orange halves or peeled garlic or butter or olive oil, or sprigs of herbs such as rosemary or thyme. (Choose from the many seasoning variations.) Rub all sides of the bird with the remaining salt or herbs or citrus. Then cover the bird with wax paper or foil and place it in the refrigerator. (If you are marinating the bird—with orange juice, for example–you will want to immerse the bird in the juice for several minutes before refrigerating.)
Keep chicken refrigerated for at least 3 hours allowing the seasoning to infuse the meat with flavor—better is 8 to 48 hours. The longer the wait before cooking, the more flavor will be infused into the meat. This process is guaranteed to make the meat more tender, juicy, and tasty.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking; this will allow the bird to reach room temperature and insure even cooking.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roast the chicken in an ovenproof dish or pan that is very close to the size of the chicken—not much larger; keeping the chicken closely confined in the pan will prevent juices that gather during roasting from burning or smoking. Lightly oil the dish or pan before placing the bird in. Set the bird in the dish breast side up; tuck the wings underneath the bird to keep them from burning while roasting. You can set a V-shaped rack under the bird, if you like, or if you are roasting the chicken with vegetables, place the vegetables underneath the bird; for example, use halved or whole new potatoes or 1½- to 2-inch chunks of carrots or chopped celery or scallion.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes breast side up, then turn it breast side down. Baste the chicken with the fat and juices in the pan, and then roast another 20 minutes. (Turning the bird will help it to cook evenly and allow the skin to brown and become crisp all over.) At the end of the second 20 minutes, turn the chicken breast side up again, baste once more, and roast until done–another 10 to 20 minutes, until the juice runs pink.
Roasting a 4 pound chicken should take about one hour—perhaps several minutes more; roast until the skin on the legs is brown and crispy and starts to separate from the meat—when the bird is cooked the meat on the legs and thighs should no longer be pink; however, the breast will still be juicy and tender. Don’t hesitate to slice into the meat to see how it’s cooking. If you are roasting vegetables with the chicken, be sure to remove them from the roasting pan as soon as they are cooked tender and are easily pierced with a sharp knife; set them aside if the bird needs to cook longer.
When the chicken is cooked, tip the bird so that the juices from the cavity pour into the roasting pan—to avoid a messy transfer. Transfer the chicken to a carving board or warm platter and let it rest and finish cooking covered with foil for at least 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Resting before carving, will allow the juices to settle and leave the chicken succulent.

Notes

You can use the fat and juices left in the pan to make sauce or gravy: pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup, skim away all but about 1 tablespoon of fat then place the drippings in a blender, add ½ cup chicken broth and ⅓ cup dry white wine (optional) and pulse until smooth. Place the mix with scrapings of brown bits from the roasting pan in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook stirring until the sauce turns nutty brown colored. Spoon the sauce over the carved chicken meat.

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Fillet of Beef Stroganoff

Stephen Albert — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:00:05 +0000

Beef Stroganoff is not really a stew—though you may tend to think so if you’ve had it with this or that cut of beef and this or that vegetable served over egg noodles.

True beef Stroganoff is simply beef sautéed with onions and mushrooms and sour cream. The best tasting beef stroganoff will be made from tenderloin sautéed quickly—which gives it a delicate flavor.

Tenderloin is the prized piece of beef also known as fillet. Beef fillet has no bone and very little fat and is always best sautéed in butter or oil and served with a sauce. I recommend you seek out grass-fed beef—it will be free of hormones, steroids, and antibiotic. If you can’t grass-fed, ask for organic. (Beef is the best source of iron and vitamin B-12 which aids the metabolism of every cell in your body.)

For this recipe I use common cultivated mushrooms—look for white ones or the brown cremini. For freshness choose smaller mushrooms that have tightly closed cap. Just trim the stem ends and wipe the caps clean; you won’t need to wash them.

As for the sour cream, keep in mind that when sour cream is cooked it must be heated slowly over low heat or it will scorch or separate. And be careful not to over stir sour cream as it will likely thin and curdle.

You can serve this beef Stroganoff over hot noodles, but really it will be warming and plenty filling without.

