Slow Cooker Lamb Stew with fennel and parsnips

Ok, so I just made what may go down at my house as the best lamb dish ever. I wish I could invite everyone over for dinner so I could make it for you. But alas, my kitchen is too small, so here's the recipe. I adapted a recipe from the new Saveur Classics cookbook. It goes something like this:

You'll need:

2 tbsp olive oil 

4 slices of good bacon, sliced into 1" pieces

2# lamb stew meat, cubed and trimmed

1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fennel seed

1 bay leaf

1 cup red wine (use something good, it'll be worth it)

1 cup vegetable stock

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

1 fennel bulb, trimmed, and cut into 1" pieces

Do this:

In a cast iron skillet, warm the oil over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and place in slow cooker. 

In a bowl toss the the lamb with salt, pepper, and the flour, then shake off excess flour and brown the lamb in the skillet with the bacon grease until brown on all sides. Remove to join bacon in the slow cooker. 

Now add the onion, garlic, fennel seed, and bay leaf to the pan. Cook about 10 minutes until onions are soft, then add red wine and scrape up any lamby bits. Cook over medium heat until wine is reduced by half, then add to slow cooker with the stock. Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Then add the parsnips and fennel, stir, and cook another 2 hours. Bliss!!!

I served mine with some left over pasta and cheese gratin (ala Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters), and some sautéed purple kale. Make this tomorrow folks...it's that good. 

Cooking without an oven

So as many friends know, I have killed my oven. It died an abrupt death during a recent self-cleaning function. I've decided to take this unplanned event as an opportunity to get creative with alternative cooking methods. Tonight I came up with this little beauty, and I highly recommend trying it yourself (or come over, I have leftovers):

Butternut Squash Soup with White Beans and Snap Peas

1 mediumish butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 shallot, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 quart turkey stock (it was time to use this baby up...if you don't have any left in your freezer, use chicken stock)

Grey sea salt, sage, nutmeg, and fresh ground white pepper to taste

1 can Northern White Beans, rinsed and drained

1 LB fresh snap peas, cut into bite sized chunks 

Warm olive oil and butter over medium heat, add chopped shallot and sauté a couple minutes. Add cubed squash and allow to cook for maybe 10 minutes. Then add salt, pepper, sage and a sprinkle of nutmeg, stir together, then add stock. Cover and drop heat to low. Cook for an hour or so, until squash is nice and soft. Purée with immersion blender, then stir in beans and snap peas and cook through, maybe another 15-20 minutes. 

Serve sprinkled with lots of parsley. Warm bread for dipping. Yum!! 

And if anyone out there has some oven free recipes...please share! 

Chimichurri

Just back from a beach vacation and inspired by a new Argentine Deli that my brother and sister-in-law just found. They served sausages with chimichurri one night, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that sauce! 

So tonight I decided to try my hand at making a batch. We ate it with reheated frozen chicken my husband had grilled up last week (while Ellie and I enjoyed our beach vacation...sorry Ben), some Jasmine rice, and a simple radish and cucumber salad. Let's just say our dinner was pretty yum for a Monday night! 

Chimichurri recipe:

- 1 cup parsley

- 1 cup basil

- 1/2 cup cilantro 

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 shallot

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1/3 cup sherry vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon cumin

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes

In a food processor - or Vitamix!! - purée until smooth. Divine...

Buttermilk Ice Cream

I recently cleaned out the closets in my yearly quest to become a minimalist. I have a long way to go....but I do keep trying. When I dropped off my once loved stuff at the local thrift shop I found this little number for $8. Couldn't resist. 

And so my entry into the world of DIY ice cream is now churning away. Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup buttermilk 

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

Splash of pure vanilla extract

In heat proof pan, heat cream, half and half, and buttermilk to scalding (180*F). In a heat proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, and the sugar. Once cream mixture scalds, add a small amount (maybe 1/4c) to the yolk/sugar mixture with your whisk, then add the yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the cream. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking, until it thickens, maybe another 3-5 minutes. Pour into heat proof container and chill in fridge until it reaches about 40-50*F. Then pour into you ice cream machine and let her whirl! I downloaded some directions for my old girl, and it says to process for about 35-40 minutes, or until it has the consistency of soft serve. Then put in a freezer proof container and freeze until scoopable. 

I'm going to serve mine over a homemade Plum Torte. 

Happy summer!

