Scottish Beef Stew

This cold wet winter weather has me craving warm and comforting meals. I've also been favoring one-pot dishes that we can live off of for daysss. Like this stew for instance. It's looking a little sad in this picture because this was actually the last bowlful (had to wait for that natural light). So now that I've really talked it up, here are some tips on how to make this stewpendous meal. ;)

Top Round Steak Stew with Parmesan Cheese Dumplings

This dish is a perfect example of that classic rustic meal that is most ideally consumed in a snow covered log cabin nestled among the mountains in front of a roaring fire. For those of us stuck in the city, we can always close our eyes and make do with a candle lit porch (still magical on a less grand scale).

Classic Pot Roast With Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes (and some pretty big news)

So I'm gonna be honest here, I totally winged this recipe and I pretty much had no idea what I was doing or how it was going to turn out (just what you wanted to hear from a food blogger, right?!)

I haven't really cooked a big hunk o' beef since culinary school so when Lewis mentioned he wanted pot roast for dinner, I knew it was time to dust off my culinary knowledge. I remember that there was at least three necessary steps in making a delicious pot roast,
Step 1:The cut of meat, you want a cut with some fat like a chuck roast because as you know, fat = flavor.
Step 2: Brown your meat before roasting (aka braising). This step is crucial in order seal in all those tasty juices annnd helps on our next step which is...
Step 3:Use the juices and crispy bits leftover from browning the meat to cook your veggies.

I included the choice of using either red wine OR balsamic vinegar because if you're not fond of that slightly alcoholic taste, you can just use that semi-sweet acidity in the vinegar to balance out the savory flavor of the broth.

Classic Pot Roast With Carrots & Fingerling Potatoes

serves 2-3

2-3 TBS vegetable or canola oil
1-2 pound Chuck Roast (I choose a smaller cut since it was only for one person)
1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar OR red wine
2-3 TBS Dijon mustard
5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1-2 tsp dried thyme)
pinch of dried rosemary
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
2 bunches small carrots, with tops cut off
1 pound very small baby potatoes or fingerling tricolored potatoes
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 275F. Place potatoes and carrots in roasting pan.
2.Heat oil in a large dutch oven over high heat (if you don't have a dutch oven like me then just use a sauce pan then transfer to roasting pan later on). Season chuck roast well with salt and pepper, add to pan and brown well on all sides (a few minutes a side). Remove roast and set on top of carrots and taters.
3.Add chopped onions to drippings in pot and reduce heat to medium. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar (or red wine) and deglaze pan, increase heat to medium-high and boil until reduced and slightly syrupy, about 4-5 more minutes. Stir in Dijon and stock.
4.Pour onion mix on top of meat and all over veggies, add herbs and cover and bake for about two hours or until tender (check after an hour).

Speaking of big hunks of meat, I thought this would be a fitting post to announce that after applying pretty much everywhere across the U.S. Lewis and I will be moving too...

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Yep, Houston, TX ya'll a place that is pretty much a complete mystery to us - which is both thrilling and terrifying. While it's not my first choice (I was hoping for mountains and cooler weather) after splitting my time/work between rural GA and Jacksonville, FL it's going to be a breath of fresh air finally settling down in one place, not to mention all the new food places we get to explore! We'll be flying out there next week to scope out the area and hopefully find a place to live so if any ex or current Texans are out there feel free to comment and give us some advice!

Brunswick Stew

As a person with a very particular diet, I always have to think about what I'm going to eat when we have a family gatherings. I don't wanna be "that person" who has special needs and makes a big deal when I am not accommodated so I usually end up making something for myself so the host doesn't have to worry about me. Luckily in my family there are two other vegetarians so the meal I make will be shared with others. For Easter I decided on this warm and hearty stew. I don't really know why I had the overwhelming desire to make this, it's not cold out anymore but I guess there's just something about the holidays that calls for a comforting meal. This stew is very filling and packs a flavorful punch thanks to the liquid smoke, you can easily make this with non-vegetarian beef tips too if you're not into this sorta thing (I'll forgive you).

Brunswick Stew

(serves 4-5 recipe adapted from southern.food.com)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces OR Gardein beefless tips
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 celery, minced
1 large white potato, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or 3 1/2 cups water
15 ounces fresh diced tomatoes
1 cup lima beans (fresh, canned, or frozen)
1 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
salt & freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces frozen vegetarian veggie crumbles OR 12 ounces textured vegetable protein
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke


Directions:

1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the "sausage" links and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.

2.Reheat the oil in the saucepan and add the onion, celery, potato, garlic, and ginger.

3.Add 1/4 cup of the stock or water, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.Remove the lid, add the remaining stock or water and stir in the tomatoes, corn, lima beans, Worcestershire sauce or tamari, mustard, sugar, allspice, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.

5.Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.During the last 10 minutes of cooking time, add the reserved “sausage,” the vegetarian burger crumbles, and the Liquid Smoke.

*Feel free to play with the amount of corn and limas or to sub in other veggies to taste, for example, carrots might be a nice addition.






Hope everyone out there had a blessed Easter!

Shepard's Pie of a Different Color

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Hope you're enjoying this festive holiday, I know I am enjoying the food! This Shepard's pie is a very comforting and savory dish with a touch of sweetness from the caramelized vegetables and Worcestershire sauce. You can easily make this recipe vegetarian or even vegan by using crumbled veggie burgers or these Morningstar crumblesFor those of you who have never tried a purple potato, they have a minimal starchy texture, thin skin, and pretty much taste like a regular potato in every way. One significant difference between them is the antioxidant content; purple potatoes contain 4 times as much antioxidants as Russet potatoes. Anthocyanin is a pigment that creates the purple color in the potatoes and also acts as an antioxidant. And you thought antioxidants were just in green tea! You can pick these up at any Publix or Whole Foods.




Shepard's Pie of a Different Color

3-4 medium sized carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
1 large onion
1 large turnip root
2 stalks celery (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
5 large potatoes (or one bag of small purple potatoes)
1 bag of Morningstar Vegetarian Crumbles (or 1 package of beef)
1 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 cups of potato water
1 tsp minced garlic
2 TBS dried parsley
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 TBS butter
1/2 sour cream
1/2 milk
4 TBS Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.Cover potatoes (about 2 inches) with water and boil until tender (around 15-20 min.) meanwhile, heat oil on medium high heat in saucepan and add carrots, parsnips, celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 min. until you see little brown bits.

3.Add the potato water to the vegetables (potato water is best because the starch acts as a thickener) and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape off all the crispy, flavorful bits. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 8min.

4.Add Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 1 TBS of butter. Drain the cooked potatoes and mash with 2 TBS butter, sour cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste.





5.Spoon vegetable mix (it might be a little watery but make sure you add ALL the juice) in a 9 X 9 inch pan then spread mashed potatoes on top, sprinkle with cheese (if using) and bake for 20-30 minuets.