Fillet of Beef Stroganoff

Author Steve Albert

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

1½ pounds beef tenderloin trimmed and cut in thin strips 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and ¼-inch or as you like thicker
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (not more than ½ teaspoon of salt, not more than ¼ teaspoon pepper)
1 small yellow onion chopped or ½ cup or so finely chopped shallots or scallions
½ pound fresh mushrooms (about 3 cups), sliced ¼-inch or as you like thicker
½ cup beef stock
¼ teaspoon Tabasco (optional)
½ teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon (optional)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire (optional)
1 to 1½ cups sour cream (use reduced fat if you like)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a heavy non-stick skillet over high heat. Brown the fillet strips quickly on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a hot platter, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in the skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion or shallots or scallions and sauté for about 2 minutes or until tender. Next stir in the mushrooms, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, salt and pepper again lightly and add the stock (also add the Tabasco, tarragon, and Worcestershire if using). Bring to a boil and stir thoroughly uncovered for 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully whisk in the sour cream until smooth. The sour cream should just heat through; do not let the sour cream boil or it will curdle.
Now, spoon the sauce over the beef sitting on the hot platter. If circumstances allowed the beef to cool, you can stir the beef and any juices that have collected on the platter into the sauce over low heat; stir constantly until the beef is just heated through and be sure not to let the sauce boil.

Notes

Garnish with a couple of tablespoons of chopped parsley. Serve with rounds of fried toast.

This dish originated in Russia and is named for the 19th -century Russian diplomat Count Paul Stroganoff.

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Steamed Fried Rice with Ham and Eggs

Stephen Albert — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:00:47 +0000

Fried rice with ham and eggs is filling. Eat it for lunch or dinner or supper.

There are many variations on fried rice—the length of the grains of rice and the vegetables or meat or seafood you add are starters.

My recipe for fried rice isn’t fried but steamed. That is I steam the rice before adding it to the wok or skillet I’m cooking my “fried” rice in. Cook the rice in advance however you like—boil, simmer, or steam. Before cooking, I rinse the rice well to remove starch. I then steam it nice and fluffy—for the fluffiest rice use long-grain rice (but you can use medium- or short-grain as well).

I use white rice because that’s the favored rice in China where brown or unmilled rice is looked down upon, but again, you use the rice you like best—brown and unmilled will have a nuttier flavor and firmer texture.

You can make several variations of fried rice using this recipe; instead of ham you can use pork roast bits or chicken or shrimp. Instead of peas, you can add carrots or Chinese cabbage. And you don’t have to add the eggs.

Steamed Fried Rice with Ham and Eggs

Author Steve Albert

Yield 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons sesame or olive oil (or peanut or canola oil)
1 yellow onion diced, or 1 large leek (white and pale green part)
2 stalks of celery, diced or ¼ cup chopped mushrooms (optional)
1 carrot, diced (optional)
1 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
About 3 cups cooked white or brown rice or other grain (goats, millet, or cracked wheat); cook rice by any method you choose, even use leftover rice
¾ cup diced baked ham or Black Forest ham (or 8 ounces small shrimp, shelled, deveined, and cooked)
1 cup cooked peas, fresh or frozen (but you can use Chinese cabbage, coarsely chopped instead—if you leave out the ham use ½ medium head of Chinese cabbage)
¼ cup soy sauce
Salt
Black or red pepper (use cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce if you like)
1 or 2 eggs, lightly beaten before adding
3 to 5 scallions or green onions, thinly sliced (optional garnish added before serving)

Instructions

Place the oil in a wok or large skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Slice the onion or leeks and sauté in the hot for a minute or two, stir constantly.
Add celery and carrot slices (or other leftover vegetables) if you like, raise the heat to medium and continue to sauté, stirring, for another 1 to 3 minutes. When the celery and carrots begin to soften add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. If the vegetables start to stick to the pot, add a bit of water to loosen them.
Add the pre-cooked rice crumbling it with your fingers to eliminate lumps, and stir to combine. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water, cover, and heat over low heat for about 3 more minutes. Be sure the rice heats through.
Next stir in diced ham (or pork bits or shelled and deveined shrimp or cabbage if you want to go vegetarian) and peas (fresh or frozen); season the mix to taste adding the soy sauce, salt, and pepper (use cayenne pepper, or Tabasco, or chili powder, if you like).
Make a hole in the center of the rice mixture; pour the eggs in the hole; stir off the heat with a fork until the eggs set, folding or scrambling the eggs into the rice. Cook briefly before serving, about 1 minute.