Not just for smoothies

5 Reasons I love my #Vitamix 6300 (and no, they're not paying me to say this):

- smoothies: ok, I drink a smoothie everyday. I'm addicted. Try this ~ 1cup plain yogurt, 1/2 banana, 5 strawberries, 1 apple (cored) or 1 orange (peeled), 2 dates, handful of almonds, sprinkle of shredded coconut, sprinkle of cocoa powder, and a handful of ice. Set to smoothie setting, run it twice. So smooth...

- soup: try this ~ roasted  butternut  squash soup with garlic. Follow the recipe, but at the end, purée in Vitamix, hot soup setting.

- soft serve: try this ~ frozen mango, a small handful of mint, and a little agave syrup. Set to frozen dessert setting. Your friends and family may thank you.

- salsa - 4 tomatoes, 1 onion quartered, 2 cloves garlic (peeled), 1 jalapeño pepper (seeded), and a small handful of cilantro. Start on low setting and increase to medium for a few seconds until desired consistency. We ate this all summer long last year. On everything. If you have a fresh mango lying around, throw that in too.

- it cleans itself: try this ~ fill half way with very hot water and a few drops of liquid dish soap, start on low and increase to high speed for total of 30 seconds. Rinse. 

Seriously easy stuff here. 

Bouillabaisse came to Oakland...and my home will never smell the same

It's the fennel. Holy smokes, that bubbling, mingling, hot pot of chicken, stock, Pernod, fennel, and yes, tomatoes. My goodness, but can my husband cook!

So a little back story...for our first wedding anniversary my husband and I took a culinary adventure through France. We started in Paris, where we celebrated my birthday with pink champagne, then took the train down to Lyon where we stayed with local friends, took in the unbelievable farmers market there, and then sampled some pretty extraordinary local fare. From there we continued by train down to Provence, then rented a car...that's where the real fun started. I speak no French, so let's just say trying to read their maps while my husband yelled the names of French towns at me led to a number of squabbles. If not for the car picnics of salami toes, stinky cheeses, and lots of fresh bread, those days in the car would have been a real challenge! Needless to say, we had some amazing lunches, and dinners, along the various roads on which we meandered. One of our favorites was at a place in Marseille, called Chez Fonfon. Their bouillabaisse is like nothing I've ever experienced, before or since. And the white tureen from which they continually ladle more hot broth atop our fresh fish and potatoes...wow. So last Saturday when my husband woke up and proclaimed..."hmm, I think I want to make bouillabaisse today," I responded with a speedy "I'm on my way to the farmers market. Make me a list!" He made Bouillabaisse de Poulet Chez Tante Paulette from Patricia Wells Bistro Cooking. Outstanding!

Since we licked clean all remains of the delightful chicken stew, I was forced to cook tonight. Ok, twist my arm, I needed some pasta! An old favorite from the 2010 edition of Real Simple Magazine: Fettuccine with leeks, corn, and arugula. I skipped the arugula this time and instead garnished it with some remaining fennel leaves, green salad on the side. Tres Bien!

Menu for the week of May 19, 2014

So I haven't posted any recipes in a while...sorry about that. I assure you though, I haven't been starving my family, but have definitely been repeating many of the recipes I've already shared. It happens sometimes, we just get in our little cooking ruts. But alas! The farmers market had summer squash last weekend! Hooray for new produce, and a new rotation in the recipes!

So last night I made Salmon and Zucchini with Shallot Vinaigrette from the September 2010 Issue of Real Simple. The vinaigrette is fantastic, and I even used dried dill instead of fresh (gasp). They recommend pan sautéing the salmon, but I prefer to broil it. Cook it whichever way is easy for you.

Tonight I'm making the Herb-crusted Chicken with greens and pan-dripping croutons that I blogged about previously. Using spinach this time, and also throwing in some broccoli. This recipe uses lemon, and it's crazy good, and so simple!

Wednesday night is going to be Risotto with Green Garlic and Snap peas. My daughter has decided that eating snap peas helps her snap her fingers. Don't blow my cover, the kids eating vegetables! For this one I'll be using the Risotto Blanca as a base, from The Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters. I do hope you've all purchased that cookbook by now ;-)

Thursday night will be my favorite, and hopefully yours by now, Slow-cooker pork with sautéed cabbage and corn bread. Recipe included in previous posts.

Until next time, enjoy,
Sabrina