Notes

Serve immediately on a heated dish. Garnish with green onions if you like.

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Corn Beef and Cabbage Slow Cooked

Stephen Albert — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:00:44 +0000

Here is a one-dish, slow cooker meal that you can get started on a chilly Saturday or Sunday morning to have on the table for supper. It’s a hearty, basic dish that will serve 6 and you will more than likely have beef leftover for cold corned beef sandwiches or corned beef hash tomorrow.

Corned beef is salt-cured beef (corn refers not to the vegetable corn, but to coarse grains of salt used to cure the beef—corn was the Old English word for grains). Beef, pork, and sometimes lamb were for centuries pickled or preserved or corned with salt for winter use.

Corned beef brisket will have a coating of fat on either side of the cut (which you will trim away before cooking) and some marbling; the meat will be juicy, full of flavor, and easy to slice.

Since corned beef is a traditionally cool-weather meal, it’s no surprise you will surround the beef with green cabbage and root vegetables. Green cabbage–in this case a late cabbage–is not only easy to grow and undemanding, it grows sweeter with cold weather and can actually sit under the snow awaiting harvest. As well, I give you several choices of root crops you can pluck out of the cool-weather garden for this recipe—baby turnips, new potatoes, carrots, baby beets, onions, and leeks. Add to these apple cider–another fall flavor–which can be substituted for a part of the vegetable broth to deepen the flavor.

This is a great one-pot, cool-weather meal.

Corn Beef and Cabbage Slow Cooked

Author Steve Albert

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

4 white baby turnips, unpeeled and quartered (or 4 to 6 small red new potatoes scrubbed and halved)
4 carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 2½ inch lengths (or 4 baby beets, scrubbed and trimmed
1 yellow onion quartered, stick each quarter with a clove (or 6 small leeks, white part and 2 inches of green, well rinsed)
2 ribs celery, cut on diagonal
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 to 2 cups of pure apple cider
One 3-pound fresh corned beef brisket, rinsed and fat trimmed
2 tablespoons hot mustard or Dijon mustard with seeds
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 small head green cabbage (2 to 3 pounds) cored and cut into 6 or 8 equal wedges

Instructions

Combine the turnips, carrots, and onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the vegetable broth and cider over the vegetables so that they are covered. (The amount of liquid you will need will depend on the size of the slow cooker.)
Lay the brisket on top of the vegetables and coat with a layer of mustard. Sprinkle on the black pepper. Place the cabbage wedges on top of the brisket, cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, until the meat is cooked through and tender.
Carve the corned beef and arrange on a warmed serving platter with the cooked vegetables. Ladle broth over the beef and vegetables. Garnish with chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley and serve with prepared horseradish if you wish.

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Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Stephen Albert — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:00:04 +0000

This all vegetable and black bean chili is warming and filling. I serve this chili over a hot baked (and buttered) potato. Chili and chunks of potato are perfect after a winter afternoon in the garden.

This recipe calls on dried black beans—but you could also use pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, or red beans—or a combination.

As well, this recipe calls on canned or frozen plum tomatoes from last summer, as well as canned corn and peppers—or frozen peppers (I sliced and seeded the peppers, set them on cookie trays in the freezer overnight, then stored them in freezer bags—until now). You might prefer chili peppers—the Serrano or jalapeno, but the mild green poblano chili is heat enough for me.

One more thing, I added celery and kale to this chili–hard to spot. Kale is one of the superfoods, loaded with calcium, iron, and vitamins, A, C, and bone-building K in addition to phytochemicals that fight cancer. All that with the fiber of beans.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Author Steve Albert

Ingredients

1 cup dried black beans (dried pinto or kidney beans can be used as well)
1 tablespoon salt (or salt to taste)
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (canned corn from last summer will work)
6 Roma or plum tomatoes chopped (frozen or canned tomatoes from last summer will work perfectly)
1 stalk of celery, finely sliced
1 cup of kale torn into bite-size pieces
1 or 2 Portobello mushrooms, stems removed, slice into bite-sized pieces
1 green poblano chili (mild) or red poblano (more heat), stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped (for greater heat use 2 Serrano or jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and minced; for a sweet flavor sans heat use 1 large green or red bell peppers cored and cut into ¼-inch dice)
1 tablespoon chili powder (use fresh chili powder for best flavor)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano, use Mexican oregano
1 cup of tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Instructions

Sort beans and discard any damaged beans or debris. Rinse the beans well. Put in a medium saucepan, cover with 2 to inches water and let soak overnight (or quick-soak by bringing to a boil, then letting sit, covered 1 hour). Drain away the water then re-cover beans with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, adding 1 teaspoon salt (or salt to taste) about halfway through. Pour beans into bowl and along with about ½ cup liquid.
Place a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onions, corn, celery, peppers, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and sauté stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes. Stir into beans.
Place sauté pan over low heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushroom and cook stirring occasionally until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir mushrooms into beans.

Notes

Spoon chili onto baked potato or ladle into warmed bowls and serve at once.
Great chili toppings include sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, chopped green onions, sliced black olives, and corn chips.

Courses Main Course

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Beef and Winter Vegetable Stew Slow Cooked

Stephen Albert — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:00:28 +0000

Here is a hearty and tasty winter vegetable-loaded beef stew for the slow cooker.

You can vary the root vegetables in this stew—choose from carrots, turnips, parsnips, new potatoes, onions, or leeks and add mushrooms or celery. The combinations are many.

As well, you can vary the stock—use all beef stock, or chicken stock, or a combination of beef stock, Burgundy wine, dark beer, or brown ale. (I’ll give you some suggestions.)

Serve this stew straight out of the slow cooker or serve it over rice or noodles or alongside mashed potatoes. If you don’t put the new potatoes in the slow cooker, serve them steamed alongside steamed asparagus on the side.

This recipe will take 6 to 8 hours in the slow cooker and will make 4 to 8 servings depending on the appetites that come to the table.

Beef and Winter Vegetable Stew Slow Cooked

Author Steve Albert

Ingredients

1½ pounds stewing beef cut into 1 or 1½ inch cubes (use chuck roast or sirloin tip—try grass fed beef)
2-3 carrots peeled and cut into 2- or 3-inch lengths (or use baby carrots)
1 or 2 yellow sweet onions peeled and cut into quarters or coarse chopped (or use 4 or 5 small white onions or 4 or 5 medium leeks—white part plus 1 inch of green)
1 turnip cubed
2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths
Optional vegetables, choose from: 2 ribs celery, sliced; 1 cup mushrooms, sliced, quartered or halved depending on size; 6-8 small new potatoes, unpeeled halved or whole depending on size; ½ cup sundried tomatoes (add the last 10 minutes of cooking)
Stock: 4 cups beef stock + ¼ cup Burgundy wine OR combine 1 cup beef stock + 1 cup water + 2 cups dark beer or brown ale
3 teaspoons mixed herbs (use three of these: oregano, marjoram, thyme, or dried basil—if you use sprigs tie stems with kitchen twine)
1 bay leaf
Optional: 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
⅓ cup or so fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped—as a garnish or add to slow cooker last 10 minutes of cooking and stir in

Instructions

In large slow cooker arrange prepared vegetables.
Place beef cubes atop vegetables (season beef a day ahead if you like; you can also brown beef in skillet over medium heat in a couple of teaspoons of oil before adding cubes to slow cooker, about 2 minutes to brown all sides).
In medium bowl, gently combine stock with herbs.
Pour stock evenly over meat and vegetables and add bay leaf.
Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours; cook until vegetables are tender and meat is cooked through but not overdone.
Serve in warmed bowls or on warmed plate; serve over rice or noodles, alongside mashed potatoes, or with side of steamed new potatoes and asparagus.

Courses Main Course

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